Jello Cakes: Fun and Fresh Treats for National Eat Your Jello Day!
Jello cakes are a particular creation in the world of cakes… Indeed, they look somewhat like cakes, but they do not require baking! On the occasion of National Eat Your Jello Day, our new blog invites you to discover a whimsical and fast-growing trend in the world of sweets.
National Eat Your Jello Day
Are you ready to celebrate the existence of Jello? We hope you are, because July 12th is National Eat Your Jello Day and we got some jelly cakes to recommend so you can enjoy the day to the fullest! You may fondly remember Jello as a childhood dessert or treat, or less fondly as a bland cafeteria snack… but the Jello cakes we are introducing you to today are nowhere near bland.
Jello was trademarked in 1845, meaning it’s over 170 years old! About a hundred years later, the iconic Jello shots were born. Funnily, the state of Utah designated Jello as its official state snack in 2001! Apparently, Jello is even the world’s bestselling dessert!
A Jello cake with blooming flowers (Cakes in Bloom)
Jello Cakes
Did you know that the main ingredient in Jello cakes, gelatin, is actually good for you? Because it is usually sourced from animals, it is a high protein food. What’s more, gelatin contains collagen, a great protein to incorporate into your diet for healthy skin, hair, and bones. Yes, gelatin may soothe bone and joint pain, as well as increase brain function and assist with signs of aging! If you ask us, that’s even more incentive to indulge in a light and delicious jelly cake.
Sometimes, jelly cakes have a shiny surface that makes them look like mirror glaze cakes. But usually, Jello cakes will have a somewhat clearer appearance, such as the one above. Vancouver’s Cakes in Bloom pays homage to the Vietnamese tradition of jelly cakes, which uses milk jelly and agar jelly to create beautiful 3D flower cakes.
Limoncello jelly cake with sesame almond nougat bars and Turkish lemon sliced gummies (Sharona Franklin)
Another Canadian cake artist crafting jello cakes is Sharona Franklin, whom we mentioned in our article about gelatin desserts. Franklin creates beautiful cakes with gelatin powder and all sorts of fillings, the majority of which are fresh flowers and herbs she sometimes harvests herself when she can. Franklin’s cake sculptures also carry a powerful message, that of fostering creativity despite disability and chronic illness, which the cake artist lives with.
Last but not least, Patchmon’s in Toronto makes traditional thai desserts, such as these rose-shaped thai coconut layer cakes below. Also known as Kha-Nhom Chun, thai coconut layer cakes consist of a combination of coconut cream, naturally extracted pandan juice, and tapioca flour. While they contain no gelatin, these jelly cakes get their gelatinous texture from the tapioca. These cakes go through a thorough cooking process where bakers steam them one layer at a time. Thai coconut layer cakes have a beautiful meaning, too. They represent good luck as their layers symbolize moving up a ladder towards prosperity.
Thai coconut layer cakes with pandan jelly and tapioca flour (Patchmon’s)
With this selection of Jello cakes, you are sure to have a fun – and tasty – National Eat Your Jello Day! Jelly brings a dimension of fun and whimsy to desserts. It reminds us that the experience of eating dessert is not restricted to taste, but is also multisensory. Whether you choose to have a blooming flower jelly cake or an artistic sculptural one, you can find your picks here.
