See this year’s Thanksgiving Menu by clicking here. Read my Thanksgiving Note by clicking here.
One of the things I’m proudest of in my latest book, Sweetness, is the abundance of heritage recipes contained inside. Even more special to me is that some of my readers have recipes from their grandmother’s in the book as well.
This special pound cake recipe is from a wonderful woman with a heart full of love for her family. This pound cake recipe has been a double blessing for me because my father in law LOVES pound cake – and is notoriously difficult to buy for. Last Christmas, I presented him with an entire case of jarred pound cakes and let me tell you, he was proud as punch to be on the receiving end of that gift!
But you really have to hear the family story behind these pound cakes, and that is best told by Shay Baugh, who shares the story of her grandmother’s love – and recipe.
Pound Cakes in Jars
~Shay Baugh
It was hard to tell when Granny used to read to me those famous words about living down a “sunny dirt road, deep in bear country” whether she was speaking of my favorite Berenstain Bears or she was talking about her and my Papaw’s house nestled down a long dirt road deep in Locust Fork, Alabama.
Being the quintessential southern grandparents, there were certain things you could always count on at Papaw and Granny’s house:
- There would always be food, and plenty of it.
- You were going to have to eat, whether you were hungry or not
- There would be at least one update on Aunt Helen and her kids, the neighbors who weren’t blood related, but you couldn’t convince any of us that that was true
- All the good family gossip occurs in the bathroom and if you don’t want to be the topic of conversation, you better get in there
- Eventually, we would all end up on the front porch rocking in the
- Rocking chairs or swinging on the porch swing
- There was always pound cake
- You would always be taking leftovers home, and hopefully that meant pound cake in jars
Sometime in the mid 70’s my grandmother brought home the recipe for pound cake from her job at the flower shop. It was an instant staple at her house from then on. The pound cake tastes excellent all alone, but add some blackberries, strawberries, peaches, or raspberries, and you have a dessert you cannot put down.
The recipe always stayed the same until the late 90s when the grandchildren were going away to college or enlisting in the service. Granny heard that someone had been making bread in Mason jars and decided that that was a great way to preserve her pound cake for her grandson that was leaving for his first tour in Qatar. She tweaked the temperature, time, and quantities, until she had perfected her craft. Her final product was her pound cake in wide-mouth pint canning jars that would stay fresh for months at a time.
When Wes packed his duffle bag, he also packed the jars by sliding them into socks and securing them in his combat boots. They arrived safely in Qatar and brought him comfort in the time that he was away from our family. Since those first days of the pound cake in jars, they have been mailed to Iraq, South Korea, they have travelled with grandkids to college, been given as gifts, and been made on countless occasions to store in our pantries to offer guests when they come to visit. Wes even had the pound cake as the groom’s cake at his wedding, and small jars of pound cake were made as wedding gifts. But we can all still count on the delicious pound cake being ready any time we travel to Papaw and granny’s house down that sunny dirt road deep in Locust Fork.
Printable recipe for Pound Cakes In Jars Below
Ingredients
- 3 cup sugar
- 1 cup Vegetable Shortening
- 6 eggs
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon or almond extract
- 8 oz sour cream
- 9 wide mouth pint jars
Instructions
- Mix sugar and Crisco, then add eggs one at a time. Alternate sour cream and flour. Add vanilla, lemon (or almond) extract, salt, and soda.
- Spray wide mouth jars with cooking spray and wipe off rims.
- Fill the jars half full with batter (no more).
- Place jars on baking sheet not touching. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.
- When finished baking, remove from oven. Wipe off rims and place on lids and ring. Will “POP”.
Notes
PLEASE NOTE that these are stored in the freezer for long term, in fridge for up to a week (or two), and on the counter for a few days. These cakes are not “canned”, even if the lid seals.
“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.'” ~C. S. Lewis
Yum 
How cute! I was looking for a ‘gift in a jar’ and now I’ve got one! I just purchased some jar topper labels at Dollar General that will be perfect for these.
Thanks Candi!!! Hope everyone loves them!!
Hi and thank you for the recipe!! I live in Utah (high elevation) – do i need to adjust the recipe? thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!!
I’m afraid I’ve not had any experience with high elevation cooking but maybe someone reading this will chime in?
I live at 5365 ft elevation in Colorado and I’ve found I need to add a little more flour, couple of tablespoons and a little less sugar. I would also increase the temperature of my oven up to 340 and don’t over beat it as I made a pound cake when I first arrived and beat it according to the recipe and it blew up in my oven. Ood luck,!
Beautiful story! A great idea and recipe to send in our boxes to our over seas troops.
this sounds silly, but do you eat the cake out of the jar? or do they come out?
They come out easily, just make sure you get wide mouth jars.
