Strawberry Jello Cake has to be one of our all-time favorite desserts… made with yellow cake, strawberry mousse and a beautiful mirror glaze. Perfect for special occasions, birthday parties or just because…
It’s a gorgeous showstopper that can be served standalone or with fresh berries and whipped cream on the side. It’s even better than strawberry shortcake… and you don’t need a big piece to enjoy it.
You make this cake with three layers inside a rectangular baking dish. The bottom layer is a simple fluffy sponge cake (you can use store bought cake mix or make your own). The middle layer is an easy strawberry filling made with whipped cream and strawberry jello. Halved strawberries go on the top along with a strawberry jello glaze.
This cake is sometimes called a mirror cake because the top layer is so shiny it’s almost a mirror glaze. And that’s a good thing because the jello makes it easy to serve — the pieces can literally be popped out of the pan with any rigid spatula.
How to make strawberry jello cake
Start this recipe by making the bottom yellow cake layer. You can use a cake mix, although you’ll only need half of the box to get a one-inch layer. If you prefer homemade, simply beat 4 eggs with a 1/2 cup of sugar for about 5 minutes to get it fluffy. Then fold in a 1/2 cup of flour until blended, and you’re good to go 🙂
While the cake is baking, you can make the jello filling. If you want to use natural jello or agar agar, Simply Delish Strawberry Jel works well as a direct substitute for the jello powder. Just note the package sizes are different than jello, so get the same number of ounces.
Let the jello set while the cake bakes and then cools. When you mix the jello with whipped cream, the jello can still be liquid or soft set, as long as it hasn’t become rigid.
Whisk it together with whipped cream and you will get light-pink colored filling, then you’ll be ready to pour it on top of the cooled cake.
You can put halved strawberries on the filling for a beautiful presentation, and raspberries are a great substitute here too. If your filling is too liquid to hold the strawberries, simply chill for 10-15 minutes and you’ll be good to go.
Depending on how big they are, you can fit about 20 berries in about a 4×5 pattern across the top. Then chill for an hour or more for the filling to set.
After the filling has set, you’re ready to add the mirror glaze. Make more strawberry jello the same way as for the filling, and let it cool to room temperature.
If you’re in a hurry, put your bowl of jello in an ice water bath for 5-10 minutes and stir a few times and it’ll be ready.
It’s best to pour the jello glaze over the back of a spoon, which helps it to dribble and avoid penetrating your filling. It’s fine to dribble onto the strawberries as well as the filling…
Once the mirror glaze is on, carefully place the entire dish into the fridge to chill for one more hour. Then you’re ready to serve!
You can make this cake up to two days in advance, as it keeps nicely in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. Think about serving strawberry jello cake for a birthday party, Mother’s Day or another special occasion!
Watch our video tutorial to see how to make it:
| YIELD: 12 servings |
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- 1/2 15-oz box yellow or white cake mix see note below
- half of ingredients on cake mix box eggs, oil, water etc
- 6 oz strawberry jello powder
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 3 cups whipped cream or topping see note below
- 10 fresh strawberries halved
- 3 oz strawberry jello powder
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup cold water
Ingredients
Cake
Strawberry Mousse
Mirror Glaze
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- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom of a 13x9 inch glass baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the cake batter according to the instructions on the box. [If you prefer a homemade version, see note below]
- Pour cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and puffy.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the pan at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the strawberry mousse.
- In a medium bowl, add 6 oz strawberry jello and 2 cups of boiling water. Stir slowly for one minute to dissolve.
- Stir in 1 cup of cold water and set aside to cool for about 30 minutes, or until it can coat a spoon.
- Add the whipped cream/topping to the jello and mix until smooth. Don't worry if the texture is runny, as it will firm up while setting.
- Once the cake is cool, spread the filling evenly across the cake using a spatula. Rap the pan on the counter a few times to level the filling and remove any trapped air.
- Chill for at least 1 hour on a level surface in your fridge. Meanwhile, make the mirror glaze.
- In a medium bowl, combine 3 oz jello powder with 1 cup boiling water and stir slowly for one minute until dissolved. Stir in ½ cup cold water and set aside to cool.
- Remove the cake from the fridge. Arrange strawberry halves on top of the filling, approx. 4 widthwise by 5 lengthwise.
- Once the jello is lukewarm, carefully pour it over the back of a spoon, dribbling across the top of the filling surface and over the strawberries.
- Chill one more hour to allow the glaze to set. Congratulations, you're done - enjoy!
-To make a yellow cake from scratch: In a medium bowl, beat 4 eggs and 1/2 cup white sugar for 5 minutes until fluffy; then fold in 1/2 cup all purpose flour until blended.
-If you are planning to whip your own cream, it takes 1 1/2 cups of liquid whipping cream to make 3 cups whipped cream.
For more fruity dessert ideas, check out our Fruit Pizza recipe:
… or our Fruity Watermelon Jello recipe:
