It's Monday! Hope you had a great weekend - I'm coming off a high from a short road trip to Kansas City over the weekend thanks to a much needed football bi-week. It was the first weekend that Ryan has had a full day off since the beginning of August and boy did he need it! I've got some fun pictures to post but we will save that for Friday - it's time to talk about cake!
This cake. You guys, I can't tell you how much I geeked out over these little gems. My love affair with single serving desserts started with the onset of fall weather, as you may have read in my post about apple crisp for two. They were cute, charming, and just the right amount to satisfy my crisp craving. But they've got nuttin' on these perfectly packaged pumpkin cakes in a jar. I mean, come on, PUMPKIN CAKE + SINGLE SERVING + MASON JARS??? Just stop.
Can we just talk about how happy you would be if someone handed you this perfect package of fall flavor to celebrate your birthday {that is, if you have a fall birthday}?? Or as a thank you gift, or a wedding favor, or, you know, just because? That's what I was thinking about when I baked these perfectly spiced, deliciously moist, cream cheese frosting-topped cakes. Making someone happy. Brightening a day. Sharing something yummy with someone you care about.
Another nice amazing thing about this recipe is that you don't have to worry about sabotaging your diet/healthy eating efforts with a whole batch of cupcakes if you ever have a pumpkin cake craving. Nope. This recipe only makes two cakes. Enjoy one and share the other. Savor every bite, and please, don't forget the sprinkles!
A few notes about this charming recipe:
- Inspired by Vanilla Cupcakes for Two at How Sweet Eats
- Don't be afraid to put mason jars in the oven to bake these cakes. They are baked in a water bath and will be just fine! You can certainly bake them in a muffin tin and then crumble the cake into the bottom of any cute, fallish glass container and pipe the icing on top.
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Pumpkin Cake in a Jar for Two
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter melted and cooled.
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ heaping teaspoon of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoons milk I used 1%
- 1 tablespoon butter at room temperature
- 1 oz reduced fat cream cheese at room temperature
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- Optional: mason jars sprinkles, birthday candles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray 2 Mason jars or 6 ounce ramekins with cooking spray. Fill a loaf pan with warm water about 1 ½'' up the side of the pan (or just ½'' up the sides if you are using ramekins).
- In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla,melted butter and pumpkin puree. Stir until incorporated. Add flour, baking powder,salt and spices, stirring until smooth. Stir in milk and divide batter equally between the jars or ramekins.
- Place in the water bath pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Using an oven mitt, carefully transfer the jars out of the water bath to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Using a handheld mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Divide evenly on the tops of cakes and top with sprinkles. Cake will stay fresh in the jar for up to 3 days if tightly covered with a lid.
Helene says
this sounds incredibly good!! I love how it's perfect for two!! Pinning for sure!
Ps, miss you!
Whitney Reist says
Thanks so much for the comment, Helene! It made my day 🙂 Miss ya'll too - hope to see you when we come home in January!
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
This looks fantastic! Love that you used mason jars!
Whitney Reist says
Thanks, Marisa!
Lisa @ Healthy Nibbles & Bits says
I've totally made microwave cakes in a jar before but not baked ones. What a fun idea!
Alanna says
Always loved the idea of cake in a jar. How cute, and great for portion control 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Love making single serve cakes! I always make my morning mug cakes in ramekins! Perfect for a single gal!
Whitney Reist says
Rebecca - this was my first time trying a single serving "mug" cake and I wish I had done it sooner - especially during my college days!