This raspberry jello cake is the perfect holiday dessert and is always a favorite with the kiddos. The moist sponge cake paired with the sweet-tartness of the raspberry mousse and fresh raspberries will win your crowd over.
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You can also get as creative as you want with this; changing up the jello and fruit – the possibilities are endless! Here’s a Strawberry Jello Cake I made last year with the basics of this same recipe.
Ingredients for Raspberry Jello Cake:
The jello mousse portion is the star of the show and all it requires is a package of raspberry jello and whipped topping. So easy!! The bottom layer is our classic European sponge cake but you could easily use lady fingers in a pinch and it will still taste great!
I love that this jello cake is potluck and party friendly. It isn’t too complicated and it’s convenient to transport and serve (less chances of it sliding off your cake plate and landing upside down on the sidewalk as you get out of the car arriving for Thanksgiving dinner! That happened to my cheesecake last year… it was a very sad moment.
P.S. Thanks for sharing your similar sad/hilarious stories on Instagram). My friend Laura from church made this jello mousse cake for a church potluck a few years ago and I’ve been smitten ever since! I hope you love the recipe and find the video below handy!
Watch How to Make Raspberry Jello Cake:
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Raspberry Jello Cake Print-Friendly Recipe:
Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Raspberry Mousse:
- 6 oz package raspberry jello
- 8 oz tub cool whip, thawed in the fridge
For the Cake Layer:
- 4 large eggs, room temp
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
For the Syrup:
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Topping Ingredients:
- 3 oz package raspberry jello
- 6 oz package raspberries
Instructions
Start making the Jello Mousse:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 6 oz jello with 2 cups boiling water. Stir until dissolved then add 1 cup cold water (this is 1/2 of the cold water the package calls for). Let jello sit at room temp until just starting to set. Note: If you need to speed set jello, you can refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes at the end or until the jello is syrupy and soft set.
How to Make the Cake & Simple Syrup: Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line the bottom of a 13x9 Glass baking dish with parchment paper. Don't grease the sides.
- Beat 4 large eggs with the whisk attachment for 1 min on high speed. With the mixer on, add 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating on high speed for 5 min until thick and fluffy. Fold in 1/4 tsp vanilla.
- Sift in 1/2 cup flour in thirds into the batter, folding it in between each addition. When mixing, scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure you don't have pockets of flour hiding at the bottom. Fold until no streaks of flour remain; do not over-mix or you will deflate the batter. Spread batter evenly into lined glass dish and bake at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown and springs back when poked slightly.
- Remove from oven, cut away from edges, invert onto a cooling rack and peel back the parchment paper. (Note: Let cake sit on top of the peeled back parchment paper to cool - I have found that sometimes it sticks to a cooling rack and can be hard to pry off after it cools down). Rinse and dry the baking dish then return cooled cake back to the pan.
- Combine the syrup ingredients: 1/2 cup warm water, 2 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice and set aside to cool to room temp. Brush the top of the cooled cake evenly with syrup.
Finish the Jello Mousse and Topping:
- Once jello is starting to thicken and has a slight wiggle to it, beat in 8 oz cool whip. Tip: If your mousse is watery, you should refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes until it's slightly thickened, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't set too much or it will be hard to spread.
- Pour the mousse over the cake layer and spread evenly. Top with raspberries, pushing them down slightly into the mousse. Refrigerate 1 hour or until mousse is set. Meanwhile, start making your jello topping.
- In a large measuring cup, combine 3 oz jello with 1 cup boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Add 1/2 cup cold water and let cool to room temp. (Tip: Never pour warm jello over the mousse or you'll end up with a creamy layer on top) Pour jello over the back of a spoon into the pyrex dish and refrigerate another hour or until fully set.
♥ Tools used to make this recipe (Amazon Affiliate links):
- Red Stand Mixer from KitchenAid: 6 Qt. Professional 600 Series in Empire Red
- *Glass Baking Dish from Anchor Hocking 9×13 3qt Glass Baking Dish
- *Flexible spatula/ turner (multi-purpose!): OXO Good Grips
- *Clear glass mixing/prep bowl from Pyrex
- *Reversible Cutting Board by John Boos 20 by 15 by 1.5-Inch, Walnut
I hope you all have an awesome and blessed Thanksgiving weekend! I’m excited to watch my Facebook and Instagram feeds to see what creative things you’re cooking up!
– Natasha
Hi Natasha,
the cake was great and the jello mousse tastes really good.
However, when I last poured the jello on the mousse it went down .. so I did not have a jello layer on the top as you did. Do you know why ?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavors. The reason that would happen is if the mousse part isn’t spread out to the edges. If there are gaps in the mousse, the liquid jello will sneak down into the cake. Also, if the jello is too warm, it can melt the mousse part and sneak down to the bottom.
This recipe looks awesome, can’t wait to try it! How would I go about using ladyfingers as a bottom layer instead of the sponge cake? TIA!
