Chocolate-Praline Cake In A Jar

I don't know why this recipe intrigued me. Maybe because it called for using canning jars. I have a weakness for anything baked in something unusual. Even if the recipe should happen to be chock full of nasty yucky ingredients. Just as long as it looks inviting and different, then I'm game.

Fortunately for all of us, this recipe is full of yummy chocolate and praline. And I just so happened to have the perfect thing to bake in, my canning jar mugs. Now all it needs is a swirl of whipped cream and a long spoon.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate & Vanilla by Gale Gand

Ingredients for the Cake:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 & ½ cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 & ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 & ½ cups sifted cake flour
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup brewed coffee

Ingredients for the Praline Topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup water
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup pecan halves or pieces

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 10 to 12 1-pint glass canning jars on a rimmed baking sheet, evenly arranged with space between them. (If you have a Silpat liner, place it under the jars to prevent them from sliding around.)

To make the cakes, in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and eggs and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, cocoa, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Add half of the flour, then half of the sour cream, and mix until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream. Drizzle in the coffee and mix until smooth. The batter will be thin, like heavy cream.

Pour the batter into the jars, filling them halfway. Bake until the tops of the cakes are firm to the touch, about 25 minutes.

To make the topping, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the brown sugar and ½ cup water and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar until combined, then return to the heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the nuts.

Pour the praline topping over the cakes to cover, working quickly, because the praline hardens quickly as it cools. Let the cakes cool completely if the they aren't already, before screwing on jar lids.