Tropical Jelly Fruit Cake
Tropical Jelly Fruit Cake dessert is an agar-agar fruit jelly cake with a burst of fresh fruit and coconut milk flavors. This agar jelly cake recipe with fruits is not just tasty but looks even beautiful. The freshness of the fruit with bright colors popping through the jelly makes this agar agar cake recipe very special. Also, this is an easy no-bake dessert recipe
Are you having a party? Let this be jelly fruit cake be your dessert made with Agar-Agar
This Tropical jelly fruit cake looks so elegant and can really impress your guest with its beauty. This jelly fruit cake recipe is made of three layers, the first being the transparent fruit layer, then a white coconut vanilla layer and the last being a mixed fruit layer. Three of these layers together create a beauty you won’t resist, it’s like a fruit burst in your mouth.
To make this dessert, (Jelly Fruit Cake) one of the essential ingredients required is,
Agar-agar:
Agar-agar is a vegetarian substitute for gelatin, however, the texture seems to be quite different from gelatin. Unlike gelatin, agar-agar does not melt easily but remains solid below 50 degrees C. It is used to solidify custards, jelly and many other desserts. It is tasteless and when used doesn’t derive any color. This is what will give our jelly cake power to hold its shape and derive a crumbly texture.
Types of Agar-Agar Jelly:
Agar-agar is found in the form of strands as well as powder. In this recipe, we will be using the powder form.
The essential step to use agar-agar is to make sure you first dissolve it in cold liquid before you cook the mixture. If you add agar-agar directly to hot liquid the agar-agar will not dissolve but form lumps
Fruits:
Like I said, our first layer in this recipe is made of FRUITS. You can chop any fresh or canned fruit for this layer. I’ve used some chopped pineapple, strawberries, pomegranate, kiwi, dragon fruit and black & green grapes. You can use any fruit you like and that is available to you. You can chop them into bigger chunks or smaller, you can even place some without chopping (I didn’t chop the grapes).
How To Make Fruit Jelly Cake Dessert
Place The Fruits Strategically
While placing the fruits in the aluminum dish do it strategically, you need to place them making sure all the colors are noticed and you do not have lumps of the same fruit in one place
Coconut Vanilla Layer:
This layer is my favorite one. Its made with coconut cream and taste so nutty. I like to give it a touch of the vanilla pod which gives it a richer flavor. To make this layer you can use coconut milk but coconut cream is what I prefer. The coconut cream is thicker and richer
Mixed Fruit Layer:
This layer is made with mixed fruit juice which is thickened using agar-agar. Use whichever fruit juice you like making sure it is the pure version
Jello Fruit Cake Dessert
Type of dish to be used:
To set the jelly, either a glass dish, a silicon baking tray or aluminum dish would do. In my recipe, I’ve used an aluminum dish but this doesn’t matter as once set the jelly comes out easily.
Unmold:
Using a palette knife, run through the sides of the dish (loosen the sides of the jelly). Then using 4 toothpicks exactly the height of the jelly dish insert it at 4 different spots at the sides of the dish.
Insert Toothpicks
The reason we do this is to push in some air as the jelly gets sucked into the dish with no air, therefore making it difficult to come out of the dish. So once you’ve inserted the toothpicks, tilt the dish onto a plate and there you have your jelly cake comes out beautifully
Tropical Jelly Fruit Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the fruit layer(1st layer)
- 2 cups mixed fruits (I used pineapple, pomegranate, strawberries, kiwi, dragon fruit and grapes)
- and 2 teaspoons agar-agar powder
- 1/8 teaspoon mango essence
- 70 grams castor sugar
- 420 ml cold water
For the Coconut layer (2nd layer)
- 190 ml coconut cream
- 4 tablespoons castor sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 60 ml cold water
- 1 teaspoon agar-agar powder
For the mixed fruit layer (3rd layer)
- 250 ml cold mixed fruit Juice
- 1 teaspoon agar-agar powder
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar as required
Instructions – Jelly Fruit Cake
Making of the 1st layer with fruit
- Cut all your fruits as required, I do not chop the grapes and pomegranate
Making the agar-agar mixture
- In a bowl, combine the cold water and agar-agar and stir well. The mixture should have no lumps. Once mixed put this in a pan, switch on the gas and stir until all the agar-agar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil for a minute and add the sugar and essence of your choice. Stir well and switch off the gas once sugar is dissolved
Assemble the fruits
- In a 7-inch aluminum dish, you need to pour a little of the agar-agar mixture in it and assemble the fruits as you’d like. Remember you will tilt the cake once firm so all the pretty effects of the fruits should be facing downwards while you doing the placement in the dish. Once all the fruits are placed, pour all the agar- agar mixture onto the fruits and let set in the fridge for 5 mins or until slightly firm.
