This vanilla cake in a jar recipe is the ultimate party trick — easy, cute, and totally customizable. Use it as a template for any flavor or festive theme!
Jump to: ℹ️ Overview | 🛒 Ingredients | 📷 How To Make | 👩🍳 Recipe Tips | 🥗 Serving Suggestions | 📝 Full Recipe Card | 🍽 More Desserts You Might Like
Cake in a jar is officially my new favorite thing — soft spongy layers, creamy frosting, and colorful or glittery toppings for any celebration!
For this New Year’s Eve themed version, you’ve got soft, fluffy layers of classic vanilla cake, a rich and slightly tangy cream cheese frosting with a playful sparkle from white grape juice (or champagne if you’re going full adult mode), and it’s all tucked into cute little jars. It’s portable, pretty, and just feels way more special than a slice on a plate.
What I love most? You can theme it for literally anything: birthdays, baby showers, Valentine’s Day, or just a Friday. You can use this recipe as a template to create your own cake in a jar.
No slicing, no mess, no stress — just hand everyone a spoon and let them go to town.
👩🍳 If you like mini desserts, check out these chocolate brownie and raspberry parfait cups, these coconut yogurt panna cotta cups, these Christmas cake pops, these black forest cupcakes, or these festive Thanksgiving cupcakes. You may also want to try my pistachio cherry pavlova.
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need for this vanilla cake in a jar recipe. Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
For the Cake Base:
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt — your classic dry mix. You can swap in gluten-free flour blends if needed.
- Butter and sugar — for that moist, rich crumb. Use good quality unsalted butter if you can.
- Eggs and vanilla — structure and flavor. Room temp eggs mix better, so don’t skip that part.
- Whole milk — keeps things soft and tender. Sub with a plant-based milk if needed.
For the Frosting:
- Cream cheese + butter — the dream team. Softened is key for smoothness.
- Powdered sugar — adds sweetness and structure. You can adjust based on how thick or soft you want it.
- Sparkling white grape juice — a fun, festive twist. Champagne or sparkling wine works for an adult version. You can also swap it for things like strawberry or passionfruit puree, or chocolate sauce.
- Vanilla extract + pinch of salt — to round out the flavor.
For Assembly and Decoration:
- Sprinkles, edible glitter, stars — anything sparkly goes. Optional toppers like truffles or macarons for an extra fancy finish.
- For a birthday version, you can use sprinkles or mini M&Ms, or make one with fresh berries.
Tip: Store-bought sponge cake works great here — especially if you’re short on time or just not in the mood to bake. Just make sure it’s a soft, fluffy type (nothing too dense or dry), and try to match the size of your cookie cutters or jars for easy layering. A good quality vanilla sponge from the bakery section usually does the trick.
How To Make Cake In A Jar
Find the full recipe and nutritional information below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos for how to make mini cakes in a jar.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 mins). Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk in three parts. Don’t overmix.
- Pour into pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then cut circles with a cookie cutter.
- Cool, then use cookie cutters to cut cake into circles.
- Whip up frosting: beat cream cheese + butter, add vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, and white grape juice.
- Layer in jars: cake → frosting → sprinkles. Repeat 2-3 times, depending on the size of the jar.
- Top with more frosting and decorations. Done!
Recipe Tips
- Make ahead: Fully assemble and refrigerate up to 3 days. Let them come to room temp before serving.
- Travel-friendly: Pack jars in a box with dividers — they’re surprisingly sturdy.
- Decorating: Wait to add paper toppers or sparklers until right before serving.
- Flavor Variations:
- Strawberry Shortcake Style: Add a layer of strawberry jam or fresh berries.
- Salted Caramel Dream: Drizzle caramel between layers and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Confetti Cake: Stir rainbow sprinkles into the batter for a party vibe.
- Storage: Store in the fridge, tightly sealed, for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these jars chilled or room temp with little wooden spoons or tied with ribbon for gifting. They’re perfect on dessert tables, in picnic baskets, or as party favors.
💬 If you’ve tried this cake in a jar or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and or sign up to my Newsletter to see more of my delicious food.
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Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour 10.6 oz / 300 grams
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 8 oz / 226 grams, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar 14 oz / 400 grams
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk 8 oz / 240ml, room temperature
For the Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese 226 grams, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter 4 oz / 113 grams, softened
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons sparkling white grape juice chilled, or grape juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For Assembly & Decoration:
- Gold + silver sprinkles
- Edible glitter or sugar
- Mini truffles or macarons optional
- Festive toppers optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13″ pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 mins).
- Add eggs one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk in three parts. Don’t overmix.
- Pour into pan and bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely, then cut circles with a cookie cutter.
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and salt.
- Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing on low. Add grape juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy.
- In each jar: add cake, pipe frosting, sprinkle, and repeat. Finish with a decorated frosting top.
Notes
- Can I make these ahead of time? Absolutely! Assemble and refrigerate up to 3 days ahead. Let them warm up slightly before serving.
- Can I freeze them? The cake itself, yes — freeze cubes for up to 2 months. But fully assembled jars don’t freeze well.
- What size jars work best? 8 oz jars are perfect. You can also use 4 oz jars for mini party favours.
- Can I make these with other cake flavors? Yes! Chocolate, lemon, funfetti — all fair game. Just keep the texture light so it layers well.
- Can I use store-bought cake? Store-bought sponge cake works great here — especially if you’re short on time or just not in the mood to bake. Just make sure it’s a soft, fluffy type (nothing too dense or dry), and try to match the size of your cookie cutters or jars for easy layering. A good quality vanilla sponge from the bakery section usually does the trick.
- Travel-friendly: Pack jars in a box with dividers — they’re surprisingly sturdy.
- Decorating: Wait to add paper toppers or sparklers until right before serving.
- Flavor Variations:
- Strawberry Shortcake Style: Add a layer of strawberry jam or fresh berries.
- Salted Caramel Dream: Drizzle caramel between layers and sprinkle with flaky salt.
- Confetti Cake: Stir rainbow sprinkles into the batter for a party vibe.
- Storage: Store in the fridge, tightly sealed, for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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