On a scale of one to ten, one being foods like cauliflower and lamb (sometimes I feel as though I’m the only meat-eater on the plant who doesn’t like the latter) and ten being arugula, mushrooms and cookies with a dash of lemon, cakes in jars rank in at a 12.

I hope that sentence made sense. I’m worried that it did not, so let me summarize.

Cakes baked in cute little jars are wonderful.

I was in a baking mood this past Saturday. Having made another batch of cookies for my special cookie gift bags (that post is coming up), I decided I didn’t want to leave the kitchen. The stove was making my legs feel fuzzy and warm. So, I did what any reasonable person would do, I decided to bake a cake. Luckily my baking buzz lined up perfectly with my friend Emily’s birthday.

I’m not sure what was once in this jar. I suspect it was marmalade, however, all reminders of its former life were erased when I used it to carry hummus to school when we ran out of Tupperware containers. What a multi-functional little jar.

I’m mildly concerned that the end product was too much cake and not enough icing, so I’ll have to work on tweaking my cake-in-jar logistics for next time. Oh yes, there will be a next time. I’m thinking some sort of layered trifle.

Recipe: Birthday cake-in-a-jar
Slightly adapted from The Baker Chick
– 1 egg white
– 2 tbsp sugar
– 2 tbsp butter, belted
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/3 cup flour
– 1/4 heaping tsp baking powder
–  Pinch of salt
– 2 tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Find a glass jar that is about the size of those tomato paste cans you buy at the grocery store. It should be around 6 oz.

In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Pour batter into jar.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until a very long toothpick (I recommend a shish kabob skewer) comes out clean.  Let cool completely. Slice the top off to level it (perfect for taste testing,) and ice it with your favourite batch of buttercream icing.

Makes one mini, jarred cake.