Mason Jar Red Velvet Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes: a 9x13" pan, or about 14 half pint sized mason jar cakes Prep time: 30 minutes Bake time: 20-28 minutes, depending on your oven

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon best quality cocoa powder

1 and 1/2 cups canola oil

1 cup whole buttermilk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons red food coloring

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon best quality vanilla

Cream cheese frosting

16 ounces of room temperature cream cheese

2 sticks softened unsalted butter

2 teaspoons best quality vanilla

6 cups confectioners sugar

pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Very lightly oil your 13×9″ pan and dust it with flour.  Set aside while you prepare the cake batter.  In your mixer, add flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cocoa.  Mix for a few seconds to combine.  Add the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, oil and red food coloring and beat until just combined.  Pour into your prepared pan and tap on the counter a few times to get the air bubbles out.  Bake for about 20-28 minutes depending on your oven.  Insert a toothpick to make sure the center is set properly.  Cool on a wire rack while you prepare your frosting.  To make the frosting:  Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth.  Add the confectioners sugar one cup at a time and beat until creamy and smooth. When the cake is completely cool, cut it into lots of small squares in the pan.  ( See attached photo).  Use a large piping bag with a large round tip to pipe the frosting into the jars.  You can certainly use a spoon if you don’t have piping bags, but this makes it so much easier and smoother looking too!! Take a few squares of the cake and place in the bottom of each jar, pipe a few tablespoons or so of the frosting, add another layer of the cake, and finish with another layer of the frosting.  You should be able to fill 14 jars, with a little cake left over to snack on later!!  Use your favorite raffia or ribbon and tie some at the top of each jar after it is closed.  You can also add a cute name tag or spoon too!  Go ahead and get creative and use your imagination !!!