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By Army Mom
Thanks to all of you, here are some great ideas for sending cakes and cookies to your deployed sons and daughters for those special occasions like birthdays and holidays.
You can send cakes and cookies through an online company or do it yourself! Following is a list of great suggestions from who else but the fabulous Army Moms (and others) who LOVE to make their deployed children feel special! Thank you everyone who contributed to this list!
Do It Yourself Goodies
- Some assembly required birthday cakes! Well I mailed 6 cakes to my son in late september last year while he was in Iraq. i baked them in the aluminum pans that have lids. after baking a cooling i wrapped the pan in saran wrap, put the lid on and taped it. i then included tubs of icing, sprinkles and candles along with birthday plates and napkins. i called it my “some assembly required birthday cakes”. they all arrived intact and he said they ate them!
- I bought a pound cake at the grocery – found it in the deli area in a foil pan. Included a can of frosting and other birthday accessories. Included a can of frosting and other birthday accessories. It arrived in Afghanistan during hot weather in good shape.
- Old tins are good to ship baked goods in. Some of our boxes took one to three weeks to arrive.
- Buy some tootsie rolls and make him a tootsie roll cake. Wrap the cake in saran wrap and place candles around the cake. Not only will the cake get there in one piece, but your son will be able to share the tootsie rolls with others and light the candles.
- I always make them a cake out of twinkies and put plates, balloons, napkins and confettii in the center. I tape the twinkies end to end in a round shape put birthday ribbon on the out side I put the choclate cupcakes on the top and fill in the whole. That way it is fresh and is a nice treat for all the guys in the unit.
- You MAKE CAKE IN JAR AND SEND ITEMS SUCH AS ICING AND FUN DECORATIONS WITH IT!
Cake in a Jar Recipe (thank you Julia!)
1 cake mix – whatever kind (I like to buy the different holiday ones that Pillsbury does)
4 wide-mouthed Mason Jars (Wal-Mart seems to have the cheapest price for 12)
Pam spray
Mix the cake mix and pre heat oven as directed. Spray the 4 jars with the Pam spray and set on a cookie sheet. You want to fill the jars only 1/3 full of cake batter. Bake for directed time, I have a cake tester I use to make sure they are done. As soon as you take them out of the oven, carefully screw the tops on. If the cake has risen above the top, carefully slice off excess so cake is even with the top. As the cakes cool, you will hear the tops pop as they seal themselves.
The cakes are said to last in the jars as is for 6 months and can be frozen for 12 months.You can send icing with it!
You can also make breads like Banana Nut or Zucchini in the jars doing the same thing.
Buy Cake and Cookies Online
- Cheryl and Company
– Offering cookies, brownies and FREE shipping to APO/FPO addresses. - BakeMeaWish.com – Send Birthday Cakes to Soldiers Home & Abroad!
- dejacreations.com – sends free birthday cakes to deployed soldiers
- Soldiersangels.org – Operation Birthday Cake
– Offering cookies, brownies and FREE shipping to APO/FPO addresses.Have some ideas or recommendations? Leave a comment. Thank you!
Related Posts:
- Should you Home School your Military Children?
- Reflections on God's Word: Military Mom Prayer Journal
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Tina Waterman says
I just sent my son 9 jars of Banana Nut bread, I made the recipe out the the Betty Crocker cook book and sprayed the inside of the jars with cooking spray. Filled them just under half full. I have also done this with Brownie mix and am getting ready to try Blueberry Muffins. He said the Brownies and Banana Nut bread was awesome. The trick is not to fill the jars too full.
Benny says
Awesome idea!! Even for you college kids away from home!
Ursula Conaway says
Read that cakes and breads in jars need to cool before sealing and then be kept refridgerated to be safe. To do otherwise can lead to bacteria growth causing botulism. Um, not good people. I’m taking the “ordering cakes” route for my hubby.
http://extension.psu.edu/food-safety/food-preservation/faq/canning-breadsMegan C says
See AlsoInstant Pot Ham and Bean SoupSuch a wonderful idea!! wish i had found this earlier, my soldier only has about a month left in deployment but i’m sending him cake jars asap.
