Rum Cake in a Jar

As an extra this week I am going to post my old holiday favorite, cake in a jar.  You can use any cake recipe you like, but I have found the most popular flavor is a modified version of the Bacardi Rum Cake.  You need 8 pint size wide mouth canning jars with lids for a standard 2-layer cake recipe.

Cake Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
1 small box (3.75 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup rum (sometimes I use spiced rum)
1 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease inside of canning jars (I spray with PAM).  Mix first six cake ingredients and beat for 5 minutes with a mixer.  Divide batter evenly between the 8 jars.  Sprinkle the pecans on top of cake mix.  Place jars on a cookie sheet for easier handling and bake for 30-35 minutes until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  The cake may rise above the top of the jar, but that is ok as the cake will shrink as it cools.

Place canning lids in a pan of boiling water and simmer on low while the cakes bake and you make the glaze.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Stir in water and sugar.  Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in rum. 

Immediately when you remove the cakes from the oven, poke each cake throughly using a long bamboo skewer.  Slowly ladle small amounts of the rum glaze into each jar.  If you do this too fast the glaze will overflow.  Let each ladle of glaze absorb before adding more.  Take lids out of hot water and quickly dry.  Place lids on top of hot jars and screw on the jar rings.  Use a towel to hold the jars while you do this as they will still be HOT!  You will hear the jar lids begin to "ping" as the heat from the cake causes the jars to seal.  Once the jars are cool, you can screw down the rings tightly.  After it cools it will pull away from the jar and when you are ready to eat, open and pop out the cake and enjoy!