🎂 Great Aunt Flora's Jar Cake
The Legendary "Circle Bread"!
📌 In This Article
🎂 The Circle Bread Story
"After seeing you guys post about making cakes/quick breads in a jar- I asked my 82 year old grandma if this was something legit from her perspective. She replied 'you ate jar cake like it was going out of style when you were little. You called it "circle bread".' Then she fished out my Great Aunt Floras recipe, and assured me that I could use either apple butter or zucchini in place of pumpkin as well. I gave it a go today, and we had one not seal- omg so good! I doubled the recipe and it made 16 pints."
Sometimes, the best recipes are the ones that have been hiding in a family recipe box for decades. When I saw people making cakes and quick breads in a jar, I was curious — but I wanted to know if it was a real, old-fashioned thing or just a modern internet trend.
So, I asked my 82-year-old grandma. Her response was instant: "You ate jar cake like it was going out of style when you were little. You called it 'circle bread.'"
Then, she pulled out the handwritten recipe card from my Great Aunt Flora. Gram also told me I could swap the pumpkin for apple butter or zucchini — whatever I had on hand. I made a double batch today, and it yielded 16 pints. One didn't seal, so we ate it warm... and omg, it was so good!
💬 The verdict: "You ate jar cake like it was going out of style when you were little." — Leave it to Gram to confirm the legend!
💪 Why Make Jar Cake?
Grandma's "Circle Bread"!
👵"Gram says shelf life about 2 years 😳."
Moist & Delicious
Perfectly spiced cake
Long Storage
Up to 2 years
Versatile
Pumpkin, apple butter, or zucchini
An old-fashioned way to have dessert on the shelf for years!
Baking cake directly in a jar creates a perfect vacuum seal as it cools, meaning you can store it on the pantry shelf for up to 2 years without refrigeration. It's the ultimate grab-and-go dessert or emergency treat!
📦 Ingredients
This is the original single-batch recipe from Great Aunt Flora's card. Double it to make 16 pints!
🎂 For the Jar Cake
- 🧈 1½ cups (11 T.) Oleo or Butter – softened
- 🍚 3½ cups light brown sugar – packed
- 🥚 4 eggs
- 🎃 2 cups pumpkin – (or apple butter / grated zucchini)
- 🌾 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- 🥄 1½ tsp baking powder
- 🧂 1 tsp baking soda
- 🌿 1 tsp cinnamon
- 🫚 ½ tsp ginger
- 🌰 ¼ tsp mace
- 🌰 1 cup walnuts – chopped (optional)
🫙 Equipment
- 🫙 8 wide-mouth pint jars
- 🧴 New lids and rings
- 💨 Non-stick spray
💡 Pro tip: "Gram assured me that I could use either apple butter or zucchini in place of pumpkin as well."
📝 Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 – Prep the Jars
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Spray the inside of 8 wide-mouth pint jars generously with non-stick spray.
- Wipe the rims clean to ensure there's no spray residue on the glass threads.
💡 Pro tip: "I wiped the jar rims before baking. It helps ensure a clean surface for the lids to seal."
Step 2 – Make the Batter
- In a large bowl, cream the oleo/butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time.
- Mix in the pumpkin (or apple butter/zucchini).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and mace.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the walnuts if using.
Step 3 – Fill and Bake
- Divide the batter evenly among the 8 prepared jars.
- The recipe card notes: "slant cup in jar" — this means you can use a measuring cup to scoop the batter in, or simply fill them about halfway to two-thirds full to leave room for rising.
- Place the jars on a baking sheet (for stability) and put them in the oven.
- Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
⚠️ Important: "Do not put cold jars into a hot oven. Let the jars come to room temperature first to prevent thermal shock and breakage."
Step 4 – Seal with Boiling Water
- As soon as the jars come out of the oven, place hot lids and bands onto the jars.
- Carefully pour boiling water over the lids.
- Let the water pool on the lids. This creates a rapid temperature change that forces the jars to seal almost immediately.
- You will hear the "ping" of the lids sealing as they cool.
💡 Pro tip: "Put hot lids and bands on before pouring boiling water over them, letting it pool on the lids. They seal pretty quickly."
Step 5 – Store
- Let the jars cool completely on the counter.
- Check the seals (the center should not pop up and down).
- Wipe down the jars to remove any water spots.
- Store in a cool, dark place. Gram says shelf life is about 2 years!
