There Will Always Be Cake

First, let me start off by saying that I am so excited to be the guest today! I love “To Each Their Own” and enjoy reading seven different points of view each week. Some of these stories have been exactly the kind of encouragement I needed, while others have brought me to tears. I look forward to more great, wonderful, emotional, and exciting tales from these ladies.

So, with all of the “mushy” stuff out of the way, let’s get down to it!

I’m Courtney! I’m a food blogger, a full-time student, a photographer, a writer, a wife, and a mother of two wonderful little boys (ages 6 & 4). 

With all of that said, I should add….I am an overachiever. Bring on the pamphlets, buttons, twelve-step programs, and support groups, anything that might keep me from committing myself to far too many things. But until that day comes, there is cake. There will always be cake.

When my husband and I first got married, nearly eight years ago, we were newlyweds for just a short while before our oldest graced us with his presence. 

In that time we were trying to find our footing together, learning each other’s habits, likes, dislikes, and more than anything each other’s family traditions. So when my husband first mentioned the idea of “Jell-O Cake” one night over dinner, I gave him a side-eye and convinced myself that such things were just not appealing.

Oh, how very wrong I was.

He walked me through it, as I sat shoveling spoonful after spoonful of mashed potatoes into my mouth. “it’s cake and then Jell-O, instant pudding, and whipped cream” he said enthusiastically. This was a childhood dish he adored. “You want me to put Jell-O in the cake?” I asked. “Yes”.

Okay. I can do this. Mix a box of Jell-O flavoring into cake, people put pudding mix in cake all the time, it’ll taste like strawberries.

“Why don’t we just buy strawberry cake mix” I asked. “No, no, no” he stopped me. “You have to make the Jell-O first”.

Hold up. Wait a minute. TIME-OUT. NO.

“Liquid Jell-O…..dumped over the cake?!?!?!” I was a little more than confused and hoping I was so very, very, wrong.

 “Yes”.

“No”.

 “Yes”.

 “Just no.”This went on for a while.

“Trust me” he said, “it’s good”. 

And trust I did, because the next night I found myself in the kitchen trying to surprise my new husband with his favorite dessert. I read all the instructions on the packages, baked up two round vanilla cakes from scratch, poked holes in the layers, poured my Jell-O, then pudding between the layers, and whipped cream over the whole thing like frosting. I took my masterpiece, placed it on a cake stand, and set it in the middle of the dining room table.

I have to admit, it was beautiful. It was a gorgeous cake.

My husband came home and said, “You made cake!” I smiled.

“What kind” he asked. I frowned, “Jell-O cake”. Couldn’t he tell?

He gave me a sideward glance and grabbed the knife from the table. He pulled a slice out, pronounced it was delicious, and I beamed.

I made cake. I made Jell-O cake.

The next Christmas, as the family gathered together in celebration, there was cake, Jell-O cake, as per my new husband’s family traditions. I stood in the dining room of my in-laws looking at a 9 x 13 inch pan of “Jell-O cake”. And that’s when I realized:

I am an overachiever.

Sizing up this 9 x 13 inch pan, this monstrosity of goo, this one sheet wonder, I realized…Jell-O cake is not meant to be pretty. It’s not meant to be a two-tiered tower of whipped cream and vanilla cake made from scratch. It’s meant to be layered into a pan, one cool layer on top of another, in one giant heap of yummy goodness. It’s not carefully planned, it’s not meant to be decadent, and it’s just meant to be eaten. It is meant to be comforting, something you don’t have to slave over or make sure all the cream is whipped just right. Because no matter what, no matter which way you make it, Jell-O cake will love you and you will love it for loving you just the way you are.

Trust me.

Jell-O Cake

makes one 9 x 13 inch pan

1 Box of Yellow/White/Vanilla cake mix

1 Box of Vanilla Instant Pudding (Small box or large, your choice)

2 small (or 1 large) box of Strawberry Jell-O

Whipped Cream (or cool whip)

Ingredients for the mixes (eggs, oil, milk, water, etc)

Make the pudding first. Mix the powdered mix with the milk, place in a bowl and refrigerate.

Next mix together the cake mix.

Place the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. This is going to be your serving vessel so if you want something to serve in that’s pretty, choose the pan now. Bake the cake as directed. After the cake is done baking, let it cool for about 20-30 minutes.

While the cake is cooling, mix together the Jell-O. DON’T COOL THE JELL-O YET!!!!

 Then, take something sharp and get all your anger out…stab a TON of holes into the cake. I use a kabob skewer, in the past I have used forks, knives, straws, back of the spoon, etc.

Pour the Jell-O you just made over the cake…yes the whole bowl.

I know it looks like a lot of liquid, but trust me, the WHOLE bowl!

More likely than not you will end up with Jell-O resting on top of your cake...it's fine...it will sink into the cake, I promise!

Next chill the cake for about an hour. 

Then spoon the vanilla pudding over the whole thing, then the whipped cream. Either make fresh whipped cream (like I did) or use cool whip (which is more traditional).

Finally let the whole thing get nice and “happy” in the fridge for at least two hours. You can make this in the morning if you’re serving it that night, or make it a day ahead. Either way, this whole thing needs to be kept in the fridge and is meant to be eaten cold.

Slice and serve! Enjoy!

If you liked this recipe, come check out all the other delicious goodies over at A is for Abel