This almond cake with shredded coconut and chocolate chips is the perfect way to send the taste of an almond joy overseas without the mess of melted chocolate everywhere! The best part is this particular mason jar cake uses a box cake as the base, making it super easy.
You want to start with a plain box cake. You can use white, yellow, or even chocolate. I decided to go with a white cake because I am not a huge fan of chocolate and I knew that I would have to do some of the taste testings. You will also need water, oil, eggs, chocolate chips, shaved coconut, almond extract, vanilla extract, and a can of frosting to add to the box.
Whatever you do, do not frost the mason jar cakes before you send them, or your loved one will end up with jars of icky gross mold. If you’re making these to enjoy at home, only frost the care package cakes when you are ready to enjoy! With this recipe, you will be able to make roughly 8 (8oz) mason jar cakes.
You want to start by mixing the boxed cake with the water, oil, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Once the cake batter is mixed well with no large lumps you can stir in the chocolate chips. During the baking process, the chocolate chips will sink to the bottom of the mason jar. By stirring them in ahead of time, it helps keep the chocolate from burning to the bottom of the jar.
There are baking tips and tricks
- Before you transfer the cake batter to the mason jars make sure to spray each jar with cooking spray or oil. I personally love to use coconut oil spray…I feel it works best.
- Fill each mason jar about half full with the cake batter, then add a pinch or two of the shaved coconut.
- Top with just enough batter to cover the coconut shavings. This way you don’t end up with burnt coconut on top of the cake.
- If you overfill the mason jars they will turn into little volcanos and erupt cake everywhere. I made the mistake of overfilling my first two mason jars. When I am baking care package cakes, I always put the mason jars inside a glass casserole dish to bake for this very reason!
Once baked, secure the mason jar lid on right away. Make sure you use an oven mitt while doing this because the mason jars are extremely hot. By putting the lids on while the cake is still super hot it will help seal the mason jar and ensure a deliciously fresh cake when it arrives at its final destination!
To send these care package cakes overseas just fill a box with a few mason jars, some plastic utensils, a can of frosting, a bag of shredded coconut, and any other fun treats or gifts you can fit into the box!
Ingredients and directions of quick cake recipe
- 1 Box Cake
- 1 1/4 Cup Water
- 1/3 Cup Oil
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
- 3/4 Cup Shaved Coconut
- 2 teaspoons Almond Extract
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Mix together the cake mix along with the water, oil, eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract.
- Once mixed well stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spray the mason jars with cooking spray and fill halfway with cake batter.
- Add a sprinkle of the shaved coconut and top with just enough cake batter to cover up the coconut.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until cooked throughout.