Making of the coconut layer (2nd layer)
- In a bowl, combine cold water and the agar-agar powder. Mix well till no lumps. Transfer this mixture into a pan and add the coconut cream to it. Switch on the gas and add the vanilla pod to the mixture as well. Bring this mixture to a boil stirring constantly making sure the agar-agar has completely melted. Add the sugar, let it melt and switch the gas. Pour this mixture on top of the first layer that was kept to set in the fridge. Make sure to do so when the coconut mixture is still piping hot. Set this layer in the fridge for 5 mins or until slightly firm
Making of the last layer (fruit juice)
- In a bowl you need to combine cold mixed fruit juice and agar-agar, stir well until no lumps. Transfer this mixture to a pan and on medium flame cook until the agar-agar has completely dissolved. Then bring to a boil just for 30 seconds and switch off the gas, do not over boil this mixture or else it will not set. Once done add sugar as needed and pour the piping hot mixture on top of the set coconut layer. Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours and unmold using the technique I shared above
Notes – Jelly Fruit Cake or Agar-Agar Jelly
- How to check if agar- agar has completely melted?
- Take a spoon while stirring it on the gas, lift the mixture using a spoon. If the spoon still has the agar-agar specs on it, cook a little more till completely dissolved and no specs on the spoon
- If you set each layer for too long or until it is too firm, the next layer won’t stick to the previous layer
- Make sure to pour each layer when the mixture is piping hot, only then will the layers stick to each other
More Notes
- Each layer sticks to each other if the above methods are followed, however, it does not set firm together. These layers won’t fall off all by itself, however, if you try to separate them on purpose, they will get separated easily
Recipe Card – Tropical Jelly Fruit Cake
Ingredients
For the fruit layer(1st layer)
- 2 cups mixed fruits I used pineapple, pomegranate, strawberries, kiwi, dragon fruit and grapes
- 2 tsp agar-agar powder
- ⅛ teaspoon mango essence
- 70 grams castor sugar
- 420 ml cold water
For the Coconut layer (2nd layer)
- 190 ml coconut cream
- 4 tablespoons castor sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 60 ml cold water
- 1 teaspoon agar-agar powder
For the mixed fruit layer (3rd layer)
- 250 ml cold mixed fruit Juice
- 1 teaspoon agar-agar powder
- 2-3 tablespoons sugar as required
Instructions
MAKING OF THE 1ST LAYER WITH FRUIT
- Cut all your fruits as required, I do not chop the grapes and pomegranate
- Making the agar-agar mixture
- In a bowl, combine the cold water and agar-agar and stir well. The mixture should have no lumps. Once mixed put this in a pan, switch on the gas and stir until all the agar-agar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil for a minute and add the sugar and essence of your choice. Stir well and switch off the gas once sugar is dissolved
- Assemble the fruits
- In a 7-inch aluminum dish, you need to pour a little of the agar-agar mixture in it and assemble the fruits as you’d like. Remember you will tilt the cake once firm so all the pretty effects of the fruits should be facing downwards while you doing the placement in the dish. Once all the fruits are placed, pour all the agar- agar mixture onto the fruits and let set in the fridge for 5 mins or until slightly firm.
MAKING OF THE COCONUT LAYER (2ND LAYER)
- In a bowl, combine cold water and the agar-agar powder. Mix well till no lumps. Transfer this mixture into a pan and add the coconut cream to it. Switch on the gas and add the vanilla pod to the mixture as well. Bring this mixture to a boil stirring constantly making sure the agar-agar has completely melted. Add the sugar, let it melt and switch the gas. Pour this mixture on top of the first layer that was kept to set in the fridge. Make sure to do so when the coconut mixture is still piping hot. Set this layer in the fridge for 5 mins or until slightly firm
Making of the last layer (fruit juice)
- In a bowl, you need to combine cold mixed fruit juice and agar-agar, stir well until no lumps. Transfer this mixture to a pan and on medium flame cook until the agar-agar has completely dissolved. Then bring to a boil just for 30 seconds and switch off the gas, do not over boil this mixture or else it will not set. Once done add sugar as needed and pour the piping hot mixture on top of the set coconut layer. Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours and unmold using the technique I shared above
Recipe Notes
Take a spoon while stirring it on the gas, lift the mixture using a spoon. If the spoon still has the agar-agar specs on it, cook a little more till completely dissolved and no specs on the spoon
If you set each layer for too long or until it is too firm, the next layer won’t stick to the previous layer
Make sure to pour each layer when the mixture is piping hot, only then will the layers stick to each other MORE NOTES Each layer sticks to each other if the above methods are followed, however, it does not set firm together. These layers won’t fall off all by itself, however, if you try to separate them on purpose, they will get separated easily
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Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Agar-Agar Jelly Recipe with Fruits
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I made this in a hollow round glass bowl to get the shape
