Applesauce Cake in Jars
Submitted by rsayegh
Applesauce spice cake baked in canning jars and sealed hot for shelf-stable storage. A spiced cake with cinnamon, cloves, and nuts that makes a unique homemade gift.
YIELD
12 cupsPREP
20 minCOOK
50 minREADY
2 hrsThis applesauce cake is baked directly inside sterilized canning jars, then sealed hot so the lids vacuum-seal as they cool. The result is individual cakes that store on a shelf for up to a year, making them one of the most thoughtful homemade gifts you can put together for the holidays.
The cake itself is a moist, spiced applesauce batter with cinnamon, cloves, and optional chopped nuts. Shortening instead of butter keeps the crumb tender even after long storage, since shortening doesn’t harden the way butter does when cooled. Two cups of applesauce and ⅔ cup of water make this one of the moistest cakes you’ll ever bake.
Filling the jars only halfway is critical. The batter rises significantly during baking, and overfilled jars won’t seal properly. You’ll hear the lids “plink” as they cool, which tells you the vacuum seal has formed. Press the lid after cooling to confirm: if it doesn’t flex, you have a good seal.
Chef Tips
- Sterilize the jars, lids, and rings by boiling for 10 minutes. Unsterilized jars can harbor bacteria that spoil the cake during storage.
- Grease the inside of each jar thoroughly with a pastry brush. Cake baked in glass sticks stubbornly, and you want clean release when it’s time to eat.
- Use heavy-duty oven mitts when handling the hot jars. Glass conducts heat fiercely and the jars are extremely hot straight from the oven.
- Seal each jar immediately after removing from the oven. The hot cake creates steam that forms the vacuum seal as it cools.
Variations
- Add raisins or dried cranberries along with the nuts for fruity pockets throughout.
- Use brown sugar in place of granulated for a deeper, more caramel-forward flavor.
- Add a teaspoon of nutmeg or allspice for a more complex spice profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Sterilize 8 (12 oz) canning jars, lids and rings by boiling for 10 minutes.
Remove the jars and allow to air-dry and cool.
Leave the lids and rings in the hot water until ready to use.
Once the jars are cool enough to handle, grease them (use a pastry brush) with shortening, set aside.
Cream together the shortening and sugar.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the applesauce and water; set aside.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.
Blend dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture.
Fold in the nuts.
Pour batter into the jars, filling them about ½ full.
Place jars onto a cookie sheet or they’ll fall over.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a pick inserted deep into the center of each cake comes out clean.
Remove jars from the oven, one-at-a-time (use HEAVY-DUT Y MITTS, the jars ARE HOT!); place a lid, then a ring on top and screw down tightly.
Place jars onto your counter top to cool.
You’ll know when the jars have sealed, you’ll hear a plinking sound.
If you missed the sound, test them by pressing down on the lids once the jars have cooled--they shouldn’t move at all.
Store jars in a cool, dry place.
They should keep for about a year.
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