October 29, 2012

Halloween Mason Jar Mini Cakes

by Natalie Dicks
A couple of weeks ago I was asked by Kristyn of Lil’ Luna to be her newest contributor… I’m so excited and honored! Last week was my first post and I came up with this kid-friendly project. It’s super easy and combines both baking and crafting. Ready to get started?! First off, you’re going to need a few supplies. You’ll have to decide whether you want to do all of one kind of jar, or if you want to do three of each (one box of cake mix makes (9) 1/2 pint mason jar mini cakes). Since I wanted to show you all of them, here’s what you’ll need to make three of each-
SUPPLIES:

Frankenstein: (3) 1/2 pint mason jars, 1 black Sharpie paint pen, 6 googly eyes, super glue, black sprinkles, green & black food coloring

Jack-O-Lantern: (3) 1/2 pint mason jars, 1 black Sharpie paint pen, green sprinkles, green and orange food coloring
Mummy: (3) 1/2 pint mason jars, 1 box of 2″ gauze, 6 googly eyes, super glue, white sprinkles

1 Box white cake mix*

1 Recipe buttercream frosting
4 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

3 Piping bags with desired tips

DIRECTIONS:
1. Now that we’ve decided what we’re making, lets get the cake batter made! *You can always use your own recipe, but a store bought mix is a quick and easy alternative. Once the batter is ready divide it evenly in between three bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring into two of the bowls, coloring one green and the other orange. Pour the batter into the mason jars, filling each to the halfway mark (don’t go any further, or your cakes will overflow). You will end up with three green, three orange and three white.
2. Set the jars onto a rimmed baking sheet and place in the center of the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. BE CAREFUL! If you over-bake these they will become brown… so watch them up until the 20 minute mark and remove them immediately!
3. Place the baked cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely (about 30-40 minutes). If the cakes have risen too much, you can always take a knife and cut off the excess cake so that there is enough room to frost them.
4. Meanwhile to prepare the frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, vanilla, heavy cream and salt. With mixing speed on low, gradually add powdered sugar. Turn the speed up to high and beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from stand and divide frosting into three bowls. Color one orange, one black and leave the other white. Scoop into prepared piping bags. Set aside.
5. When cakes have cooled, decorate jars. Let the ink and glue set for 5-10 minutes before frosting.
6. Frost the cakes as desired and garnish with sprinkles. If you are giving these as a gift, you can screw on lids and decorate the tops. To store, seal and place in refrigerator for 2-3 days. Enjoy!

You can see my original post + more pictures HERE at Lil’ Luna!