How to Can Cakes in a Jar

Chemist Nicolas Appert invented canning to help Napoleon feed his army. Appert heated and sealed foods in jars to preserve it. In the mid-18th Century, John Mason invented a metal-threaded lid that tightly sealed a jar with a rubber ring. Previously, a jar had to be sealed with wax. Twenty-five years later, Henry Putnam invented a jar with a glass lid and metal clamp. Botulism and contamination were no longer culprits in faulty canning and today pickles, jams, salsas and even cakes have extended shelf life because of canning. Cakes can be canned in a jar, as a novelty and as a method to preserve a cake.

Things You'll Need

6 wide-mouth, pint-size glass canning jars
6 canning jar lids and rings
Large pot of boiling water
Cake recipe ingredients or prepackaged cake mix
Sifter
Medium bowl
Large bowl
Electric beater

Measuring cup
Rubber spatula
Nonstick cooking spray
4-sided baking sheet
Oven timer
Oven
Bamboo skewer

Preparing Canned Cakes

In a hot-water bath, sterilize six 1-pint wide-mouth canning jars, lids and rings. Boil these for 10 minutes. Soak the lids and rings in the hot water until you need them. Air-dry jars and bring them to room temperature. Spray the inside of each jar with nonstick cooking spray. Be careful not to spray the rim.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare cake batter. Pour a cup of batter into each of the greased 1-pint canning jars. Place jars on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Poke cake with a bamboo skewer to check if the cake is fully cooked. when done remove the jars from the oven and cool.
Make sure the cake and jar are cooled completely. Remove each lid and ring from the hot-water bath as you seal each jar. To seal, place a lid on top of jar and then screw on the ring reasonably tight. As the lid cools, it will automatically produce an airtight seal. You should hear a "ping" noise as the lid seals.

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