Hi, BW, that would work to use lady fingers. I hope you love the cake!
Hi Natasha, I was supper excited to find your recipes. I tried your cupcakes and chocolate buttercream and decided to make this but sponge cake was a total disaster. I do not have Kitchen Aid mixer but I have pretty powerful. Do you think it because of mixer? Eggs didnt get that white and foamy… So I ended up making just a layered jello.. 🙂
Hi Diana, it’s usually because of the mixer. If you use a hand electric mixer, you typically have to add a few minutes to the mixing time to incorporate enough air into the eggs for it to rise properly. Also, make sure you are baking right away and not letting the batter sit on the counter. Have your oven pre-heated and ready to go 🙂
My name actually is Natasha. 🙂 I did beat with mixer longer than recipe calls but didn’t help. I pre heated oven and baked followed instructions. Thanks.
The biggest reason why the cake doesn’t rise is due to under-beating the eggs because the eggs and sugar rely on the air whipped into them for leavening. I hope that helps.
This looks delish! My husband really only eats the jello mousse and jello on top. The sponge cake goes to waste 🙁 Can I make this without the sponge cake? And maybe layer the mouse with jello in a cup?
Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Mary, yes you could definitely make it with just the mousse and the jello. It would be even faster to make! 🙂
Perfect. I will do just that 🙂 Thank you so much! 😉 Maybe you can create a recipe/video on layered mousse and jello with fruits? My hubs will love you forever! 🙂
Thank you for the suggestion! 🙂
Can I substitute the cake with other cake, say sponge cake? Or will the cake be too soft to hold the moose?
Hi Lily, the recipe is for a sponge cake and it works well. I would say to keep in mind how well the cake you have in mind absorbs moisture and if it’s the type of sponge cake like angel food cake that will get mushy with liquid, than avoid adding syrup to the cake.
Hi, I trying to make it for kids party and it’s was that much good , everybody thought I was buying in some fancy bakery.
My question can I maybe mix raspberries and strawberries jello with raspberries on the top?
That’s just awesome, Irena!! That mix should work!
I wasn’t easy to remove parchment paper from the cake. I removed 1/3 of it. I baked for about 23 minutes. Any suggestions how to fix it for next time? Thanks
Hi Alla, did you use parchment or wax paper? I have found that wax paper sticks badly so I only recommend parchment. Also, it helps to remove the backing right after it comes out of the oven – it comes off easiest while the cake is still warm.
Our mousse is still watery even after 15 minutes in the fridge. It’s very bubbly on the top layer. It’s like the cool whip doesn’t want to be mixed in with the jello. What can we do? Or do we have to restart?
Hi Nina, I replied earlier to your question on YouTube but just in case you didn’t see it: “you may have added the Cool Whip into the Jell-O too early. The Jell-O should have been soft set when you add the Cool Whip. It should still be OK, it will probably just need more time to set in the refrigerator.”
Thank you for your reply. Our cake still worked and it was good but it leaked a little into the sides. Next time we will know for sure because we will 100% be making it again.
Hello, this in my second attempt on this recipe. And have trouble keeping the moose on top of cake it runs to the bottom from edges. How do you keep moose from going under?
It sounds like your mousse is too thin when you are adding it. It shouldn’t slide down the sides. I would suggest waiting until your jello is soft set (thickly pours off a spoon), before whisking in refrigerated cool whip. If it seems watery after the two are mixed together you can pop it into the fridge for a few minutes until it thickens slightly. Are you substituting the cool whip with anything different possibly?
I made sure not to let it be runny after watching your vedio. Yet it’s still runs down only the bottom center is sponge. And no sub for whipp.
That is odd, you might try putting it in the fridge for a few minutes for it thicken up a little more. Also, are you baking the cake in the same pan you are serving it in (I find this is best for the cake layer to fit in the pan without being too small). I hope that make sense. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Can I use a hand mixed instead of the one you are using. I don’t have this professional one. Thanks
Hi Alla, yes that would work. For the cake part, beat the eggs and sugar 2 to 3 minutes longer than normal on the highest speed. Otherwise, everything else stays the same and it’s perfectly ok to use an electric hand mixer.
This cake looks so yummy! I had a quick question, do you have to bake the sponge cake on the parchment paper first and take it out? Or can I just bake it in the glass dish and wait for it to cool before the simple syrup. I love all your recipes by the way:)
Hi Yana, the parchment paper is important, otherwise the cake will get stuck to the dish (since there is no oil or butter in the cake) and it will be difficult to serve the jello.
Thx for sharing this one my thanks to you ir works erverytime 🙂
Awesome, glad you like it 😀.
Hi natasha
I hope I get a reply from you because I once asked you something and I haven’t got any answer.. anyway
I used a powder whipping cream and used the heavy jello syrup instead of milk.. it did for a moose but it was too sweet and it didn’t taste yummy.. do I have to add maybe milk with the jello or the powder whipping cream is totally wrong ?
