jello – Sweet Tooth Experiments

Blue Heaven, Grape Bubblegum and Creamy Soda Jelly Cake

Posted on May 19, 2018 Posted in Cakes .

Blue Heaven, Grape Bubblegum and Creamy Soda Jelly Cake


When I was a tween/teen I use to love grape bubble-gum, creamy soda and blue heaven flavours. The grape flavour HubbaBubba bubble-gum was the go to, creamy soda was my favourite soft drink and blue heaven syrup was a must for the usual ‘spider’ milkshake I got at cafes with the family. As these flavours are all available in jelly crystals in the local Coles and Woolworths I decided I would use the crystals as the flavouring, in which is a method I have done many times in the past with a range of recipes. Once I had the flavours it was as simple as using my never fail vanilla cake mix and just dividing up the batter. This cake definitely brings back so many childhood memories! And of course, is very tasty as well!

Cake:

260g butter
200g sugar
4 eggs
1 + ½ cup cake flour
1 + ½ cup plain flour
1 tsn baking powder
½ tsn bicarbonate soda
1 cup milk
1 tsn vanilla essence
60g blue heaven jelly crystals
60g bubblegum grape jelly crystals
60g creamy soda jelly crystals
Blue and Red food colouring

Icing:

190g butter
150g icing sugar

Method:

Grease and line 3 x 25 cm cake tins and pre-heat the oven to 175c.
Using electric beaters cream the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until creamy and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
Sift the flours, powder and soda in a bowl, add this dry mix to the butter mix. Add the milk and vanilla to the butter mix, beat on slow until just combined (do not over beat).
Divide the batter equally into 3 bowls.
Add the blue heaven jelly crystals and blue food colouring to one bowl of batter mix.
In the second bowl of batter add the Bubblegum jelly crystals mixed with a little red and blue food colouring to make the purple grape colour.
Lastly add the creamy soda jelly crystals as well as the red food colouring to the last bowl.
Stir each bowl of batter until the crystals and colour is just combine and even.
Pour the 3 bowls of batter into the 3 tins and bake for 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes then place on a cooling rack.
To make the icing beat the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until fluffy and creamy.
Once the cakes are cold place the purple layer onto a plate and spread a layer of icing on top.
Add the blue cake layer and top with icing.
Add the pink cake layer and top with icing.
Use the remainder of the icing to spread around the sides of the cake to ensure top and side coverage.

Notes: I divided the icing into 3 bowls and added colours according to the layer (for the outside icing combine the leftover icing). This is not required but I felt it further enhanced the colours vibrancy. I also decorated with an icing sugar dusting and coloured sugar pearls.


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Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake

Posted on May 12, 2018 Posted in Cakes .

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake recipe

If you visit my blog frequently you will recall I went on a baking journey of 15 recipes from the Australian Green & Gold cookery book published by New Holland, in which features 100’s and 100’s of traditional Australian recipes from ‘experienced housewife’s and cookery experts’.

From the 15 recipes I made 3 were key standouts that I couldn’t ignore and had to add to my Aussie traditional section on this blog.

Following the Bread Fritters and the Sago Plum Boiled Pudding my final favorite was the Strawberry Soaked Sponge Cake.

Think sponge cake with strawberries and cream…yes it’s sounds quite standard and nothing special…however, what about if I mention…the whole cake is soaked in strawberry jelly?! I’ve made cake with jelly crystals before but never poured jelly over a cake like you would a syrup cake.

I did slightly tweak the volume of some ingredients to appeal further to the current palate, but only little tweaks here and there.

This cake is a delicious sponge cake with an Aussie traditional old school twist.

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake recipe

Ingredients:

40g butter, softened
1+1/2 tsn vanilla essence
240g sugar
4 eggs
170g plain flour
1+1/2 tsn cream of tartar
¾ tsn bi carbonate of soda
250ml thickened cream (200g for the filling, 50g for decoration)
10g icing sugar
200g strawberries (160g for the filling, 40g for decoration)
140g strawberry jelly crystals
700ml water

Method:

