Chocolate Cake in a Jar

One of my Facebook friends was recently snowed in, and horror of horrors, she was out of chocolate. It got me thinking that one should always have a hidden stash just for these emergency situations. That doesn't have to mean candy; it can be cake! Chocolate Cake in a Jar is the perfect back-up. These cakes can be stored like any other canned goods, in a dark cool place. To be safe, if you're not going to eat this cake in the first few days (assuming it's sealed correctly), you can and should store it in the freezer. As in any food canning process, make sure the jars, seals and lids are sterilized, and that the seal is tight.

This recipe adapted from allrecipes.com is fabulous! It's perfect when you don't need an entire cake. Easy to eat, too! And delicious. Hint: Use the jar size in the recipe. Don't use a bigger size jar because it won't bake through, and the uncooked middle could become contaminated.

Chocolate Cake in a Jar

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Madegascar (Madegasse is fabulous!) vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions
1. Sterilize 2 (1 pint) straight sided wide mouth canning jars, lids and rings by boiling for 10 minutes. Keep the lids and rings in the hot water until needed. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, water and cocoa powder. Heat and stir until butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Pour into a large bowl.
4. Stir in Flour mixture and blend. Add buttermilk, egg and vanilla and beat by hand until smooth. Stir in nuts.
5. Distribute evenly into the 2 prepared canning jars. Place the jars on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted deep into center of cake comes out clean.
6. Using heavy oven mitts, remove cakes from oven one at a time. Place a lid, then a ring onto the jars and screw them down tightly. Place the jars on the counter and listen for them to "ping" as they seal. If you miss the "ping", wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it's sealed.
7. After it cools, cake will pull away from the jar and when you are ready to eat, open and the cake will slip out.
8. Unsealed jars should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within 2 weeks. Sealed jars can be placed in the freezer. The cake is safe to eat as long as the jar remains vacuum-sealed and free from mold.