6 Beautiful Sweet Treats to Bake in a Jam Jar

Nutella Banana Cream Cake

This gorgeous Nutella Banana Cream Cake was made by Heather, from the fantastic creative lifestyle blog Whipperberry. She created it as it reminded her of her favourite crepe filling. It comprises of a vanilla cupcake base, with a layer of sliced banana and then a swirl of banana cream. Through the centre is a strip of Nutella and then the whole thing is topped with chocolate chips. As Heather says, the secret here is not to over-fill the jars with the cake mixture - you’ll need room for it to rise and so you can add the toppings on, too.

Gingerbread

This gluten free and vegan Gingerbread Cake Mix in a Jar was created by Richa of the Vegan Richa blog. It has all the aromatics necessary for a perfect gingerbread: molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, and serves one, in a small jam jar. You can fill the jar with all the ingredients and give it as a gift, (with instructions on how to bake) or just make yourself one as you fancy it. And the best bit? You can either bake it in the oven or it will microwave - in an emergency - in 45 seconds. Brilliant.

Lemon Meringue Pies

These Mason Jar Lemon Meringue Pies look fantastic - but they’re actually really simple to make. They were made by Linda, of the blog It All Started with Paint. You just bake the base in the jar for 10 minutes before adding the lemon filling and then the meringue on top. Linda has used a shop-bought lemon meringue pudding mix for hers, which makes it even easier. A perfect summer dessert and a great idea for parties and barbecues.

Pazookie

A what? A Pazookie, of course. Heather, from Whipperberry adapted the ‘Pizookie’ - a gooey, chocolate chip cookie that’s baked in a tin (so it’s a cross between a pizza and a cookie). But she baked hers in a jar and named it a ‘Pazookie’. She suggests baking a batch, letting them cool and then replacing the lid, to give out as gifts. They just need a quick blast in the microwave to reheat (20 seconds, people) and can be served with ice cream on top, straight from the jar. Sounds delicious.

Pie

Cakes, puddings and pazookies are all very well, but what about pies? Well they can be baked in a jar, too. Arena from the blog The Nerd’s Wife made these Pies in a Jar using a pumpkin pie filling and also an apple and cranberry filling - but you could make any type of pie you like. You can decide whether or not to include a crust, but for best results you’ll need a wide-necked jar rather than a tall, narrow one. Arena also suggests storing cooled pies in the freezer in case you need an emergency dessert - which is never a bad idea.

Carrot Cake in a Jar

Another classic - Carrot Cake in a Jar. It was made by Sheryl and Karla of the blog Oh So Very Pretty and would make a beautiful gift. You just make up your carrot cake mixture and bake in sterilised jars for around 45 minutes. Once cool, you add the butter and cream cheese-based icing and then seal the jar.