This cupcake in a jar makes a great gift for a teacher, coach, babysitter, and more. It also makes a perfect party favor. The one I made today is a Valentine’s Day theme, but it could easily be changed for any holiday by changing the color of the ribbon, icing, and even the cupcake.
Follow the step-by-step directions below to find out how to make a cupcake in a jar.
One box of cake mix (or you can make your own),
One can of frosting (I used spray frosting, but again you can make your own),
sprinkles,
ribbon,
decorative napkin,
plastic fork,
tacky or hot glue, sharpie,
optional: fruit preserves any flavor
Pre-heat 350
Step 1:
Make the cake mix according to the box; One cake mix will be enough for 12 cupcakes in a jar.
Step 2:
Clean and dry your jar. You do not need to grease or spray the inside of the jar.
Step 3:
Place two spoonfuls of the batter into the jar using a cereal-sized spoon. Make sure you do not get any batter on the top part of the glass, so it looks clean when it’s finished baking. If you get some batter around the top part of the glass jar, just clean it with a paper towel.
Step 4:
Add one spoonful of the fruit preserves, I used strawberries.
Step 5:
Add two more spoonfuls of the batter into the jar. The jar should be less than half full. The jars that I used had numbers along the outside of the jar. The batter was filled up to line number 2. If your jar has no number, no worries; it should be between 1/4-1/2 way full.
Step 6:
Place jars on cupcake trays this is, so they don’t fall over while baking. Bake for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. It’s important not to overbake, so they don’t look brown in the jar.
Step 7:
While cupcakes are baking and cooling, it’s time to decorate your jar. Using the top of your lid, trace a circle on a scrapbook or decorative paper. Cut it out.
Step 8:
If you use the 1/2 pint mason jars, they will have a lid that separates. If your jar’s lid separates, continue with this step; if it doesn’t, you can skip it. Separate the inside lid from the outer lid. Place your circle on the inside lid, then place it back into your outside lid.
Step 9:
Glue your ribbon around the rim of the jar.
Step 10:
Now that your cupcake is cool, you can decorate it with frosting and sprinkles.
Step 11:
Place your fork on your decorative napkin, as shown in the picture. Make sure the fork is sticking out just a little. Wrap the napkin around the fork.
Step 12:
Hold your swaddled fork next to the jar, and tie a ribbon around it to secure.
Step 12:
Write a cute message on top of your jar with a sharpie.
