You guys, I was covered in flour and was on my feet all day. I’m tired…but really happy. The Jar Cakes I made for the National Food Bloggers Bake Sale took some time, but they turned out really well, don’t you think?

Some of you may have found your way to my blog after seeing instructions written on a Jar Cake you bought this weekend. Welcome to my patch of the world wide web! You’ll find lots of curly, crafty, delicious ideas here. I hope you have as much fun with them as I have.

If you’re interested in making these Jar Cakes yourself, they aren’t as daunting as you think. The concept’s pretty simple: It’s like making cupcakes, but your cupcake liners are actual mason jars. I’ve taken the guesswork out of cooking times and measurements in making them with two recipes: Swirled Nutella Cupcakes and Blueberry Sour Cream Coffeecakes. They take a dash of patience, but absolutely worth it to make!

Here are the two recipes I used for these Jar Cakes:

SWIRLED NUTELLA CUPCAKES

BLUEBERRY SOUR CREAM COFFEECAKES

Note that for the Coffeecakes, I decreased the sugar by half a cup. It comes with a brown sugar streusel, and I thought it would be just as good with a little bit less sugar. (And it is!)

Step #1: BUY THEM JARS.

I found these at Smart & Final for $7.99 a dozen. They’re 1/2-pint mason jars by Kerr.

Step #2: BOIL THEM JARS.

I do this to sterilize them. I boil the rims and lids as well. It’s probably not necessary, but my mother is a nurse and I can already hear her sage’s wisdom about hygiene. (My mother’s voice is part of the running commentary in my head while I’m cooking most times!)

Dry jars, rims, lids.

Step #3: FIRE UP THE OVEN, MAKE YOUR BATTER.

Step #4: GREASE THEM JARS.

I use one or two spritzes of PAM For Baking. That’s all you really need.

Step #5: MANTRA THOSE JARS.

FOR THE NUTELLA CUPCAKES, REMEMBER THIS MANTRA: BATTER, NUTELLA, BATTER, NUTELLA.

If you’re lazy, you can just plop the batter in and put all the Nutella on top. But I did it this way so that when you’re eating the cake, there’s enough Nutella-to-cupcake ratio distributed all throughout. Swirl the Nutella into the batter each time you place a layer of it in the jar.

You’ll need a 1/4 measuring cup and a small ice cream scoop for this step. I did the cupcake layers this way: 1/4 cup batter, 1 scoop Nutella, (swirl), 1/4 cup batter, 1 scoop Nutella, (swirl). I used a chopstick to swirl the Nutella.

It may seem a little laborious, but trust me, reciting the mantra helps. Remember, “Wax on, wax off?” It worked for Mr. Miyagi and Daniel in Karate Kid, it will work for you, too! Mantras will help you kick some kitchen a**!

FOR THE BLUEBERRY COFFEECAKES, YOUR MANTRA IS: BATTER, SUGAR, BATTER, SUGAR.

Use a 1/3 measuring cup and a small ice cream scoop for this step. Layers go: 1/3 cup batter, 1 scoop streusel mix, 1/3 cup batter and 1 scoop streusel mix. Pat down the last streusel mix layer.

Remember: The mantra is your friend.

Step #6: BAKE THEM JARS. (ALWAYS REMEMBER TO WIPE THE INSIDE WALL OF YOUR JARS JUST ABOVE THE BATTER LINE BEFORE YOU PUT THESE IN THE OVEN.)

Cooking times: Nutella Cupcakes = 23-25 minutes / Blueberry Coffeecakes: 55-60 minutes. The toothpick is the final authority on doneness! A couple of crumbs on it means it’s ready.

Look at these beauteous little cakes!

Step #7: STICKER THEM JARS.

I made these round labels on Word and some shipping labels. If you seal these while they’re still hot, the rubber rims actually create a vacuum and not only keep the cakes moist, but extend their shelf life considerably.

Step #8: SPOON THEM JARS.

I wanted those who bought these to be able to eat them right away, so I taped some beribboned (I love that word) spoons to the jars. At the urging of my nurse mother, I covered each of them in cling wrap, for hygiene’s sake.

Step #9: STEP BACK, THROW YOUR APRON IN THE AIR, DANCE A LITTLE JIG—YOU’VE JUST MADE THE DARNDEST CUTEST JAR CAKES!

Almost any cake/cupcake recipe can be used for Jar Cakes. I’ve made some during Christmas with Red Velvet Cake and a layer of frosting on top as gifts. With frosting, you’ll have to wait for the cakes to cool, frost them and seal them. No vacuum in that case, but you won’t need it. With frosting, that cake’s not going to last long!

I hope you have fun trying your hand at these baking gems. I’m here for questions; ask away in the comments section.

Until the our next delicious meeting, stay curly out there!

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Further Reading Into The Art Of Jar Cakes (Reading is fun! You should do it more!)

Wow! I love this idea! Did you invent it? (Uhm, no. Jar Cakes have been around awhile. Read this and this.)

My favorite aunt loves Nutella, but she lives in Romania. Or Japan. Or somewhere far. I wish I could... (…send these Jar Cakes by mail? Why yes, you can! These are popular as gifts to soldiers abroad. Read this.)

What am I going to do with that blasted jar once I’ve eaten the heck out of that cupcake? (I’m glad you’re thinking of recycling! These jars are great for mini terrariums, or you can make these uber cute sewing-kit jars a la Martha Stewart. Crafty, eh?)

What is Nutella, exactly? (You poor child! You’re missing half your life if you haven’t introduced your tummy to this yummy hazelnut-chocolate concoction. Read up on it here.)

