Recipe
Feel the Christmas Spirit Anytime of Year with this Jell-O Cake
Growing up, I wanted one thing for my birthday each year: my great grandma's Jell-O cake. Nobody knows for sure, but the story goes that my great grandma found a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens magazine that inspired her to create a vanilla cake soaked in flavored gelatin and covered in homemade whipped cream. She passed the recipe down to my grandpa, who regularly made Jell-O cake for my mom and her siblings. It is my mom's favorite cake, and she loves making it for my brother and me, as it allows her to share a piece of her childhood with us.
Because Jell-O cake is made with strawberry and lime Jell-O, it is red and green: Christmas colors. Ironically, my family and I had never made Jell-O cake for Christmas before this year! We make a Jell-O cake to celebrate birthdays and special occasions, like graduations, but never thought to make it during the holiday its coloring represents.
Baking Jell-O cake on Christmas this year felt quite fitting, and it occurred to me that making this unique, red and green dessert any time of year may evoke the holiday spirit we all miss after the Christmas season. While Jell-O cake is a marker for a special occasion in my family, it can serve as a symbol of the joy and festivity felt during Christmas to others.
Beyond its vibrant coloring, Jell-O cake has a spongy, moist texture due to being soaked in gelatin, which makes it different from other cakes. It tastes like vanilla cake with hints of strawberry and lime, flavors that are not over-powering at all. The strawberry and lime Jell-O is an exciting, unexpected flavor combination that perfectly complements the sweetness of the homemade whipped cream. I also like to add sprinkles on top of the cake for a bit of crunch.
Making my family's Jell-O cake involves many steps, but is completely worth it. My biggest piece of advice? Be patient, and handle the cake with care! The Jell-O cake is super delicate when you construct it, but by the time it's finished, it's ready to be devoured!
Jello Cake
- Prep Time: 2 days
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 2 days 40 mins
- Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 1 3-ounce box Strawberry Jell-O gelatin
- 1 3-ounce box Lime Jell-O gelatin
- 2 pints heavy cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- Red and green sprinkles
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Hopefully, by making this cake any time of year, you will be able to feel the Christmas spirit before the holiday season is upon us. Jell-O cake is a staple of my childhood, as it is my mom's, and sharing my great grandma's creation allows her recipe to live on forever.