Thank you Christy, hope you and your family have a wonderful Blessed Thanksgiving, you seem to care and put family first, me too..LOVE your site and a LOT of your recipes , ALL GOOD THINGS
For how long and at what temperature would you bake this in a regular Bundt or tube pan?
For a tube cake, cook at 325 degrees for an hour and half.
That is such a great idea for a gift for someone. BUT now I am just pound cake hungry. Would I be able to just make this in a tube pan or bundt pan using the same quantity of ingredients?
The jar idea is fabulous!! But I was wondering if I wanted to make a pound cake using this recipe, what adjustments would I need to make to oven temperature and baking time?
Thanks!
Thank you! I would look at the baking time on this recipe for a good starting reference: https://www.southernplate.com/2013/11/aunt-sues-famous-pound-cake.html
Your posts are always on time! I have had Sweetness since they shipped, but for many varied reasons, haven’t been able to sit down and read it. Email and social media to the rescue! I wanted a different jar gift, and here it is! Thanks for sharing and being a blessing, Christy! God bless!
I am like several others that have written. I wish I could get the original
recipe and directions.
The ingredients are the same, but you cook for an hour and half. Hope you enjoy!
YAY! thank you!
Can I use Olive Oil,or butter?Hope to make some for gifts.Thank you.
You can try it and it will most likely turn out fine. I would definitely choose butter as the substitute to try though. 🙂
I was just going to ask if butter could be used–that is the only shortening I use…not a snob–just much prefer it. (I thought ALL pound cakes used butter! Love the jar idea!
You took the words right out of my mouth! Thanks!
these look so good and I really want to try them but can you tell me how long they will keep in the jar and do they need to be refridgerated?
So sweet, love this Christy, I will be using this recipe. Thanks so very much.
I’m guessing that this cake is deliciously moist. However, if it is moist and you put the sealed jar into a freezer, won’t the moisture expand and crack the jar?
Also, my google search on long-term storage of cakes in canning jars indicates that recipes for cakes are often low-acid and high-moisture, making them very susceptible to botulism spore growth… maybe not a great idea? That’s why I want to freeze them. Has anyone tried it?
Thanks!
Hey Lisa, I don’t recommend storing them at room temp in the jar for long term (see my notes in the recipe). I store them in the freezer. When you freeze things in jars they recommend leaving an inch head space to allow for expansion but this doesn’t have liquid in it either way, once it is baked. Moisture will be fine and absorb into the cake. You would, of course, cool them fully first though 🙂
Christie You say to put the cake in wide mouth pint jars but the picture looks like the cake is in 1/2 pint jelly jars. Can they be baked in those jelly jars too?
They sure can! It just depends on the size you prefer.
How long will these last in the jars? Could this be a “long term” storage item? Would love to always have this on hand!!! Thank you for your wonderful recipes and family stories! It really makes it even more special!
Lori
These keep really well for up to a year in the freezer. They will be safe to eat for long after that (if frozen) but I’ve never been able to keep them that long ;).
Do you cool the cake before putting on the lids and ring?
I was wondering the same thing.
No, you put them lids on after you take it out of the oven and wipe the lid off. You will hear the “pop” sound when the lid seals.
Instead of jars, could this be made in loaf pans? does the recipe have to be adjusted?
sure!
I LOVE this story! Looks like a great Christmas gift. Thanks, Christie!
What a lovely idea and such a sweet story. I have never heard of this idea, but what a good way to share and/or store the cake for long term.
What a great recipe and such a wonderful story behind this recipe.
Thank You 4 sharing
HI the jars looks like the half pint jar. are they really pint jar
I need to know if these are pint jars or half pints , the picture liiks like the half pints
READ the ENTIRE recipe! It is wide mouth pint size jars. 😉
Thanks Christy and a blessed thanksgiving to you and your family.MY FAMILY LOVE POUND CAKES. Thanks SHAY WONDERFULY READING. I spent a lot of time with my family on my uncle and aunties farm in north carolina where I was born. these will make nice gifts. Thank for sharing with Christy and the rest of us,
You are welcome Elizabeth!! I hope everyone enjoys!!!
Christy, I am making these for Christmas gifts. I love this!!! Should I freeze them, since I want give them as gifts until closer to Christmas? Thank you for sharing!!!
I love these! I’ve made them twice and they come out great! Bake time exactly 1 hour when halfway full. Love the cake circles when sliced. Spray the inside of the jar with nonstick spray, slide a sharp knife around the inside of the jar to loosen and the cake slides right out. I made them for gifts for my friends and found blue canning jars and blue lids! Thanks for the cute idea!
I am so glad you like them Mary Beth!!!!
I have eaten these little cakes in a jar and they are fabulous. Shay’s mothers is my office co-worker so I’ve been blessed to get my very own jar a couple of times. They are simply devine.
Oh wow, what a small world!!!