The National Food Bloggers Bake Sale is TWO DAYS AWAY! Woot!

WHAT: National Food Bloggers Bake Sale
WHEN: Saturday, April 17, 10:30 am to 1 pm
WHO: ME! I’ll be there from 11:30 am to help sell my Cakes In A Jar, along with baked goods from over 40 other food bloggers in Los Angeles.
WHERE: Morel’s French Bistro at The Grove, 189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036
WHY: 100% of proceeds from the bake sale will go to Share Our Strength, whose main focus is ending child hunger in America.

IF YOU CAN GO:
Look for my uber cute Jar Cakes! I’m making Swirled Nutella Cupcakes and Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cakes. Yum!

IF YOU CAN’T GO:
You can donate online at The Girl With A Curl’s page HERE.

Tell people about it by sending them the link above or pointing them to this blog post!

The first annual National Food Bloggers Bake Sale, part of the Great American Bake Sale, will be held on April 17. Organized by Gaby Dalkin of WhatsGabyCooking.com, food bloggers from across the country will unite to support the cause by holding bake sales in their states. Readers will have the opportunity to taste the baked goods from their favorite food blogs at each state’s bake sale location.

Funds raised through Great American Bake Sale support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger in America. Nearly 17 million—almost one in four—children in America face hunger. Despite the good efforts of governments, private-sector institutions and everyday Americans, millions of our children still don’t have daily access to the nutritious meals they need to live active, healthy lives.

Food bloggers are holding bake sales in locations across the U.S. this weekend. To find one in your area, go HERE.

So, we made some ribs, y’all. REALLY good ribs. I mean, ribs you’d take a bullet for.

But it’s not like we woke up one day and said, “Hmmm, slow roasting some pork in the oven for two hours sounds like a mighty fine idea!” I’ve never made ribs. Whole cuts of raw meat scare me! So it wasn’t actually my first choice of dish to make on a Saturday.

It’s these cupcakes’ fault!

Southern Girl Desserts is a fairly new in town. I had an awesome Groupon for them and wanted to sample their famous Sweet Potato Pie cupcakes (far left, below).

We got some lemon ones and red velvet ones as well. (How can you NOT?) Since the cupcakes were mostly southern flavors, I thought…well, now, maybe I should make a southern-style dinner too? Because you know, if I didn’t, what’s the point, then? (Really, I was just looking for an excuse to cook and decided to blame the innocent cupcakes.)

Sweet-salty-tangy barbecue sounded really southern, and really good. Except, you know, I didn’t want to do chicken. Been there, cooked that. Having never made ribs before and not having a grill, along with the fact that I hadn’t had pork in forever, I decided to follow my gut and decided on ribs. I remember my Mama Del (I know that sounds southern, too, but she’s actually my very Filipino godmother) making ribs in the oven. Could I do it? I wanted to do it!

First off, I stared the ribs down.

That is a LOT (scary amount) of pork (about four pounds total). I didn’t quite know what to do, but the Internets said to prep the huge hunk o’ pork by removing the membrane on the bony side, working the tip of a knife under it and pulling/peeling the membrane off. Which I did, with furrowed brows and an iron will. (I didn’t take pictures because I had busy, porky hands!)

I preheated the oven to 300 degrees. Next, I prepared a spice rub: ¾ c. light brown sugar + 1 tsp. paprika + 1 tbsp. garlic powder + ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, mixed all together.

I also had some Liquid Smoke on hand, and put that all over the ribs. It gives them that classic hickory barbecue flavor.

I then rubbed the spice mix all over.

On two sheets of foil (shiny side out), we laid the seasoned rack of ribs, covered with another two sheets of foil, and crimped the whole package tightly. (E. is now an expert foil crimper!) After wrapping the other rack the same way, we placed both on a cookie sheet.

Those foil packets went into the oven for two to two and a half hours. And let me tell you, if you make these ribs, those will be the most torturous hours of your life! Smoky, sweet, spicy barbecue smells come wafting out of your kitchen, invading your nostrils, forcing you to do random things like watch bad TV, twirl around or drink copious amounts of water just so you could get your mind off what’s baking in the oven.

After two+ hours, you can check and see if the meat has shrunk from the edges of the bones. The Fork Test always works: if it flakes easily, it’s done!

Cut the ribs into portions of about two to three pieces each. Brush some of your favorite barbecue sauce on top of each piece. Broil for about one to two minutes on each side, or do what we did and just stick them back into your oven after you’ve cranked it up to 400 degrees while you’re brushing them. Heat through and serve! I made some biscuits and succotash to go with these.

These are the BEST, MOST AWESOMEST ribs I’ve ever eaten, and all the credit goes to THIS recipe. You won’t try ribs any other way.  They’re so flavorful and tender, I had to eat some of mine with a fork because they just fell off the bone!

I felt so grown up after making these ribs. Maybe it’s because it’s always been something my parents have made. These will be perfect in the summer with some fresh corn on the cob. And the next time I make these, I won’t even use the cupcake excuse!

Hope you find time in these warming months to give this recipe a try, with or without some red velvet cupcakes to finish off your meal.

I woke up at 6:30 am to stand in line at the Apple Store in Century City with E. so he could get his new toy. So far, so cool! Though this new-fangled thing isn’t mine, I’m hoping to borrow it from time to time to look up recipes and craft projects on the fly, hee. E.’s already installed the Epicurious app–and all the hi-def recipes on it are inspiring!
Happy weekend!