Giving Out Cupcakes As Party Favors? Elevate The Look With Mason Jars

When you plan a party, deciding what desserts to serve and which party favors to prepare can be overwhelming tasks. For an easy dessert, you can always turn to hot fudge and rainbow sprinkles to dress up store-bought cupcakes so they look professional. But then, you still have to come up with the perfect party favors. Luckily though, there's a clever way to combine both concepts to create one enjoyable snack: prepare takeaway cupcakes in Mason jars. Then, all you need to do is send each guest home with their own perfectly packaged dessert.

Beyond implementing the genius way Martha Stewart utilizes Mason jars to pack picnic lunches, Mason jars can also serve as the perfect container for housing whimsical, layered treats. Cupcakes in a jar are not traditional cupcakes; they aren't portioned pieces of cake topped with single smears of frosting. Instead, these makeshift party favors include succinct layers of cake and frosting nestled within each individual jar.

To make some for your next party, bake a few boxed cake mixes in muffin pans and prepare your own buttercream frosting. Once cooled, cut the cupcakes into thick, horizontal slices or smaller cubes and fill each jar with multiple layers of cake and frosting until completely full.

You're left with perfectly layered party flavors that are sure to please even the pickiest guests. Better yet, since Mason jars are clear, you can amp up the visual appeal of these homemade treats with different cake flavors, frosting colors, and a variety of toppings.

While you can certainly make your own cake mix from scratch, to create cupcake jars with a variety of flavors and colors, stick with boxed cake mixes for easy assembly. For an extra special taste without the hassle, simply elevate the flavor of your boxed cake mix with unique ingredients like espresso, mashed banana, and specific flavor extracts. Alternatively, buy an assortment of pre-mixed, flavored boxed cake varieties such as strawberry, lemon, red velvet, and chocolate.

Next to choosing the right kind of cake for the job, feel free to upgrade the flavor and hue of your frosting with pureed fruit, flavor extracts, and food dye. Beyond frosting, you can also incorporate other toppings such as caramel sauce, hot fudge, rainbow sprinkles, and chopped nuts.

Once you feel comfortable preparing this makeshift dessert, to really wow you guests, take these edible party favors up a notch by creating themed jars. For example, make a strawberry shortcake version with strawberry boxed cake and layers of vanilla whipped cream, strawberry jam, and sliced strawberries. You can also make candy-loaded jars with layers of chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting, and chopped candy bar pieces.

Whether you're preparing cake jars with one flavor or three, to make these on-the-go desserts even more enjoyable, consider using colored ribbon or twine to attach a disposable spoon to each jar. You can even use Dashleigh's Sheet Labels for Canning Jar Lids to personalize each one.