Strawberry Shortcake in a Mason Jar

Reader Contribution by Lyndsay Dawson Mynatt

The Mason jar, historically known for its utility of food preservation, has become a multifunctional tool used in countless ways from drinking glasses to blender attachment to decorations. The possibilities for Mason jar creativity seem endless. My experiment is to create the ultimate strawberry shortcake by baking cupcakes in a jar to create a triple layered treat: a white cake layer topped with strawberry gelato with fresh sliced strawberries on top. To make this eye-catching dessert, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Cupcakes in a Jar

Simple. Follow any cake recipe, replacing the cupcake tins with jelly jars. I used 8-ounce jars, but any jelly jar size will do (other sizes are 4-ounce or 12-ounce). Grease the inside of the jars and fill one-third to one-half full. Here is the most important part: place the jars on a cookie sheet! To reemphasize, the jars cannot sit directly on the oven racks. Hopefully, I learned this lesson for the sake of many others. Living on the adventurous side causes massive cleanups—when I opened the oven door to check on the status, all eight jars toppled over simultaneously. No toothpick was needed. The batter dripping into the bottom of the oven relayed the message. Fortunately, my quick reaction saved the lot from demise. Baking the jars on top of the cookie sheet seemed to extend the overall baking time, so check at 5-minute increments beyond the recipe instructions.

For the strawberry shortcake, I use the White Cake Recipe from Better Homes & Garden New Cook Book.

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