Fruitcake in a Jar

This fruitcake recipe doubles as a preservation method. Spiced fruit cake batter gets baked directly in sterilized wide-mouth canning jars, and the hot jars seal themselves the moment you place the lids on. Properly sealed, these cakes keep for up to a year on the shelf.

The fruit choice is completely flexible. Use grated apple, applesauce, crushed pineapple, shredded carrots, mashed bananas, or any combination you like, as long as it totals two cups. Raisins and chopped nuts are optional add-ins that should be tossed in flour first so they don’t sink to the bottom during baking.

Cinnamon and cloves give it warm, holiday spice character. The batter is essentially a quick bread, so it comes together fast. The sealing process is the part that requires attention and speed.

Kitchen Tips

• Use only wide-mouth pint canning jars, not recycled mayo or pasta sauce jars. Those aren’t designed to handle the thermal stress and can crack.
• One measuring cup of batter per jar, no more. Overfilling causes overflow and prevents a proper seal.
• Work fast when sealing. Remove one jar at a time from the oven, wipe the rim clean, place the lid, and twist on the ring. Leave the others in the oven while you work.
• Listen for the pop that signals each jar has sealed. If a jar doesn’t seal, refrigerate it and eat that one first.

Variations

• Add a splash of brandy or rum to the batter for a more traditional fruitcake flavor.
• Use brown sugar in place of white for a deeper, more molasses-like sweetness.
• Make individual gift jars by decorating the sealed jars with ribbon and labels.