Hi Christy…I’ve tried this recipe twice and they are absolutely adorable. My daughters gave them out to their teachers as Christmas gifts and they were all very appreciative. However, I do have a question: I used the wide mouth pint size jars and my cakes didn’t come to the top like in the picture. Did you have this problem too? Maybe I didn’t beat enough air into the batter to make them rise. Thanks for your help! Merry Christmas 🙂
Can you add fruit, such as cherry pie filling, and then freeze? Would they have the same shelf life span?
Hi Christy, Baking anything in jars always catches my eyes so I was so happy to find this recipe. The cakes turned out absolutely delicious. I shared a few with friends and they loved it too. I even used one cake as the base of strawberry shortcake. It was amazing. A definite winning recipe for sure.
I am so glad you liked them Sandy!!!
Hello! I bake these pound cakes in a jar all the time! I make lemon, almond, orange and cherry flavored regularly. As a military spouse I take care of lots and lots of deployed folks by sending them these cakes (which they LOVE by the way) and I was hoping for maybe a little change and I was wondering if chocolate could be added in some way to make a chocolate pound cake?
Thanks so much for your time!
Yes, it can be done, you will just have to give me a little time to work out the exact measurements.
Rene, My grandson is being deployed tonight : (! I have been looking for things to mail him from home. How do the glass jars make it overseas, and does the cake stay fresh long enough to make it to him. I made a trial run and they are yummy, and the jars sealed great! Thanks for your help! Ruth
Aww this story made me so nostalgic, and I never had grandparents like that , but always wished I did but I had several dear older people who loved me and I them dearly in my childhood and young adulthood and they are sorely missed. I have so many great memories of Mrs. Perry, Mrs. McKinley and the lady I cant remember her name but she always had lemon drops and Persian rugs and we were allowed to lay on those rugs and eat whatever she had for us to eat including those wonderful lemon drops. I wish I could remember her name but my mom died in 2005 and she is the only other person who would remember that sweet lady’s name. Anyway they made my childhood and young adulthood so much sweeter and loving. Thank you for bringing these memories back for me.
Christy, Thanks for the wonderful recipe. It has been given to several friends, and they all loved it! Want to send some to our grandson who is being deployed tonight. Do you think it would make it to him fine?
Thanks in advance, Hugs, Ruth
Hey Ruth! Your comment made my heart smile!
Do you know about how long it might take to get to him?
Just, made these pound cakes, they are AMAZING 🙂 I used mini loaf pans (7)… baked 40-45 minutes… some were done at 40, a couple at 45 minutes. Thank you so much for this recipe )
Do you sift the flour
I don’t but you can if you prefer to.
Could you use this same method to make a rum cake?
I have never tried it, but I would think it would work.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m going to make them for Valentine’s Day. I’m going to put valentine fabrics to cover the lids. Thank you again for sharing.
I love that idea Connie!!!
I see sour cream in the directions but not on the ingredient list.. how much sour cream?
Ignore me, I see it now! Sorry, pregnancy brain lol
🙂 No problem!! When is the wee one due?
We made them this weekend and they were delicious. Hubby sliced like shortcakes and served with peaches and cream.
I am so glad you liked them!!
It’s a great idea, and Oh, My, I love pound cake, but have you checked with Ball or other companies that make glass jars? I’m not sure they recommend baking in them.
You need to make sure there is a liquid in them before putting them in the oven. Many people have created a faux canning method called “dry canning” wherein they put rice, beans and such in jars and place those in the oven. That is very dangerous.
Hi Christy,
I made several of these last year in October and kept them in the pantry until time to give as Christmas gifts. I never did freeze them and everyone said they were delicious. After reading your comments above, now I’m afraid to make them and store them. If they can be sent overseas with no problem, why are they not ok on the shelf. Should I wait until later in November or even December to make them?
Hey Kathie!
I think they are perfectly fine as long as you freeze them and then once removed eat them within a week 🙂 If you send them overseas I would do so as soon as they are cooled and they should be fine as well. Where we get into problems is in the thinking that because something is “canned” it is safe indefinitely and with cakes and breads in particular there just isn’t a proper way to can them at home for long term storage.
I would make them now as it’s so much easier to bake right now than later on in the season. 🙂
I made the recipe exactly as printed and divided the cake evenly between 8 jars ( there wasn’t enough for 9 filled halfway). When cooked all but two fell almost in half so the jars do not look full. Any idea what I did wrong? Thanks.
I had something similar happen to me a few weeks ago. In my case, I opened the oven and was looking at it a bit midway and that caused it to collapse. It could also be that it wasn’t quite done but close in the center but removing them from the oven caused the center to cave. Either way, I’m sorry this happened to you but maybe this is a sign that you need to keep some of them for yourself to treat yourself over the next few months 🙂 Remember to store them in the freezer for long term.