Make your own dinosaur cake in a jar! It’s the ultimate (easy) treat for dinosaur-themed parties (without the mess).
How to Make Dinosaur Cake in a Jar
- Make the batter: Combine the almond flour, salt, baking powder, all-purpose flour, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Beat the egg and sugar together. Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla extract, and coffee and beat until creamy. Add the flour and mix.
- Bake: Bake the dinosaur cake rounds for 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick test comes out clean. Remove the dinosaur cake from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Make the filling: Whisk the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Whisk the sugar and cream cheese until creamy. Add Nutella and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream.
- Assemble: Once the cake is cooled, cut out circles of cake that fit the size of your jars. Add a cake circle to the jar. Pipe a layer of frosting on top. Repeat the process of layering cake and frosting until you reach the top of your jar.
- Decorate: Crumble the leftover cake into crumbs. Top the cake with cake crumbles. Decorate with sprinkles, dinosaur chocolate, and M&M’s peanut chocolate candy.
- Store: Seal the jars. Store in the refrigerator.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions
To Make Ahead: Dinosaur cake in a jar can be made up to two days in advance. Keep the jar sealed and refrigerated to keep the cake fresh. However, the cake in a jar will only last up to four days in total.
To Freeze: You can freeze your dinosaur cake in a jar for up to three months for longer storage. Just seal the jar and freeze. To defrost, leave the cake jar in the refrigerator overnight.
Recipe Variations for Dinosaur Cake in a Jar
Peanut butter swap: For a nutty twist, replace the Nutella with creamy peanut butter. Simply swap Nutella with an equal amount of peanut butter in the filling mixture.
Gluten-free option: In the cake batter, substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Use the same amount of the gluten-free flour blend as specified for all-purpose flour.
Vegan-friendly: For a dairy-free alternative, replace buttermilk with almond milk mixed with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for five minutes before using it in the recipe. Replace the egg used in the batter with a flax egg and the cream with coconut cream in the frosting.
Double chocolate treat: Add half a cup of chocolate chips for a chocolatey treat. Fold the chocolate chips in just before pouring the batter into the baking pan.
Tropical twist: Swap the almond flour with coconut flour. Use the same amount of coconut flour as specified for almond flour in the cake batter.
Espresso twist: Enhance the coffee flavor by adding one tablespoon of instant espresso powder to the cake batter. Mix the espresso powder with the hot coffee before adding it to the batter.
Lemon zest twist: Add the zest of one lemon to the cream cheese filling. Mix the lemon zest with the whipped cream cheese and powdered sugar until well combined.
Almond upgrade: Replace the dinosaur chocolates with chopped almonds and shredded coconut. Sprinkle chopped almonds and shredded coconut over the frosting before sealing the jars.
Minty variation: Add half a teaspoon of peppermint extract to the cream cheese filling.
Raspberry upgrade: Substitute half of the Nutella with seedless raspberry jam. Mix half a cup of seedless raspberry jam with a quarter cup of Nutella in the filling mixture.
Dinosaur Cake in a Jar
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup freshly brewed, strong hot coffee
For the filling:
- 1 cup 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup Nutella
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
For the decoration (optional):
- dinosaur chocolates or dinosaurs gummy candies
- Dinomite Sprinkles
- M&M’S Peanut Chocolate Candy
Instructions
- To make the cake, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a bowl combine the flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the egg and sugar.
- Add the buttermilk, oil, vanilla exstract and coffee and beat until combined.
- Add the flour mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Pour the of batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven.
- Allow to cool completely.
- To make the filling, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy.
- Add Nutella and beat until smooth.
- Fold in whipped cream.
- Assembly:
- Once cake is cooled, use circle cookie cutters to cut out circles that fit the size of your jars.
- Add first layer of cake to the jar.
- Carefully pipe a layer of frosting on top of the cake.
- Repeat the process of layering cake and frosting until you get to the top of your jar.
- Crumble the leftover cake into crumbs.
- Top the cake with cake crumbles.
- Decorate with sprinkles, dinosaur chocolate and M&M’S peanut chocolate candy.
- Seal the jars.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Mixing tip: To keep the cake light and fluffy, avoid overmixing the batter. Mix until just combined after adding the flour mixture.
- Cooling tip: Cool the cake completely before assembly to prevent the frosting from melting and the layers from becoming soggy.
- Frosting consistency: Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form for a stable frosting. Overwhipping may lead to a grainy texture.
- Jar size: Use jars that can accommodate the cake layers and leave enough space for decoration on top without overflowing.
- Sealing jars: Secure the lids tightly to keep the cake fresh and prevent any leakage during storage and transport.
- Decoration creativity: Feel free to customize the decorations with your favorite candies or sprinkles for a personalized touch.
- Storage duration: For the best texture and taste, eat the dinosaur cake in a jar within two to three days.
