Cupcakes in a Jar

This morning I made my first dozen cupcakes in a jar.  I saw this super cute idea on Pinterest (my new bff).  I thought this was a fun presentation and you can change the colors for different parties or holidays.  Check out these adorable July 4th cupcakes.  These chocolate cupcakes with pink icing are cute, too.  I think my next batch will turn out a little better but I thought I'd go ahead and post pictures anyway.  I bought a case of 1/2 pint canning jars at Kroger, and used a box cake mix.  I did use egg whites and canola oil (it's better for you than vegetable oil) and added about 1 cup of fresh pureed strawberries.  I made homemade icing as well, but I am not in love with my recipe so I'm not going to post it right now.  If anyone has a great icing recipe, please share!

After the cupcakes have cooled, gently cut them in half (horizontally).  Each jar actually has 1 1/2 cupcakes.  Gently place 1/2 cupcake in the jar, squeeze icing around the top edges, then add another layer of cupcake, squeeze another round of icing, then repeat one last time.  John and I each had one tonight and it was kinda fun to eat!  I'd love to make these for party favors for Jack Henry's next party.

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake

I made this for a Memorial Day party we went to last weekend.  I brought it as a dessert, but it's not super sweet so it would be great for breakfast or a brunch.   I used oat flour instead of white flour, and turbinado sugar instead of white granulated sugar.  The recipe calls for blackberries but we love blueberries in our house so I substituted.  Another great recipe from Martha Stewart!  Not the healthiest, but yummy.

1 1/4 cups oat flour (spooned and leveled)

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill Stone Ground Cornbread Mix available at Sprouts & Whole Foods)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 cup for sprinkling

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 large eggs

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for skillet

2 containers fresh blueberries (5.6 ounces each)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter; pour over flour mixture, whisking to combine.

In a 10-inch skillet (preferably cast-iron), heat remaining tablespoon butter in the oven until melted and skillet is hot, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; swirl to coat bottom of pan. Pour batter into skillet; scatter blueberries on top, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sugar.

Bake, with a baking sheet on rack below (to catch any drips), until top is evenly browned, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 30 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen; cut into 8 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep time: 15 min.

Strawberry Cake

We are going to a couple parties this weekend so I've been baking all day.  This first recipe is courtesy of Martha Stewart.  I slightly modified the recipe by using oat flour and turbinado sugar.  I also cut the amount of sugar to be sprinkled on top of cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pie plate

1 1/2 cups oat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

6 ounces raspberries

6 ounces blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. 

Put butter and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Transfer batter to buttered pie plate. Arrange strawberries on top of batter, cut sides down and as close together as possible. Sprinkle remaining 2 teaspoons sugar over berries.

Bake cake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Let cool in pie plate on a wire rack. Cut into wedges. Cake can be stored at room temperature, loosely covered, up to 2 days.

Prep time: 15 minutes

I came across this recipe right after I had already gone grocery shopping and bought raspberries and blackberries hence the fruit substitution.

I also have a batch of Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies in the oven right now.  These have become a big favorite because they are healthy and SO good.