Individual portions of cake that look stunning, travel perfectly, and take a fraction of the time a full cake does.
That’s the cake in a jar concept and once you make these, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with a full tiered cake for anything under ten people.
This post covers five flavors: strawberry funfetti, chocolate Oreo, vanilla birthday cake, caramel, and red velvet. Each one is layered with fluffy frosting inside a mason jar, topped with something that makes the whole thing look like it came from a bakery, and ready in about an hour.
They’re perfect for parties, gifts, or honestly just a Thursday night when you want something a little celebratory without much effort.
Keep reading through the pro tips section. There’s one trick with the frosting temperature that most people skip, and it’s the difference between clean beautiful layers and a jar that looks like everything melted together.
What You’ll Need
The Cake Base (choose your flavor — each makes 6 jars)
Strawberry Funfetti Cake:
- 1 box strawberry cake mix + ingredients listed on box (typically eggs, oil, water)
- 3 tbsp rainbow sprinkles, folded in before baking
- Pink food coloring (optional, for deeper color)
Chocolate Oreo Cake:
- 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix + ingredients on box
- 12 Oreo cookies, crushed (half for mixing in, half for layering)
Vanilla Birthday Cake:
- 1 box vanilla or funfetti cake mix + ingredients on box
- 4 tbsp rainbow sprinkles folded in
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
Caramel Cake:
- 1 box yellow butter cake mix + ingredients on box
- ¼ cup caramel sauce stirred into the batter before baking
Red Velvet Cake:
- 1 box red velvet cake mix + ingredients on box
- ½ tsp extra cocoa powder added to batter
The Frosting (enough for all 6 jars of one flavor)
Classic Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 225g (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 tbsp heavy cream (for consistency)
- Pinch of salt
Chocolate Frosting (for Chocolate Oreo jars):
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3-4 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Caramel Frosting (for Caramel jars):
- Use vanilla cream cheese frosting base above
- Add 3 tbsp caramel sauce and reduce heavy cream to 1 tbsp
Toppings (per flavor)
- Strawberry Funfetti: Pink pearl sprinkles, a mini cookie or wafer, pink sprinkles
- Chocolate Oreo: Chocolate shavings or curls, crushed Oreos, a whole Oreo on top
- Vanilla Birthday Cake: Rainbow sprinkles, mini birthday candle (optional)
- Caramel: Caramel drizzle, crushed graham crackers or toffee bits
- Red Velvet: Red velvet cake crumbs, a dollop of whipped cream or cream cheese frosting
Jars
- 6 wide-mouth mason jars (8 oz / 250ml size works perfectly)
- OR 6 regular-mouth mason jars (same size)
Tools You’ll Need
- 9×13 inch baking pan (for baking the cake flat)
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Large mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula
- Piping bag with a large round or star tip (or a zip-lock bag with corner snipped)
- Round cookie cutter or drinking glass the same diameter as your jar opening
- OR fork for crumbling the cake
- Wire cooling rack
- Offset spatula or butter knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Sifter (for powdered sugar)
Pro Tips
1. Bake the cake in a 9×13 pan, not round cake pans. A flat sheet cake is so much easier to work with for jar cakes. You can cut perfect circles the exact width of your jar opening, or simply crumble it for a more rustic look. Both methods work. The crumble method is faster and still looks beautiful.
2. Your frosting must be at room temperature before piping. Cold frosting tears cake crumbs instead of gliding smoothly between layers. Let your butter and cream cheese sit out for at least an hour before making the frosting. The result is a silky, spreadable frosting that layers cleanly and holds its shape.
3. Cool the cake completely before assembling. Warm cake melts frosting on contact. You end up with collapsed layers and frosting that slides around. Cool the cake fully on a wire rack, then refrigerate for 20-30 minutes before assembling if you want very clean, defined layers.
4. Pipe the frosting rather than spreading it. Using a piping bag gives you much more control than a spoon. A thick ring of frosting piped around the edge creates a visible white layer through the glass that looks intentional and beautiful. Spreading with a spoon tends to push cake crumbs into the frosting and muddy the layers.
5. Refrigerate assembled jars for at least one hour before serving. Everything settles and firms up during this time. The layers hold their shape, the frosting sets, and the whole jar becomes easier to eat cleanly with a long spoon. Jars assembled and chilled overnight are even better than freshly made ones.
Substitutions and Variations
Cake Base
| Original | Swap Options |
|---|---|
| Box cake mix | Homemade cake (any recipe works, just bake in a 9×13 pan) |
| Strawberry mix | Lemon cake + lemon curd in the layers |
| Chocolate fudge | Devil’s food cake mix |
| Yellow butter cake | Spice cake mix for a fall version |
Frosting
| Original | Swap Options |
|---|---|
| Cream cheese frosting | Whipped cream (lighter, less stable) |
| Butter-based frosting | Dairy-free butter + dairy-free cream cheese |
| Vanilla extract | Almond extract, lemon extract, or strawberry extract |
Fillings to Add Between Layers
- Fresh strawberries or raspberries between the cake and frosting layers
- Lemon curd for a tart contrast in vanilla or strawberry jars
- Nutella or peanut butter stirred through the frosting
- Caramel or hot fudge drizzled between cake layers
- Crushed cookies or graham crackers for texture
Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-free: Use a GF cake mix (they’ve improved massively in recent years)
- Dairy-free: Dairy-free cake mix, dairy-free butter and cream cheese for frosting
- Lower sugar: Use a sugar-free cake mix and reduce powdered sugar in frosting to 2 cups
Make Ahead Tips
Cake in a jar is genuinely one of the most make-ahead friendly desserts you can make.