SunnySideUp (Bari-lyn) says
To the person that was worried about botulism. Not to worry! I have canned for 40 years and I have never had a problem. IF, the cake is sealed WHILE HOT FROM THE OVEN AND, the lids pop inward when cool (if not, don’t save but, eat soon) As long as they are sealed they will be fine for weeks or months. DO NOT BREAK THE SEAL AFTER SEALING UNTIL READY TO EAT! ALSO, you can use a glaze instead of sending Icing. FOR GLAZE: 1 cup sugar, 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup water. Bring to boil. Simmer for 1 minute or, until all sugar is dissolved. Add 1t. vanilla stir, and pour a 1/4 cup SLOWLY over each little HOT cake in a jar (the cake needs to be at least 1/2 inch down from top lip of jar to make room for the glaze) then seal right away. This glaze can also be used on quick breads like banana, cranberry nut etc… Also, any edible product can cause illness if, mishandled even, ordered cakes.
Dawn Romine says
I agree with Sunny SideUP, any food, even prepared fresh in your kitchen can cause food poisoning. In our society now we are so paranoid when the risk is so small. We live in such a litigious society that so many people are afraid to get sued. Start with clean utensils, fresh ingredients and follow directions.
How many people leave pizza out on the counter over night for morning breakfast and never get sick. Yet, the warning is to refrigerate. Let’s get real.
Susan Bowen says
FANTASTIC!!! Just heard the pops of my first batch of Cakes in a Jar! I used the small 8 oz jars for individual size servings and they turned out great. I filled the jars 1/3 full and baked them for 23 minutes. I baked the jars in a 13 x 9 cake pan (rather than on a cookie sheet) so they would be more secure as I moved them in and out of the oven. Adding some canned frosting, candles and party supplies to the box and and my portable party will be on its way!
Kathy says
What about sealing things with a food saver and sending them? Has anyone had any experience with this?
Carlene says
Has anyone tried Cornbread Dressing w/ Chicken in it? My Daughter is deployed and she loves my dressing, so I was thinking about cooking some in jars for her like I did her cake and brownies. Has anyone done this before or what do you think about it(will it be safe)? Thank you!!
Rebecca says
I am freezing my cupcakes in a jar to be shipped to two guys in my family in AF, mainly because I read instructions which were probably better suited to domestic v international shipping. I’m inclined to go ahead and ship them anyway with a cold pack and good bubble wrap and see how they come out given it’s January, and once they’re there, they won’t likely be left uneaten for long. Has anyone got recent experience with how long it’s been taking to get a package from the US to AF?
Kristy says
Great ideas and can’t wait to try, thanks! My first batch of cookies took about 3 1/2 weeks to finally make it to my daughter. During that time she wasn’t on deployment but their ship went underway for a few weeks at a whack. When she received them they were all broken up, pretty hard and stuck together. When I shipped them, I stacked the cookies in Rubbermaid containers and then padded the containers in the box, so I learned that the way you stack is important and using parchment paper between the layers might not have been a bad idea! When sending a non-food goodie box I told the post master of my cookie disaster and told him I probably wouldn’t be sending cookies anytime soon because of my disaster. He told me that his grandmother used to send him cookies when they were at war and sometimes it would take a few months back then for them to receive anything but they would always arrive fresh and perfect…. her secret was packing the cookies in extra buttery popcorn! I’m testing the popcorn trick out on this batch of cookies but cant wait to do the cake now so thanks a bunch!!!
Rosemary says
I have sent cookies to my son when he was deployed in Afghanistan I used the glad food sealer the one you pull the air out with a plunger type thing and the package took two weeks sometimes longer to get there and he said they were great still real fresh well he is deployed again and this time I bought a food sealer I figured it would be easier to seal and less likely to unseal so he will be getting lots of baked goods and I also can homemade stew soups and spaghetti sauces just use lots of bubble wrap when sending