Line a 25cm cake tin with baking paper and pre heat the oven to 180c degrees.
Place the butter, vanilla and sugar into a bowl and whisk using electric beaters for 3 minutes or until thick, pale and creamy.
Add eggs, beating in between each addition for 15 minutes in total.
Sieve the flour, cream of tartar and bi carb of soda into a bowl them add the flour mix into the egg mix.
Beat the mix until the flour is only just combine and there are no lumps.
Pour the mix into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 45 -50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
After 5 minutes cooling in the tin invert the cake on a cooling rack until cold.
Using electric beaters whisk the cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
Wash and dry the cake tin used for the sponge cake, spray with oil spray and line the tin with 2 pieces of plastic wrap allowing for lengthily overlap.
Make the strawberry jelly by placing the crystals in a bowl with 400ml boiling water and stir.
When crystals are dissolved add the remaining 300ml cold water and leave the jelly aside to hit room temperature.
Meanwhile, cut the cake in half horizontally and place the bottom cake layer in the lined tin, cut side up.
Cover the top of the cake layer in the tin with 100g of the thickened cream.
Cut 160g of the strawberries into slices and scatter evenly on top of the cream.
Top the strawberries with an additional 100g of thickened cream then place the second cake layer, cut side down onto the cream layer.
Push the cake a little with your hands to ensure even consistency of cream and no air bubbles.
When the jelly is cooled pour half the mix over the top of the cake slowly, ensuring even coverage, allowing for the jelly to soak into the sponge before pouring further. Leave the jelly aside for later use.
Pull the overlapped plastic wrap over the top of the cake and place the tin in the fridge to set for 2 hours.
Following, pull the plastic wrap up to release the cake from the tin. Turn the cake carefully upside-down on the plastic wrap and gently place back into the tin.
Pour the now top (previously bottom) of the cake with the remaining jelly mix and cover the cake again with the overlapping plastic wrap. Place the cake in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
To finish the cake, remove it from the tin by pulling up the plastic wrap and place the cake onto a plate.
Spread the remaining 50g of whipped cream over the top of the cake and decorate with the remaining 40g of strawberries.
Enjoy!

Strawberry Jelly Soaked Vanilla Cake recipe

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Blackberry Jelly Pillow Cakes

Posted on January 27, 2015 Posted in Cakes .

Blackberry Jelly Pillow Cakes

Its funny I have baked a bit where I incorporate Jelly crystals into recipes (for example my Jelly biscuits), but I haven’t actually make a Jelly recipe as such in the traditional sense. I’m not appose Jelly but incorporating the crystals into recipes is far more exciting and an easy way to add flavour to any recipe.

This next post’s recipe does just that, as well as plays around with the traditional Aussie (more accurately New Zealand) Lamington to give it a fruit coating instead of the traditional chocolate.

I must say this recipe turned out way more impressive than I expected and fast became one of my favorites for a while.

And why blackberry? Why not?

Ingredients:

85g packet blackberry jelly crystals
75g butter
75g sugar
½ tsn vanilla essence
1 egg
100g self raising flour
30g milk
90g desiccated coconut
100ml thickened cream
1 tsn icing sugar

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and place 12 medium sized patty pan cases into a 12 hole cupcake tin.
Place 45g of the jelly crystals into a bowl of 250ml of boiling water. Whisk until the jelly has dissolved fully then pour in a further 250ml of cold water into the bowl, whisk again.
Place the jelly mix in the fridge for 1 hour or until the jelly resembles a syrup texture and is almost set.
Using electric beaters beat the butter and sugar for 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla and eggs, beating in each addition.
Sift in the flour and pour the milk into the butter mix and mix with a spoon until just combine.
Whisk with electric beaters until just fluffy.
Spoon the mix into the patty cases (about 2 tbsn of batter per cake) and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool in the pans for 5 minutes than place on a cooling rack out of the patty cases until the cakes are cooled.
Place the coconut onto a plate.
Using a fork dip the cakes into the jelly for 25 seconds then place in the coconut and cover the cake completely.
Place the covered cake onto a plate and repeat, all the jelly should be used up. Once all covered place the plate in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
Using electric beaters beat the cream and icing sugar until thick and peaked.
Cut the cakes horizontally in half, spoon some cream into one of the cake halves, dust with 10g of the jelly crystals over the cakes.
Sandwich the second cake on top of the cream and dust with a further 5g of the jelly crystals over the cakes.
Place the cakes in the fridge again for a further 30 minutes, serve.