Friday, April 18, 2014

Grandma's Jello Cake


I know this is a familiar cake to many of you. It goes WAY back. I don't claim any originality in this post.
  
BUT, I have been surprised when I have made it recently (Blue Jello Cake for a a couple of new baby boys that have been born!) how many people don't know what "Jello Cake" is. So I thought I'd post the recipe--why not share the moist, delightfully addicting, love?

I have made this with pink or blue Jello for baby showers. I've made it with orange Jello to get a Creamsicle taste (DIVINE!).  Recently I made it with lemon Jello for my son's birthday. The yellow didn't stand out the way the other colors do, but it was OH SO tasty! 

Jello Cake 

Ingredients:
1 box white cake mix + oil, water, egg whites to make it

1 large box Jello, any flavor
1 1/2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup cold water

1 8oz Cool Whip 

Instructions:
1. Bake white cake according to package directions in 9x13 dish. Be sure to do the "no yolks" version of the recipe so your cake is nice and white.
2. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes or so, then poke all over with a fork. ALL over. Don't worry if you kind of tear up the nice smooth top of the cake.
3. (I like to do this step while the cake is baking) Dissolve the jello in the boiling water.  Add 3/4 cup of cold water, and let this sit until it is room temperature. I prefer to make this in a Pyrex containter with a pour spout, if you have one. 
4. Once the Jello syrup is cooled, slowly pour it over the cake. If you don't have your syrup in a container with a pour spout, use a measuring cup and ladle it over the cake a cupful at a time.  Try to pour on all areas of the cake, so the jello gets in all those little fork holes.
5. Refrigerate the cake until the Jello is set--about 4 hours. 
6. Spread Cool Whip on top before serving. 

This cake can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge. Just wait to add the Cool Whip until right before you serve it.