Birthday Cake in a Jar, aka Party in a Jar, is a fun and simple way to celebrate and share an individual serving of cake. Layers of your favorite cake, frosting and sprinkles in a Mason jar make for one amazing dessert, perfect for a front porch delivery.

Cake
Bake the cake (recipe follows) on a half sheet pan to create a thin layer. Once the cake is baked and cooled, use a circle cookie cutter that will fit the size of your jar and cut the cake into rounds. Place the cake rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside.

Frosting
Make frosting (recipe follows) or use store-bought frosting. If you are mixing in any toppings, place the frosting in a bowl and mix in. Place the frosting in a piping bag with a star tip.

Layer
Once your cake is baked and cut and your frosting is ready, grab your Mason jars and start layering. Start with one layer of cake, pipe frosting, add topping if necessary and repeat. Once you are finished layering, garnish the top of the cake with sprinkles. Seal the jar with the lid and add a ribbon.

Enjoy, deliver or store
Birthday Cake in a Jar is a perfect treat to deliver to friends. While we are having small celebrations, dropping these off on the porches of your friends and family will make them feel extra special. Birthday Cake in a Jar can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days and will stay fresh. When you are ready to eat, take the jars out about 20 minutes before and enjoy!

Save the extras
The cake that you are baking will leave you with quite a few cake rounds. Place the extras on a small sheet pan or plate, wrap with plastic wrap and freeze to use the next time you want to make Birthday Cake in a Jar. The frosting will stay fresh in the refrigerator for one week, or you can freeze it for a later date. When you are ready to use, remove the cake rounds and frosting from the freezer and allow them to defrost before you start layering.

Kristen Massad of Dallas, a pastry chef and graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, blogs at joyoliver.com.