DIY Cake In A Jar Tutorial

I’m still on a mission with the lovely folk from Consol Glass to bring you some fun and simple D.I.Y. ideas for the festive period. If you caught my last post, you will hopefully by now know how to make a D.I.Y. Terrarium, complete with its own dinosaur population, but if you’re more into cakes than plants, then this next one is just for you.

In this post, I’m going to show you how to create this yummy DIY ‘Cake In A Jar Tutorial’ for a festive Peppermint and Vanilla Sponge Cake. This project is right up my alley because it involves cake (obvs) and the options are endless, in terms of what ingredients you can add to a Consol jar for someone to whip up as a fun interactive gift.

I also thought that it would be awesome to create a little scene on the lid of the jar, almost like a Christmas decoration or snow globe. I think doing something like this just adds an extra bit of fun to this it.

Oh, and by the way, this cake is by far the softest, spongiest vanilla cake I have ever tasted! I actually had to keep going back in for another bite I was so blown away! I find vanilla sponge quite hard to get right, but not anymore whoo! And the peppermint buttercream icing makes you feel like you’re literally eating Christmas.

Here is a list of things that you’re going to need to create the little globe on the lid:

1. A large Consol Glass jar, I used one with a glass lid that clips open and shut.
2. A Christmas ball decoration – must be hollow.
3. A few props for the actual scene you’re going to create, I used a mini pine cone, a dinosaur, a piece of greenery from our Xmas tree for foliage and some coloured twine.
4. Clear glue and a pair of very sharp scissors

DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE THE GLOBE ON THE LID:

Step 1: Using a very sharp pair of scissors or knife carefully cut the plastic Xmas decoration in half and remove whatever is inside. You can reuse them as props as if you want 🙂

Step 2: On the surface of the jar lid glue down whatever little bits and pieces you’d like your little scene to be made up of.

Step 3: Take one half of the ball decoration and very carefully place glue along the entire rim of it before sticking it onto the jar, on top of your creation to form a dome.

Step 4: Once that has dried take your twine and wrap it around the edge where the ball meets the lid, just to hide the glue marks 🙂 And you’re done!

List of what you are going to need for the inside of your DIY ‘Cake In A Jar Tutorial’:

• 2 and 1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 3 x teaspoons baking powder
• 1 x teaspoon salt
• 1 x mini Consol jar filled with sprinkles of your choice
• 6 x mini candy canes
• 1 x small bottle of peppermint essence

DIRECTIONS ON HOW TO FILL YOUR CAKE JAR:

Step 1: Pour your flour, baking powder and salt into your jar. Bang the jar softly on the counter to even it out.

Step 2: Gently pour your brown sugar on top of the flour. I placed a round piece of wax paper on top of the flour before I poured the sugar on so that they would stay nice and separate.

Step 3: Add the peppermint essence bottle, candy canes and mini jar of sprinkles to the top of the sugar.

Step 4: Handwrite the recipe below and attach it to the twine using a mini peg or safety pin.

OTHER INGREDIENTS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO NEED TO MAKE THE CAKE (these are only included on the written recipe card, not in the jar 🙂

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup canola/veg oil
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup hot water

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ICING:

• 85 grams unsalted butter – softened
• 2 and a half cups icing sugar
• 1 and a 1/2 teaspoons peppermint essence
• 1 tablespoon of milk (may not need this)

HOW TO MAKE THE PEPPERMINT AND VANILLA SPONGE CAKE:

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C. Prepare to standard size cake tins by spraying them with Spray and Cook and adding a round of baking paper to the bottom of each tin.
2. Pour all the dry ingredients in your jar into one big mixing bowl.
3. Use a fork to properly mix them all together.
4. In a separate bowl add the milk, oil, vanilla essence, peppermint essence and eggs then blend.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with an electric mixer until well combined.
6. Slowly add the hot water to the mixture and mix on a low speed until you have a nice smooth batter.
7. Divide the mixture evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Let the cakes cool before icing them.

HOW TO MAKE THE ICING:

1. In a mixing bowl add the unsalted butter and icing sugar and mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Add the peppermint essence and mix well.
3. If the consistency is too thick just add a splash of milk and if it’s too thin add some more icing sugar.
4. Place one layer of the cake on a plate or cake stand and spread a nice layer of icing on the top of it. Then add the send cake layer and cover the tops and sides with the remaining icing.
5. Deocrate the top of the cake with sprinkles, some crushed candy cane (I crushed one for this) as well as a few whole candy canes.