“Deck the halls with boughs of holly!!  Fa la la la laaa!  La la la laaaaaaaaa!!”

Oh I looooooove Christmas!!!!!  I am one of those INSUFFERABLE Christmas crazies who puts Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas (is you)” on repeat (like dozens of times) and dances like a mad woman around the house with a Santa hat on (and the air-con on full pelt so I can tolerate how hot the Santa hat is).  I put the Christmas tree up (with the kids) on the 1st of November and spends WEEKS deliberating on (and prepping for) my Christmas Eve and Christmas day menu.

This original recipe was a little gem that came up in my social media feed a few weeks ago.  It looked so stunning, I couldn’t help but try it… and it did not disappoint.  One of my gorgeous admin girls at work told me it was “the best cake [she’s] ever eaten!”  And as you can see from the pictures in the gallery above, my daughter and her bestie loved the cake too!

Now this is actually a really EASY cake to make – it is “no-bake” and all you really need in terms of technique is to be able to do is boil a kettle and be able to mix with a spoon.   It IS however TIME CONSUMING – so make sure you make it at least the day before, because you have to wait till each layer is set, before you can prep the next layer.

 

RECIPE NOTES (from original author with my notes in Italics)

This recipe needs to be made the day before as it takes quite a bit of setting time for each layer.

Ensure each layer is set before preparing the next layer (ensure each “next layer” is cooled before pouring)

To dissolve your gelatin powder, sprinkle it over 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl and allow it to sit for a minute or two. Place the cold water bowl (containing the gelatine) into a larger bowl filling with boiling water and allow it to slowly warm up (while stirring)  **you can just sprinkle the gelatin into hot water and then stir briskly until the gelatin has dissolved, just never allow gelatine/water to boil; and always sprinkle the gelatine into the water, NOT add the water to the gelatine

 

My tips of adjustment to this recipe now that I have made it:

1.  Take note of how you press the biscuit base into the tin.  I think I was doing mine absent-mindedly and accidentally made it really thick on one side, and thin on the other!  Still tasted great but didn’t look as good as it could have
2. Do not decorate the top of the cake until RIGHT before you serve it.  The sprinkles/sugar decorations will start to dissolve quite quickly and lose colour.  I decorated mine just before I got in the car to go to my friend’s house for dinner (so like, about 2.5 hours before it was actually served), and all the silver sprinkles slid to one side of the cake, losing colour as they did, causing a “meteor shower” type effect… which was kind of pretty, but disappointing too.  The red sugar lovehearts also lost their colour and were partly dissolved (see picture gallery above)
3. Use a good brand of jelly (eg Aeroplane jelly) rather than a cheaper brand (eg Homebrand) as the colour is MUCH more vibrant and the result is much more stunning
4. Do not pick RASPBERRY flavoured jelly for the top layer – it is PURPLE (face palm)!!!  That’s what I did.  RED jelly is STRAWBERRY FLAVOUR!

 

INGREDIENTS

• For Layer 1 (the base):
• 250 g (ie 1 packet) plain sweet biscuits (like Arnotts Marie or Arnotts shortbread finger biscuits/ Nice biscuits etc)
• 180 g butter, melted

1. Grease and line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper and set aside (**I was a bit nervous about taking this cake out of the tin before serving it in case it melted/collapsed so I left it in until just before I served it.  It would prolly be alright if kept refrigerated in a sealed container… but to be safe I would just use a tin that I was not needing to use for something else until after the cake was intended to be eaten!)

2. Make the green jelly according to the packet instructions and set aside on the bench to cool – do not place it in the fridge as you don’t want it to set just yet.

3. Crush the biscuits in a food processor (**if you don’t have a food processor (I didn’t for many years!) you can either (a) blitz the biscuits in a blender (b) crush the biscuits with a rolling pin (actually for years as a student, I didn’t even have one of those!!  I used an old wine bottle!  Ha ha haaa!) and place into a separate bowl. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined.

4. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared tin and then place it into the fridge.  (**Take note of making the base level – my big mistake with making this the first time was that the base was really thick on one side, and much thinner on the other! Still tasted awesome, but looked a little lopsided)

5. Dissolve gelatin powder in the cold water (see notes section above).

6. Place the condensed milk and lemon juice into a separate bowl. Add the dissolved gelatine mixture and mix until completely combined.

7. Pour the mixture over the prepared base and place into the fridge until set.

8. Gently pour the cooled green jelly over the top of the slice and place into the fridge until set.

9. Make the red jelly according to the packet instructions and set aside on the bench to cool – do not place it in the fridge as you don’t want it to set just yet.

10. Dissolve gelatin powder in the cold water (see notes section).

11. Place the condensed milk and lemon juice into a separate bowl. Add the dissolved gelatine mixture and mix until completely combined.

12. Carefully pour the mixture over the set green jelly and place back into the fridge until set.

13. Gently pour the cooled red jelly over the top of the slice and place into the fridge until set.

     

     

This is on my Christmas Day menu as dessert this year – I hope you love it just as much as I do!

 

As always, pleeeease help me out by hitting “SHARE” on my FB page to help me reach as many people as possible!!

 

Happy eating and Christmas prepping!!

 

xxDr Megs