Cake in Jars

A few months ago, I had a get-together coming up and I thought I would make cake in Mason jars, so if anyone wasn't ready for dessert they could take one home. I just didn't fill them extra-full on that night so a lid would go on easily.

The good thing about a dessert like this is that you don't have to eat it all at once. If you only eat half, just put the lid back on and place it in the fridge.

Here's how to do it:

Cake in Jars

1. Make your favorite chocolate cake in a 9x13 sheet pan. Let it cool. 
2. Make or buy both caramel sauce and chocolate frosting.
3. Place pieces of cake in Mason jars about a quarter of the way up, then cover with frosting.
4. Add a second layer of cake and drizzle with caramel sauce.
5. Top with caramel whipped cream, which is made by stirring some left-over caramel sauce into heavy cream and whipping it up like normal. It tastes delicious!
6. Lastly, drizzle with more caramel sauce and add chocolate sprinkles.
7. Store in the fridge. They will last about 5 days if you made real whipped cream.  If you are using store-bought whipped topping such as Cool Whip® or Reddi-Wip®, don't put it on until you're ready to eat your cake in a jar.

Here's a recipe for my basic chocolate cake:

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1-3/4 cups fine sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add one cup of the dry mixture alternating with a little milk, until incorporated into the butter mixture. Mix well after each addition.
4. Spread the batter in two greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Remove from oven and cool in the pans for 20 minutes. Invert onto wire racks to cool completely before frosting them.

Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
5-6 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter for about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the cocoa. Then add the confectioners' sugar one cup at a time. Mix until incorporated.
3. Add the milk, 2 tablespoons at at time. Mix after each addition, repeating until incorporated.
4. Mix in the vanilla and salt until the frosting is creamy. If the frosting is too thin, add more confectioners' sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk.

Here's my recipe for caramel sauce:

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
1. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved and combined well with the butter.
2. Add the cream. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
5. Let it cool a bit before using.
6. Store left-over sauce in a jar in the refrigerator.

~ Dana 

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copyright 2025, Dana Meier, My Olde Country Home

 

Dana Meier is a caterer, cookbook author, online content creator and purveyor of historic crafts in Washington state. Her first cookbook was published in 2023.

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