Fresh & Fruity Jello Cake

Hey friends! I'm really excited to tell you all about this cake! It's been a favorite of my family's since I was a little girl and we eat it quite often in the summertime. It's so light and refreshing and just the perfect ending to a warm evening with friends and family!

Fresh, Fruity Jello Cake

Now, growing up, my mom would make this with a boxed white cake mix and Cool Whip. However, since I am now a pastry chef and you are here for a dessert that's a little more impressive, we'll start with a light, airy sponge cake as the base.

Vanilla Sponge Cake (adapted from here)

1 cup all purpose flour
11/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
5 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
1 t vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill muffin pan with liners. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake until lightly golden brown and tester inserted into middle comes out clean.

While the cake is cooling, make your favorite flavor of jello, leaving out the cold water. In other words, only use the boiled water it calls for and don't add the cold once it's done cooking. Next, prepare your cake for the jello. For this presentation, I cut the cake into two layers and poured jello over both.

For the whipped cream I don't really follow an exact recipe. The ingredients I use are heavy whipping cream, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla. The amount of sugar is dependent upon the type of dessert I am making (more for a less sweet cake or pie, and less for a sweeter one). The finishing, and most important, touch is the fresh fruit. You can use whatever you want for this cake. I chose raspberries and blueberries. Traditionally, my mom uses just strawberries. You're probably already thinking this, with the time of year that it is, but this dessert is a great choice for the Fourth of July. In fact, I usually make it every year, forming the American flag on top with strawberries and blueberries. This time I chose to fill the cake with the whipped cream and fruit and then topped it with the same for a more rustic, homemade look. I love how creative you can be with this cake!

Just have fun with the flavors, start your own family tradition, and most importantly....

....enjoy!

Have a wonderful, safe summer and take time to make lots of memories! Time spent with loved ones is more important than any thing you can own and even more than any cake you will eat (it's close...but, yes, even more than cake!) :) Until next time, happy reading and more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!