What immediately comes to mind when you think about fall? Colorful leaves and apple pie, of course! The fall is filled with gorgeous festive foliage and delicious flavors, so we decided to put those 2 important elements of the season together in this apple blossom jello cake. Rather than going for a traditional apple pie, we’ve made a delicious apple cake base and topped it off with homemade apple-flavored jello. On top of all that, edible leaf-shaped accents bring even more fall flavors, like vanilla and cinnamon, into this stunning dessert. This cake takes a bit of patience to make, but the results are breathtaking. You’re about to forget all about apple pie, because this cake is going to become the real apple of your eye!
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 24 hours
Difficulty Level: Advanced
You’ll Need:
For the apple jello:
- 3 qts apple juice
- 7 oz unflavored gelatin (1⅓ cups unflavored gelatin powder or 84 gelatin sheets)
For the almond jello:
- ¾ cup almond milk, toasted
- 2 tbsp roasted almonds
- ⅛ oz unflavored gelatin (2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder or 2 gelatin sheets)
For the grape jello:
- ¾ cup red grape juice + 2 tbsp raisins for the grape jelly
- ⅛ oz unflavored gelatin (2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder or 2 gelatin sheets)
For the caramel jello:
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 tbsp caramel sauce
- ⅛ oz unflavored gelatin (2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder or 2 gelatin sheets)
For the cinnamon vanilla pudding:
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ⅛ oz unflavored gelatin (2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder or 2 gelatin sheets)
- 1 egg yolk
For the apple cake base:
- 1 stick butter, warmed
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1¾ cups flour
- ½ red apple, cubed
- 1 pinch of salt
Extra:
- 7-inch springform pan
- tall 7-inch springform pan or extra rings
- leaf-shaped silicone mold
- melon baller
Here’s How:
1. For the apple jello, soak the gelatin sheets in water if you’re using them, then heat the apple juice in a saucepan to about 150°F. Wring out the gelatin sheets and add them, or the unflavored gelatin powder, to the saucepan. Stir until combined, then let the mixture cool down to 85°F. Pour ½ of the apple jello mixture into the tall 7-inch springform pan, transfer it to the refrigerator, and chill overnight. Transfer the remainder of the apple jello mixture to the refrigerator as well.
2. For the colorful fall foliage, prepare the almond, grape, and caramel jellos. For the almond jello, soak the gelatin sheets in water if you’re using them, then boil the almond milk to toast it and add in the roasted almonds. Puree the mixture and strain it directly into into a mixing bowl. Let the mixture cool down to 150°F, then wring out the gelatin sheets and add the unflavored gelatin powder or gelatin sheets to the almond milk. Stir the almond jello mixture and let it cool down to 85°F, then pour it into the leaf-shaped silicone mold.
3. For the grape jello, soak the gelatin sheets in water if you’re using them, then make the grape jelly by heating grape juice and raisins in a saucepan. Puree the mixture and strain it directly into a mixing bowl. Let the mixture cool down to 150°F, then wring out the gelatin sheets and add the unflavored gelatin powder or gelatin sheets to the grape jelly. Stir the grape jello mixture and let it cool down to 85°F, then pour it into the leaf-shaped silicone mold. For the caramel jello, repeat the same process using milk and caramel sauce.
5. For the cinnamon vanilla pudding, soak the gelatin sheets in water if you’re using them. Boil the heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon stick, and the caviar from the vanilla bean pod in a saucepan. Once the mixture has been brought to a boil, remove it from the heat and let it cool down to 150°F, then wring out the gelatin sheets and add the unflavored gelatin powder or gelatin sheets to the mixture. Pour ½ of the cinnamon vanilla pudding into a separate pitcher or bowl and set it aside for later. Let the remainder of the cinnamon vanilla pudding cool to 85°F, then whisk in an egg yolk and fill some of the leaves in the silicone mold with it. Transfer the silicone mold to the refrigerator and chill overnight. There will be several layers of jello and pudding leaves, so it’s best to fill several silicone molds with the 4 different fillings at once and chill all of the leaves simultaneously.
6. For the apple cake, preheat the oven to 325°F. Beat the butter and gradually add in the sugar until the mixture becomes fluffy and turns a light yellow color. Add in the chopped apple, powdered sugar, flour, and salt, and stir everything together until a smooth dough forms. Spread the dough over the base of a 7-inch springform pan and pierce the top of it with a fork a few times. Transfer the springform pan to the oven and bake the apple cake base at 325°F for 30 minutes. Once it’s done baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool.
7. Remove the springform pan with the apple jello from the refrigerator and take off the ring. Use a melon baller to make a semicircular hole in the center of jello layer, then pour some of the cinnamon vanilla pudding with egg yolk into the hole until it’s about ¾ of the way full. Stick a warm, dry spoon into the hole and carefully poke the apple jello downwards so that the pudding flows into the apple jello, making the pedals of the apple blossom. Repeat this process, alternating between the pudding with egg yolk and the pudding without, until you’ve made a flower. Transfer the jello cake to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
8. Put the ring back on the springform pan with the apple jello in it and heat up the remainder of the apple jello you set aside earlier. Pour some of the heated apple jello on top of the set jello so that it adds another 1-inch layer to the apple jello in the springform pan. Transfer the springform pan back to the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour. Remove the jello leaves from the silicone molds and place them, flat side up, on the set apple jello in the springform pan. Heat up the remainder of the apple jello and pour the rest of it into the springform pan, covering the jello leaves completely. Transfer the springform pan back to the refrigerator and chill for another 2 hours.
9. Once the jello has chilled, place the apple cake base on top of the set apple jello in the springform pan. Remove the ring from the springform pan, cover the cake base with a large serving plate, and carefully flip the cake over.
Sure, a nice pumpkin or apple pie is a great dessert on a chilly fall day or during the holidays, but pies could never look this stunning! Thanks to apple jello, fall flavors, and an apple cake base, this dessert is truly unlike any you’ve eaten before. It won’t just be the apple of your eye – it’ll also be the apple of your mouth!