- Bake the cake layers: Up to 3 days ahead, wrapped tightly and refrigerated or frozen up to 1 month.
- Make the frosting: Up to 5 days ahead in an airtight container in the fridge. Re-whip briefly before using.
- Assemble full jars: Up to 2 days ahead. Keep lids on in the fridge.
- Transport: Sealed jars travel perfectly in a cooler with ice packs. No cake sliding, no damage.
- Gifting: Write flavor names on the lid with a marker or tie a small tag around the jar. They look like something you’d pay $12 for at a bakery.
How to Make It
Step 1: Bake the Cake
- Preheat oven to the temperature on your cake mix box.
- Prepare batter according to box directions. Fold in any mix-ins (sprinkles, crushed cookies, food coloring).
- Pour into a greased 9×13 inch pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, either cut circles the same diameter as your jar using a cookie cutter, or crumble the cake into rough pieces with your hands or a fork.
Step 2: Make the Frosting
- Beat room temperature butter (and cream cheese if using) with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low between additions.
- Add vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder or caramel sauce if using.
- Add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time and beat on high for 1-2 minutes until the frosting is light, smooth, and pipeable.
- Taste and adjust sweetness or vanilla. Transfer to a piping bag.
Step 3: Assemble the Jars
- Add a layer of cake to the bottom of each jar, about 1 inch deep. Press down lightly to compact.
- Pipe a generous layer of frosting over the cake, working from the outer edge inward so it’s visible through the glass.
- Add a second layer of cake. Press lightly.
- Pipe another layer of frosting.
- For jars with three layers (deeper jars): repeat once more.
- Finish with a final swirl or rosette of frosting on top.
- Add toppings: sprinkles, cookie pieces, chocolate shavings, caramel drizzle, or cake crumbs depending on the flavor.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving or gifting.
Nutritional Breakdown (per jar, approximate based on vanilla birthday cake with cream cheese frosting)
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~480 |
| Protein | 5g |
| Carbohydrates | 68g |
| Fat | 22g |
| Sugar | 52g |
These are dessert jars. The nutritional goal here is joy. 🎂
Flavor Pairing Ideas
| Jar Flavor | Pairs Well With |
|---|---|
| Strawberry Funfetti | Fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream on the side |
| Chocolate Oreo | Cold milk, raspberry coulis between layers |
| Vanilla Birthday Cake | Fresh berries on top, a cup of coffee |
| Caramel | Sea salt flakes on top, apple slices on the side |
| Red Velvet | A glass of cold milk, fresh raspberries in the layers |
Leftovers and Storage
Fridge: Sealed jars keep for up to 4 days. The cake actually softens slightly over time from the moisture in the frosting, which a lot of people prefer to freshly assembled jars.
Freezer: You can freeze assembled jars for up to 1 month. Leave the lids slightly loose during freezing to account for expansion. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving. The texture after freezing is slightly more dense but still very good.
Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours if using cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese requires refrigeration.
Transporting: Keep jars sealed and upright in a refrigerated cooler or insulated bag. They do not need ice packs for short trips under 30 minutes but should be kept cool for longer ones.
FAQ
Do I have to use a box cake mix? No. Any homemade cake recipe works perfectly. Just bake it in a 9×13 pan to get a flat layer you can work with. Box mixes are just faster and honestly the texture is great for jar cakes because they tend to be moist and hold up well to layering.
What size jars work best? 8 oz wide-mouth mason jars are the sweet spot. They’re the right size for a generous individual portion, wide enough to get a spoon in easily, and the wide mouth means cleaner piping. 4 oz jars work for a smaller “mini” version that’s perfect for kids or a lighter dessert option.
Can I make these without a piping bag? Yes. Use a zip-lock bag with a small corner snipped off. It won’t give you a perfect rosette on top but it gives you good control for the interior layers. Alternatively, use a spoon and just be patient about pressing the frosting flat with the back of the spoon before adding the next cake layer.
How far in advance can I make these for a party? Up to 2 days ahead is ideal. The cake softens slightly from the frosting moisture and the flavors meld in a way that’s actually really nice. Make them Friday for a Sunday party and they’ll be at their best.
Can I ship these as gifts? Technically yes if you freeze them solid first and pack them well with dry ice or ice packs in an insulated box for overnight shipping. Realistically though, local gifting or hand-delivery is much more reliable. Frozen cake jars can crack if not packed very carefully.
My frosting is too stiff to pipe. What do I do? Add heavy cream one teaspoon at a time and beat again on high speed. Frosting stiffens in the fridge so always re-whip it if it’s been refrigerated before using.
My layers look messy through the glass. How do I get clean visible layers? Two things help most: making sure the cake is cold before assembling (refrigerate 20-30 minutes after cooling), and piping the frosting starting right at the glass edge and working inward so there’s always a clear white ring visible. A slight smear of frosting on the inside of the glass with an offset spatula before piping also helps create a clean visible layer.
Wrapping Up
Cake in a jar is one of those ideas that sounds like it might be too cute to actually be good. And then you eat one.
Layers of cake and frosting in every single spoonful, completely customizable to any flavor combination you want, packaged in a jar that looks like a gift even when it’s just dessert for a random weeknight.
Make a batch this weekend. Try two or three flavors at once since you’ll have cake left over anyway. And if you give them as gifts, prepare for people to ask you for the recipe.
Drop a comment below and tell me which flavor you started with, how the layers turned out, and whether you went with the crumble method or the circle cutter. I’d love to see how these came out for you. 👇
