Applesauce Bread In A Jar
****************************

2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups applesauce
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs, applesauce
and water. Mix together dry ingredients and add to
applesauce mixture. Pour batter into 8 sterile
wide-mouth greased pint canning jars, filling them
half full. Bake at 325 degrees (F) for about 45-55
minutes. Scald canning lids in saucepan of boiling
water, keep hot until needed. When bread is done,
remove from oven one at a time. If bread has risen
above the edge of the jars, cut off the excess. Wipe
edge of jar clean, put on scalded lids and screw bands
firmly tight. Let cool.

You may substitute 2 cups of applesauce in the
'Applesauce Bread in a jar' recipe for:

* 1 cup shredded apples and 1 cup shredded carrots
* 2 cups shredded apples
* 2 cups pumpkin
* 1 3/4 cups applesauce and 1/4 cup raisins
* 1 3/4 cups applesauce and 1/4 cup crushed pineapple
* 2 cups shredded carrots
* 2 cups shredded zucchini
* 1 lb. ground cranberries
* 1 can whole cranberry sauce
* 1 3/4 cup mashed bananas and 1/4 cup orange
marmalade
* 1 3/4 cup mashed bananas and 1/4 cup crushed
pineapple

(The pumpkin is great!)

Notes About Jar Cakes

Use only wide-mouth jars. Filling the jars can be tricky because you want the cakes to bake to within one-quarter to one-half inch of the rim. Make one test cake by filling one jar halfway to ensure you have the right time and temperature. Do this at higher altitudes, too.

For half-pint jars, use one-half cup batter and bake at 325ºF for about 30 minutes. For pint jars, use 1 cup batter and bake at 325 for 55 to 60 minutes. For 1-1/2-pint jars, try 1-3/4 cups batter and bake an hour or longer at 300ºF. A long cake tester is useful to verify doneness.

Adapt your favorite baking recipes to jars. Pound cakes or nut/fruit breads work best. Reduce the temperature 25 degrees because glass bakes hotter than metal.

Make sure there are no nicks or cracks on the lips of the canning jars. Wash jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water, then sterilize by boiling them for 15 minutes. The lids and rings are kept in hot water until you're ready to use them, but the jars are moved from the water and placed on a towel to air dry while you mix the batter.

The jars must be well greased with shortening or oil so the cake will slide out. After the cakes are done, you take them out of the oven, one by one, and put the lids and rings on them. Screw the lid tightly. As they cool on a bath towel on your counter, you should hear a "plink" sound indicating that they have sealed. If you don't hear it, check cooled jars by pressing down on the lid. It shouldn't move at all.

Refrigerate unsealed cakes or freeze them. Sealed cakes will keep in a cool, dry place for about six months. You can send one with a candle as a birthday cake.