Picnic-Friendly Dessert-in-a-Jar

Upon moving to San Francisco, all anyone could tell me was how cold it gets in the summer.  Well I don't know what they're talking about, because this past month has had some gorgeous weather!  Maybe I'm speaking too soon? It is called June Gloom after all...

But, no matter how sunshiney it is in the city, it's always nicer down in Los Gatos, and lucky Webb and I were able to spend this past Sunday there with his parents for Mother's Day.  It might have been a little too warm for us San Franciscans (Why oh why did we wear pants on a 90 degree day?) but who can complain about a little sun?

Lugging a watermelon? Or shielding his face from the sun?

Taking full advantage of the weather, we planned to rummage through the farmer's market after church then do a picnic.  I knew this a few days in advance, so I started thinking of some picnic-friendly desserts to make.  Cupcakes? No, the frosting always gets messed up in transit.  Ice cream? No, likely to melt.  Then, I remembered something I'd seen over my hours of Pinterest snooping - cake in a jar!  

Easy transport? Check. Easy set up? Check. Easy clean up? Check.  

Okay, so mine might not be as pretty, but I can tell you that it tasted pretty good, and was insanely simple to make.  It was a yummy end to a fun picnic with Webb, his dad, and the lady of the hour: his mom!

Here's what I did, but obviously there are a ton of combinations and possibilities. Just remember to keep the jars cool if you are using cream.  My insulated Whole Foods bag and an ice pack worked just fine.

Strawberry Shortcake in a Jar

Serves 4

The Strawberries:

Not only are strawberries super cheap in California right now, but we all happen to love them, so choosing these as the fruit was an obvious choice.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint strawberries
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 lemon juice

Method:

1. Slice the berries length wise at about a quarter inch thickness.
2. Toss the berries with the sugar and lemon juice.
3. Let sit overnight for the flavors to soak and juices to form (not necessary, but good to do if you can).

The Cream:

Feel free to use canned whipped cream, but if you have an extra 5 minutes, fresh whipped cream really takes the cake (pun intended).  I add a little flavoring to mine, but you can skip it.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Method:

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl or standing mixer until sugar dissolves and peaks form
2. Do not mix too much or you'll end up with butter.

The Cake:

I think angel food cake goes really nicely with strawberries and cream and make the dessert feel light.  You can choose regular white, yellow or pound cake if you'd like.  I actually just used an angel food box cake by Betty Crocker, but you can used store bought or use your own recipe.  

ASSEMBLY:

1. Wash and dry jars (I purchased mine at a hardware store)
2. Break up cake into large chunks and place at the bottom of the jars.
3. Pour strawberries on top of the cake. Strain the juices first if you want a dryer cake.
4. Pour whipped cream on top of the strawberries.
5. Decorate jar if you heart desires.

And there ya go!  Hope you're able to use this idea at picnics all summer :)

Oh, and what did I do for my mama?  I send her a little gift and we had this great facetime session at the end of the day. Happy belated Mother's Day!