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this.is.awesome.

I was looking for something interesting to give my daughters preschool teachers. This is it! Thanks!

This really isn't "canning" and also isn't an approved method of preservation. Basically, there is no approved way of making these which is considered safe. The method of "canning" which involves filling sterilized jars with product then clapping the lids on the letting them "seal" is called Open Kettle and is no longer an approved process due to this process not removing the possibility of botulism.

Open kettle canning doesn't evacuate the air and/or kill spores in the same manner that water or pressure processing does. Yes, you can get a seal because it will create a vacuum but a vacuum does not mean no air/spores. Just like we no longer use the inversion method for jams and jellies. If simply slapping a hot lid and ring onto a hot jar full of hot stuff meant we could get a safe seal, we'd do that will just about everything and save a lot of effort and energy.

Personally, I'm not up to taking risks when neurotoxins are involved. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/uga_can_breads.pdf

That link covers things rather well. Especially when freezing is such a wonderful method of preserving cake for later, I don't understand why one would take such a risk as to "can" cakes/breads.

Now, that doesn't mean people don't do it, and that doesn't mean that if you do it you will die from foodborne illnesses. It does mean you're gambling at that though.

You are welcome do try this, you should just be aware that there is no approved safe method of doing this, and you are running the risk.

I am disappointed that you are blindly reposting information without doing the proper research first. People will trust that the information provided here is safe, will follow it, and can then run the risk of consuming the botulism neurotoxin. Very sloppy work AT, if you ask me.

Thanks, Esther. The only thing I have to add is that it *is* safe to package a home-made cake mix this way, and simply include some instructions for baking. A Pyrex dish appropriate to the recipe would be a nice addition, too.

Thanks for the info, Ether Maiden. Given the prevalence of these recipes in many respected resources and recipe collections, none of us would think to second-guess them, although Emily did add a caveat to their supposed storage length. Cautions like this are part of why this community's feedback is helpful.

In response to some of the previous alarmist and negative posts, I'd like to remind people that botulism neurotoxin is destroyed at temperatures over 119F . Baking a cake in jars and sealing shouldn's be an issue, and clearly isn't, since there haven't been documented cases of paralysis from eating cake from a jar. Before deciding to scare everyone and chastise the author for not completing thorough research, I suggest you do some research of your own first. Most food safety publications recommend processing food for storage at 212F or greater, as achieved with a pressure cooker. However, since most cakes bake at 325F or higher, any present spores should be killed. My information is based on Physiology of Toxin Production by Clostridium botulinum by Bonventre and Kemp, 1959, in the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Angry Chicken recommends storing the jars in a freezer, not on the shelf, which is also appropriate for killing clostridium spores.

@pedalpowered there is still the issue of this being open-kettle style process, where the lids of the jars aren't brought nearly to that temperature (boiling canning lids ruins the sealing compound, you're supposed to heat but not boil them, according to most manufacturers), and that there is ambient open air enclosed in the jars as opposed to proper canning processes which force said air out of the jar AND fully heat the product and lids/jars through to sufficient temperatures.

Angry Chicken does reccomend storing in the freezer, but many sites do not suggest this. Plenty of site say you can do this and store them on the shelf in your pantry just like jams and pickles, which isn't really the case.

Sure- this is something you can do, and many avid home-canners do partake in this sort of project (and assorted other tweaks on approved recipes), but avid canners also know fully what they are working with and risking. The general public with little to no canning experience doesn't nessicarily understand the risks they could be taking.

Um, if I received one of these gift cakes, there is no way it would sit on a shelf for 6 months. Why not give out the cakes and tell your friends to eat them right away? It's still a thoughtful gift.

I was once the recipient of a cake in a jar and LOVED it. I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks for the post.

I'm on a bit of a budget lately, and this is a great idea. Thank you for sharing!