Spiced Apple and Pecan Cake in a Jar

2 cups grated apples or apple sauce
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2/3 cup shortening
3 1/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
3 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease 8 wide-mouth pint canning jars with melted shortening. Use a brush and avoid getting grease on the jar rims.

In the bowl of your home-style mixer, cream shortening and sugar on medium-high speed. Beat in eggs and apples or applesauce. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt and blend into the creamed shortening mixture. When well blended, add raisins and pecans.

I suggest using a large-mouth funnel for filling the jars. This will keep any batter from dripping along the outside of the jars. Divide the batter evenly between the pint jars. The jars will be more than half full.

Place the open jars on a large, heavy-duty cookie sheet and bake about 1 hour. While cake is baking, boil the lids in water for 10-15 minutes. When cake jars are done, quickly remove one hot jar at a time and clean its sealing edge with a dry towel to remove any residue or oil.

Immediately apply and firmly tighten a 2-piece wide-mouth canning lid. The lid will form a vacuum seal as the jar cools. Jars of cooled cake may be stored on the pantry shelf with other canned foods or may be placed in the freezer. The cake is safe to eat as long as jars remain vacuum sealed and free of mold growth.

NOTE: If this jar is kept in a dark, cool pantry it can last 6 months to a year, minimum. Just make sure the seal remains unbroken.

MAKES: 8 (1-pint) Cakes