Cake in a jar! Take 2!!

So my first attempt at making cake in a jar was a total fail...I blame my inability to follow directions...but my second attempt was a success (well, more of a success then last time...it still hasn't made it to Kale so we will see....)

Anyway, some people are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about...well, I'm talking about cake in a jar people!!! That's right, you bake cake in a jar...then you seal it with the lids so it has a long shelf life! Sounds complicated...no not at all...its actually really easy! 

Step 1: Gather ingredients...you could make it from scratch but there was a sale on the cake mix for .80 a box, I couldn't pass that up! So since this is for his Thanksgiving care package, I did a spice cake! Then you just follow the other ingredients on the back- I needed oil, water, and eggs! I thought it would be 4 jars, but it was actually enough for 5...

Step 2: Mix it all together! On a side note- I'm obsessed with my mixer! Yes, I could have easily beat the batter by hand but this is just too much fun to use! I even have the paddle that scrapes down the sides while it rotates so it mixes evenly...best bridal shower present!!

 Step 3a: Pour batter into jars, about half way- any higher then they will rise above the rim and then you wont be able to seal them.

 Step 3b: While pouring into jars, get cake batter all over your counter and mixer...then once you made a giant mess, whip it up, and while you are at it, whip the outside of the jars clean if you got batter on them, its a lot easier to get the liquid batter off then when its cooked...

 Step 4a: Bake them! I baked mine at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

 Step 4b: While the jars are in the oven, boil the lids and screw-on cap thingys...I just put enough water so it was just covered.

 Step 4c: Stare intently at the jars, I was so amused by them! One thing that I did realize was that the recipe I had called for them to bake for an hour but I found that at 45 minutes they were done...

 Step 5: Once done, take one out and put the lid on, repeat with all the jars.  I placed mine on a cooling rack since they say as they cool and seal you will hear a "ping" and I was impatient so I thought I would speed along the cooling process...I only heard 1 ping but couldn't tell which one it was so as I lightly touched the tops to see which one had sealed, all the other ones "pinged" and sealed properly...

And there you have it! Cake in a jar!! After they cooled all the way, I wrapped them in fall print tissue paper and lined them with softer treats as padding (rice krispies and granola bars) then added store-bought icing to the package (do not frost cakes yourself! They will go bad!), I found Pillsbury cream cheese frosting so I went with that since it sounded like a good topping for spice cake and then shipped them off...Ill update with a taste report after Kale gets them (mail has been taking about a month...)

Oh, and I know some of you are thinking....you had 5 jars, only 4 are shown at the bottom...yeah, I got hungry...so sue me! It was delicious!!!!!! 

Oh and my mistakes for the 1st time I made them include- not boiling the lids so they didn't seal properly, and just the look of the 1st ones grossed me out...I made funfetti ones and even from right out of the oven, because of the colors- it just looked like little mold spots ALL over...not the most appetizing thing to open on your birthday in Afghanistan (sorry Jordan!)