To be 100% forthcoming – I have never done this. I do, however, know several people personally who have and who say it’s a very easy process and works well. I am a chicken. Maybe the next time I am sending birthday greetings to Iraq or Afghanistan I will woman-up and send a cake in a jar.
The following is a snippet from an article. Read through and if you decide to do it visit the link below for shipping and eating instructions. Remember that in the summer months foods may cook a little extra sitting in boxes on boiling tarmacs (I have heard of things melting that I never imagined… like jolly ranchers turning liquid in a box!) So, if you send icing keep it sealed and put it in a separate bag in case it leaks!
EXCERPT
How do you get send a birthday cake to a soldier in a forward operating base overseas? In a jar! Instead of paying and arm and a leg to have a specialized bakery send an itty bitty cake in an expensively packaged container, just follow these steps to making your soldier smile.
MATERIALS:
The project requires:
• Canning jars with lids and rings. The wide-mouth pint sized work best. The local Wal Mart or similar store will carry these near the gardening section.
• Any box cake mix will do, or a recipe from scratch works great, too!
•
Makes: 4-5 jars per box mixINSTUCTIONS:
1. Boil jars to sanitize and let cool.
2. Prepare cake mix per regular directions. (Nothing special required)
3. After jars have cooled, grease the entire inside of jars to be used.
4. Fill each jar halfway with cake batter. (One cup line for the pit jars works great)
5. Place jars on a cookie sheet in the oven so they don’t tip over when moving them.
6. Bake at 350* for approximately 30 minutes for pint jars. Use toothpicks or kabob skewers to test. Cake is done when they come out clean.
7. Boil rings and lids while cake is baking.
8. Remove each jar individually and carefully screw on rings and lids. Let cool.
9. Listen for the “ping!” sound while jars cool, this means they’re sealed and good to go! If you don’t hear the ping sounds, press the lids down to seal. You should hear a “pop”. If neither of these work. If neither works, just eat the cake within a few days.
10. Enjoy up to a month. Shipping will go smoothly!
I used to make brownies in a jar for my soldiers. Same basic principal but I used double chocolate brownie mix and would stick a hunk of chocolate down in the center after I removed them from the oven. They loved them!!