⚠️ Important Safety Warning
This is a vintage, rebel-canning style recipe. While the boiling water seal method is an old tradition, modern food safety standards prefer pressure canning for maximum safety. If any jar does not seal within a few hours, put it in the fridge and eat it within a week. (And honestly? The unsealed one is usually the best because you get to eat it warm!)
🍽️ How to Enjoy Your Jar Cake
- 🧈 With Butter: Slice and slather with butter
- 🧀 Cream Cheese: Top with a smear of cream cheese frosting
- ☕ Coffee: Serve with a hot cup of coffee
- 🍦 À la Mode: Warm it up and serve with vanilla ice cream
- 🎁 Gift: Wrap with a ribbon and give as a cozy gift
- 🥣 Emergency Treat: Perfect for the pantry or bug-out bag
💡 Pro tip: "We had one not seal - omg so good!" — Consider yourself lucky if one doesn't seal!
💡 Pro Tips
- 🎃 Swap the veg: Use apple butter or grated zucchini instead of pumpkin.
- 💨 Grease well: Spray the jars thoroughly so the cake slides out easily.
- 🧼 Wipe rims: Clean rims = better seals. Wipe them before baking and again before adding lids.
- ♨️ Boiling water trick: Pouring boiling water over the hot lids creates a rapid vacuum seal.
- 📏 Don't overfill: Leave room for the cake to rise. (The recipe card's "slant cup" trick helps here).
- 👵 Trust Gram: If she says it lasts 2 years, it lasts 2 years.
💡 Pro tip: "I doubled the recipe and it made 16 pints."
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Is it safe to bake cake in jars?
Yes, it's an old pioneer method. Always use wide-mouth jars designed for canning, and never put a cold jar into a hot oven. As long as they seal properly, they are shelf-stable.
❓ Why did one of my jars not seal?
Sometimes the rim gets a little batter or grease on it, or the lid wasn't quite hot enough. If a jar doesn't seal, just keep it in the fridge and eat it within a week!
❓ What is "slant cup in jar" in the recipe?
This is an old instruction that means to tilt a measuring cup inside the jar and scrape the batter in, ensuring it doesn't get on the glass threads.
❓ Can I use something other than pumpkin?
Yes! Gram said to use apple butter or grated zucchini. Carrot cake batter or banana bread batter work great too.
❓ How long does jar cake really last?
According to my 82-year-old Gram, the shelf life is about 2 years!
❓ Can I frost the cake before storing?
No, frosting will spoil on the shelf. Store the cake plain in the jar and add frosting when you're ready to serve.
❓ Do I need to process them in a water bath or pressure canner?
No, this recipe uses the dry heat of the oven to bake the cake, and the residual heat combined with the boiling water poured over the hot lids creates the seal.
📄 Printable Recipe Card
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║ GREAT AUNT FLORA'S JAR CAKE (FLO) ║
║ "Circle Bread" ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
YIELD: 8 pint jars | BAKE: 325°F for 40 mins | STORE: 2 years
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INGREDIENTS
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- 11 T. Oleo or Butter (1½ cups)
- 3½ c. lt. br. Sugar (packed)
- 4 eggs
- 2 c. pumpkin (or apple butter / zucchini)
- 3½ c. flour
- 1½ t. Baking Powder
- 1 t. Soda
- 1 t. Cinn.
- ½ t. ginger
- ¼ t. mace
- 1 c. walnuts
EQUIPMENT:
- 8 wide-mouth pint jars
- Non-stick spray
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INSTRUCTIONS
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1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 8 wide-mouth pint
jars with non-stick spray. Wipe rims clean.
2. Cream butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs.
Mix in pumpkin.
3. Whisk flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon,
ginger, and mace. Add to wet ingredients.
Fold in walnuts.
4. Divide batter among jars. (Slant cup in jar
to prevent mess on the rims). Do not overfill.
5. Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes.
6. Immediately place hot lids and bands on the jars.
7. Pour boiling water over the lids, letting it
pool on top. The jars will seal quickly as they
cool.
8. Cool completely. Check seals. Store in a cool,
dark place for up to 2 years.
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GRAM'S NOTES
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✓ Use apple butter or zucchini in place of pumpkin.
✓ "You ate jar cake like it was going out of style
when you were little."
✓ I doubled the recipe and it made 16 pints!
✓ If one doesn't seal, put it in the fridge (or
eat it warm because it's omg so good).
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"Circle Bread" 🎂👵
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© CanningRebels — Great Aunt Flora's Jar Cake
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