Carrot Cake Jam Canning Recipe

Our friend and guest blogger Chez LaRae created this festive Carrot Cake Jam canning recipe. You can follow LaRae’s amazing food adventures on Instagram and her website. LaRae is a self-taught baker, cooking and baking instructor, recipe developer, and an editor at @thefeedfeed. See LaRae's other recipe guest blog posts.

Carrot cake lovers, what if you could preserve the warm, rich flavors of this delicious cake in a jar? Freshly shredded orange carrots, chopped apples, juicy pineapples, coconut, and nuts suspended in a lovely spiced jam. Make and can this today, and enjoy the sweet taste throughout the year. Serve on English muffins, with yogurt, pancakes, waffles, alongside cheese and crackers, or with vanilla ice cream. For a real treat, make this cream cheese ice cream. And remember to affix lovely CanningCrafts' canning labels on your jars with a bit of pretty ribbon for tasty gifts for all of the carrot cake enthusiasts in your life. 

Carrot Cake Jam Recipe

Recipe adapted from “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving” 2006.

Preservation method: Water bath canning

Difficulty level: Easy

Yield: About six 8-oz jars

You will need clean jars and closures, a boiling-water canner, rack, jar lifter, canning funnel, and wooden skewer

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• 1 ½ cup peeled and finely grated carrots (about three carrots)

• 1 ½ cups cored, peeled, chopped Granny Smith apple (about one apple)
• 1 ¾ cup canned crushed pineapple, including juice
• 3 tbsp bottled lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 1 package regular powdered fruit pectin (49 to 57 grams)
• 6 ½ cups granulated sugar (measured out in a bowl and ready to use)
• ½ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
• ¼ cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Prepare water bath canner, lids, and jars.

Place one or two small, clean plates in your freezer for jam “frozen plate test.” See details below*.

In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan (that has a lid), combine carrots, apples, pineapple with juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.

Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. At first sugar mixture will appear dry, but it will turn into a thick liquid when heated and stirred. Boil hard, stirring constantly for one minute.

Add coconut and walnuts. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼” head space. Remove air bubbles and readjust head space, if necessary. Thoroughly wipe rims with moistened cloth. Center lids on jars, screw bands down until finger-tip tight.

Place jars into canner, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, and cool completely.

Wipe jars and affix CanningCrafts’ canning labels. Date and store in a cool, dry place for up to 12 months.

PRINT THE RECIPE CARD

These Custom Foodie's Delight Canning Labels come in 9 color options. Customize these printed labels with your name, food, saying, contact info, or weight.

Custom Foodie's Delight Kraft Canning Labels make a rustic addition to jam jars, baked goods, or sugar scrubs.

* Frozen plate test: To avoid runny jam, when you believe the jam is cooked, grab one of the plates from your freezer and plop a small spoonful of carrot cake jam at the center. Let it sit for a minute or so and then run a wooden spoon through the jam. If the jam does not run back into the line, it is set. If it is runny and saucy, boil the sauce for another minute until done.

Follow our We're Jammin' Pinterest Board for more jam recipes

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