[Homesteadingfamily] How to "can' cakes

I recently submitted this to Countryside and Small Stock Journal for printing...

YES, YOU CAN "CAN CAKES"!! (no pressure or water bathe involved!)
By Deb Ridings
I have been a `canner" for many, many years now and am always looking for a "canning" challenge! I have pressure canned meat of all varieties, raw and pre-cooked, vegetables as well as jellies and jams in a "water bath". But, the real challenge came when I decided that we needed some "treats" in our food storage system. So, I decided to attempt to look around for recipes as well as ideas, trials and errors.
On the Internet, you can find almost anything. No kidding, if you can dream it up, it is probably already there….with the exception of "canning" cakes. Not one morsel of successful information except from the usual "official" canning sites promoted by the government advising that it should/could not be done. Nope….nobody must do this. Hence: my challenge!
I have now been successfully canning cakes for about 10 years. And here's how to do it if you want to add some variety to your food storage:
Step 1: Sterilize 7 pint FREEZER Mason jars…the kind with no necks. Place the rings and tips into a pan of boiling water and keep simmering throughout the process.
Use any homemade cake recipe you like. For this article I will use a plain Pound Cake recipe. I have used chocolate, chocolate walnut, lemon, orange, cream cheese, spice cake, carrot cake and even Brownies! I have not tried the store bought mixes, though they should make with the same results, just keep a check on the baking times. Here is the basic recipe I use:
3 c sifted plain flour, leveled and spooned into cup (or finely sifted fresh soft wheat flour)
1 tsp sea salt
½ c shortening (I use Palm Shortening)
1 c butter (I use fresh, raw salted butter)
3 c granulated sugar (no substitutions here)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 large very fresh eggs at room temperature
1 c sweet milk at room temperature (I use fresh whole raw milk)
Step 2: Prepare the clean freezer jars by lightly spraying them inside with Bakers Joy or an olive oil pan spray then, lightly dust with extra flour. Tap out the unused flour after dusting. The Bakers Joy has a lot of junk in it, so I prefer the olive oil spray and flour. Set these 7 jars on a baking sheet with sides and separate them so that they do not touch. Give them an even amount of room if you can. The more space they are apart, the more evenly they will bake. Preheat the oven to "Bake" and 350 degrees.
Step 3: Sift the flour and salt together and set aside. Cream the shortening, sugar and butter together well. Add eggs one at a time. Add flavoring and milk. Slowly add the flour into this and mix until well incorporated. Mix for about 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Using a large spoon and canning funnel if you are not too steady of hand, pour the batter evenly filling about half way, into the jars. Do not disturb the jars once filled, by handling them.
Step 5: Carefully move the baking sheet into the hot oven. Bake the cakes for about 45 minutes, then test with a toothpick for doneness. Mine are usually done perfectly in this time, but oven temps may vary. They should be lightly browned, just as their full sized counterparts. If the sides still appear not as brown, that is acceptable, but you want the center done. The cakes will release from the jars once cooled.
Step 6: Once removed from the oven, handle with oven mitts! These jars will be hot and you must work them quickly! The cakes will sometimes rise about an inch above the top of the jars, allow them to settle just briefly ( 2-3 minutes) or lightly push the cake down into the jar with the hot tip. Then take a clean cloth and gently wipe the mouth of the jars clean and place the hot tip into place, securing the hot ring next. Tighten fairly snug, but not to excess. Do not leave any crumbs baked on the rims of the jars or they will not seal.
Step 7: Turn these hot, sealed jars upside down on a clean dish towel and allow to completely cool until the next day. The hot jars, rings and tips will pull the vacuum needed for storage. If any happen not to seal, go ahead and enjoy those now!
Step 8: Label and store for up to 2 years.
Side notes:
The brownies will take a little bit longer to cook if they have nuts in them, for some reason. They come out chewy and delicious! I also made German Chocolate with a large spoonful of layered coconut pecan frosting in between layers of cake batter…you talk about good! But, this one is tedious to make…
We have successfully stored these tasty treats for 3+ years and believe it or not, they taste as fresh as the day I made them! (IF they last that long!) When we need a quick dessert for company, I pull out a plain pound cake jar, pour out the cake (it will be the shape of the jar) and slice it into about 5-6 1" sections (depends on the size of freezer jars). I then place some fresh sliced strawberries or use any canned or fresh fruit of your choice over that and add a dollop of fresh raw, whipped cream and it looks like you worked in the kitchen all day! You can slice the chocolate, drizzle chocolate syrup over it add a sprig of fresh mint and it looks as fancy as any high end restaurant!
I hope this will help with variety and boredom on the homestead. It does take a bit of work upfront, but the rewards are SO worth it. Wintertime is coming, so if you get snowed in, here is something to help with the blahs! Enjoy!
~Debra Ridings, Cleveland, Georgia