Stained Glass Cake
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 8, 2012
Time
1 hour, plus 8 hours chilling
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar 12 graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 1 ½ cups)5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly3 (3-ounce) boxes Jell-O (2 red, such as Strawberry, and 1 blue, such as Berry Blue)4 ½ cups boiling water ¾ cup pineapple juice 1 envelope unflavored gelatin 2 cups heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and butter in bowl until crumbs resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan and bake until hedges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
- For the Filling: In 3 separate large bowls, whisk each box Jell-O with 1 1/2 cups boiling water until dissolved. Pour into 3 loaf pans or pie plates and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Once Jell-O has solidified, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and keep chilled. Combine 1/4 cup pineapple juice and unflavored gelatin in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaining pineapple juice. With electric stand mixer set on medium-high speed, whip cream, vanilla, salt, and remaining sugar until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. reduce speed to low and slowly add juice mixture until combined. Gently fold Jell-O cubes into cream mixture. Scrape into prepared pan and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Serve.
Time
1 hour, plus 8 hours chillingYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar
12 graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 1 ½ cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 (3-ounce) boxes Jell-O (2 red, such as Strawberry, and 1 blue, such as Berry Blue)
4 ½ cups boiling water
¾ cup pineapple juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
Ingredients
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar
12 graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 1 ½ cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 (3-ounce) boxes Jell-O (2 red, such as Strawberry, and 1 blue, such as Berry Blue)
4 ½ cups boiling water
¾ cup pineapple juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
Ingredients
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar
12 graham crackers, crushed to fine crumbs (about 1 ½ cups)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 (3-ounce) boxes Jell-O (2 red, such as Strawberry, and 1 blue, such as Berry Blue)
4 ½ cups boiling water
¾ cup pineapple juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon salt
Why This Recipe Works
A 1950s advertisement for Jell-O made Stained Glass Cake famous. Also known as Crown Jewel Cake or Broken Glass Cake, this easy, child-friendly icebox cake looks just as pretty today as it did then. For a simple graham cracker crust, we combined crushed crumbs with a little butter and sugar to bind them, and then used a measuring cup or flat-bottomed glass to pack the crumbs into the springform pan. We prepared the gelatin with pineapple juice for a bright-flavored, transparent gelatin that wouldn’t compete with the colored Jell-O cubes in the filling.
Instructions
- For the Crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Stir cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and butter in bowl until crumbs resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan and bake until hedges are golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
- For the Filling: In 3 separate large bowls, whisk each box Jell-O with 1 1/2 cups boiling water until dissolved. Pour into 3 loaf pans or pie plates and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours. Once Jell-O has solidified, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and keep chilled. Combine 1/4 cup pineapple juice and unflavored gelatin in bowl. Microwave, stirring occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in remaining pineapple juice. With electric stand mixer set on medium-high speed, whip cream, vanilla, salt, and remaining sugar until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. reduce speed to low and slowly add juice mixture until combined. Gently fold Jell-O cubes into cream mixture. Scrape into prepared pan and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Serve.
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