Cake in a Jar Christmas Gift with Printable Tag

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Making your own homemade Christmas presents this year is a great way to show you care! And you can’t go wrong mason jar gifts! They’re always a fun and affordable way to check everyone off your Christmas list! With this cake in a jar Christmas gift, you can create a beautiful home-baked treat for anyone on your holiday shopping list. Just grab your free printable gift tag, then follow the instructions to make this simple DIY gift idea!

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While this mason jar gift may look complicated to make, you won’t believe how easy this it is to put together! And since you can easily customize the cake and icing inside, you can create a variety of homemade treats for each person on your list!

But the best part about this mason jar gift idea is that you can make several gifts using the homemade cake and icing in this recipe. With one sheet cake and one batch of icing you can make six pint jars!

Since you can make several gifts with just a few minutes of prep work, you can give them to a handful of different people on your shopping list. Not sure who to give your finished gifts to? Why not check these gift-recipients off your holiday shopping list and give them this simple cake in a jar gift this year:

• Teachers, coaches, tutors, principals, and school office workers
• Mail and package delivery people
• Hair dresser, dry cleaner, barber, and gardener
• Neighbors and friends of the family
• Secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange

Cake in a Jar Christmas Gift

To make this easy mason jar cake gift, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients. But the best part about this easy craft is that you can adjust the filling ingredients to suit your gift-recipients tastes!

What I love about this cake in a jar gift is how easy it is to make. Just prepare the cake and icing, then layer the ingredients in the jar! This cake in a jar recipe is made with red velvet cake and cream cheese icing.

To prepare the cake and icing, you’ll need:

• Red velvet cake: I used a boxed cake mix to prepare the cake for these dessert jars, but you could use your own red velvet cake recipe to prepare the cake layers. You could also use premade red velvet cupcakes as the filler for your jars.
• Cream cheese icing: This cake in a jar recipe uses homemade cream cheese icing because I think it tastes much better than the premade frosting. But if you’re in a rush, you can purchase cream cheese icing at the store. To fill six jars, you’ll need two containers of icing.

Preparing your cake and icing, you’ll need a few other supplies to put this gift together. To package your red velvet cake gifts, you’ll need:

• Printable gift tag: Keep reading to see how to get your free printable Christmas tree gift tags to decorate your jarred gift.
• Wide-mouth pint jars: It’s important that you use wide-mouth jars for this mason jar gift. It would be very hard to fill a traditional mason jar with the cake and icing because the opening on the top is just too small. Filling a pint-sized jar with cake and icing makes two servings of cake. If you want to create single-serve cakes in a jar, use half pint jars instead. I wouldn’t suggest going any bigger than a pint jar, though. That would be too much cake in one container!
• Piping bag: To get the icing into the jars, it’s a good idea to use a piping bag. I also used a star tip to add the icing to the jar to give it a fancier look.
• Ribbon: Attach the tag to your jar with a piece of ribbon. The dollar store has a variety of cute Christmas ribbons to choose from or you can use a plain green ribbon, like I did. I got this gingham ribbon from Wal-Mart.

How to Package Cake in a Jar

Since this easy gift idea uses just two ingredients, it’s so easy to put together! All you have to do is fill bake your cake, prepare the icing, layer the ingredients, then decorate your mason jar gift!

The main element of this dessert in a jar gift is the cake. I used boxed cake mix to make the sheet cake used inside the mason jars. Simply follow the instructions on the box to prepare the cake batter.

Would you rather make gluten free cake in a jar? Try my recipe for gluten free red velvet cupcakes instead!

Once your batter is prepared, spread it evenly over the top of a baking sheet. I used a 10×16 sheet to make the cake for these jars. Before adding the batter to the pan, make sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the edges of the pan to prevent the cake from sticking.

Since most boxed cake mixes don’t give instructions for baking the cake as a sheet cake, you’ll need to adjust the cook time slightly to account for the larger pan size. Since the cake is slightly thinner than a cake baked in a 9×13 pan, it won’t need to stay in the oven as long. Bake your red velvet sheet cake for 30 to 35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is finished bakign when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While your cake is cooling, you can prepare your cream cheese icing. Start by beating together your softened cream cheese and softened butter, along with some vanilla extract. Continue beating until butter and cream cheese are well combined and the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Add the powdered sugar and beat until the icing is smooth and creamy. To keep the powdered sugar from clumping as you mix, add the powdered sugar in one-cup increments until all the sugar has been incorporated.

How to Layer Cake in a Jar

Once you have your cake and icing prepared, it’s time to start packaging your gift! Follow these simple instructions to learn how to layer cake in a jar.

Before you can start layering the cake and icing in your mason jars, you’ll need to take a few minutes to get your ingredients prepared for packaging. Start by transfering your icing to a piping bag. Then, use a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut out circles from your sheet cake. You’ll need three slices of cake per jar.

When all your ingredients are ready go, you can start layering. First, put one slice of cake in the bottom of the jar. Make sure it’s laying flat on the bottom and centered at the middle of the jar.

Next, add a layer of icing. Start by piping a band of icing around the outside of the jar. I found it was easiest to hold the piping bag in place with one hand and slowly spin the jar with the other hand. Then, fill in the center of the cake slice with a final swirl of icing.

Continue layering the cake slices and icing until the jar is full. Then, pipe a final layer of icing on top. At this point, you can decorate your cake in a jar with some sprinkles. Or add some cake crumbles to the top. After that, place the lid on top of the jar and seal it.

Since these jarred cakes are made with cream cheese icing, it’s a good idea to keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to deliver your mason jar Christmas gifts.

Cake in a Jar Christmas Gift Tag

Once you have your jars filled with cake and icing, it’s time to decorate your Christmas gift! My favorite way to decorate my mason jar gifts is with a cute and festive gift tag.

To make your own hot chocolate in a jar gift, you’ll need to print out my free gift tags. To get your own, simply subscribe to my email list, print them out on cardstock, and tie them to your jar.

AFTER SUBSCRIBING, YOU’LL RECEIVE A WELCOME EMAIL WITH A PASSWORD EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY SUBSCRIBERS. IF YOU DON’T SEE THE MESSAGE SHORTLY AFTER SUBMITTING YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR JUNK OR SPAM FOLDERS AND ADD MY EMAIL AS TO YOUR SAFE LIST! I’LL KEEP YOU UP-TO-DATE ON NEW FREEBIES AND OTHER POSTS once a week AFTER THAT.

After downloading your printable tags, print them out on white cardstock and cut the tags out around the outer border. Grab a hole punch to put a hole in the top of the tag. After that, just thread a piece of ribbon or twine through the hole and attach the tag to the top of your jar with a bow.

Before you attach your gift tag to the front of the jar, make sure to sign your name on the back!

More Amazing Mason Jar Ideas:

42 Simple Mason Jar Decoration Ideas

Santa Mason Jar Gift

Mason Jar Hot Chocolate Gift with Printable Gift Tag

Ugly Christmas Sweater Mason Jars

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