And one more thing.. actually I had cake leftover so I used it as the bottom layer but it crambled so badly . So is there something to add to it to hold it together or again the recipe is to be stuck to ?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Sarah, the only comment that I show you’ve left on my blog was on my sponge cake and I do see a reply from me on 2016/07/10 at 2:56 pm. I hope you are able to find it. If it was another question, it is possible that it went to spam although unlikely if I am able to see your comment then and now. Maybe it didn’t finish submitting before you closed the browser? I’ve never used a powder whipping cream so I really can’t guess or give you advice on that substitution. I’ve never had my sponge cake crumble in this recipe. If you are using a different cake base than the one listed, I’m not sure what to advise on that.
my eggs did not turn white like yours? any suggestions?
Hi Lily, did you use your own fresh eggs or store-bought? Fresh eggs have a darker yolk and the cake turns out yellow rather than white as with store-bought eggs. If they were store-bought, did you use a good electric mixer to beat them on high speed as per instructions?
Hello Natasha, what can i use in place of cool whip? we dont have this in our country , but i would soo like to try this recipe, thanks!
Hi Asya, I really haven’t tested it with anything else but the next best thing would probably be whipped cream. Again, I haven’t tested it and you should make sure your jello is soft set. If it’s too liquidy, the whipped cream would just melt into it.
Hello,
I was looking for a solution for my little girls’ 5-year birthday cake. She would like a chocolate cake with white icing and a large red Jello heart on it. I saw your recipe and I was wondering if it would be possible to add the jello straight onto the cake using the spoon trick you mentioned? I have not really used jello before so any tips would be appreciated.
Hi Heidi, I hope I understand what you are trying to do – you ultimately want a jello heart laying on top of your cake? I would probably make a firm jello (per the jello jigglers instrucitons on the package) so you could transfer the heart after it’s made. I would make the heart jello first in the mold (I’m not sure how else you would make a heart without a mold though), and then after the jello sets, I would suggest carefully transferring it over the top of your cake. Putting liquid jello directly over a cake is very tricky because depending on what kind of cake you have, the cake will just absorb alot of the jello before it has a chance to set. I sure hope my reply is helpful to you!
Hey Natasha! I tried this recipe of yours and it was super yum! 🙂 It’s definitely a must try!
I especially love the way you pen down the steps for any recipe, it’s so easy to follow and has every little detail which comes in handy!
Thank you for the great review and really encouraging feedback. I sure appreciate it! 🙂
Looks great! I seem to have made it too loose. I followed the recipe and video. Maybe the mousse was too liquid? When I went to check it after an hour it had completely absorbed in the cooled cake.
It sounds like the mousse was probably too liquid. Did you wait until the jello was slightly set before adding the cool whip, per this step: “1. Once jello is starting to thicken and has a slight wiggle to it, beat in 8 oz cool whip. Tip: Your mousse is watery, you should refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes until it’s slightly thickened, but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t set too much or it will be hard to spread.”
I think that was the problem. The second attempt was perfect!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. A quick question, can I make strawberry jello instead of raspberry?
Strawberry Jello will work just fine. Let me know how it turns out 😀.
Thank you for the yummy and easy recipe. I tried it and it was a hit for a small potluck. Now I am planning to make this cake for my baby birthday, need advice on few things here please,,,
1. I want to double the bread cake layer, do I just need to double the egg , sugar and flour quantity?
2. Need to increase the sweet level in the whipping and jello layer, can I add a sugar, while mixing the jello? How much do u suggest?
3. I want to add real strowberry in between two bread layers with whipping topping.does that ruin the whipping layer after I add syrup for the top bread.
Thank you thank you so much for your time and encouraging basic bakers like me to be a cake pro soon..
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Yes, to double the cake, you will need to double that portion of the recipe. If your mixer is not very large, I suggest doing it in 2 separate batches and baking them separately. The easiest way to add more sugar is to add it to the sugar/water syrup that soaks the cake layer. Putting strawberries between the two cake layers should work fine. If you post a picture of it somewhere, I’d love to see it! 🙂
Do you think that the mousse would work as a filling between wedding cake layers? Once it’s set, is it pretty sturdy?
Hi Amy, I think that could work. It depends on how heavy/dense the cake is that you’re sandwiching it between. Being a wedding cake, I’d definitely recommend testing it first before the big event 🙂
Hi Natasha I just found this recipe and can’t wait to try it! I just had a quick question. When everything is done have you ever tried to use like a cookie cutter to slice through the cake to make shapes? Like a heart or a tree. I was just wondering if the cake will still hold its shape if that was done.
Thanks!
Lisa
I haven’t tried and I think it might be too tall to work well. I think it would be hard to remove the shapes once they are cut out because it is tall.
Looks great, can’t wait to make it. How far in advance can this recipe be made?
It depends on the freshness of your raspberries. If they are fairly firm and not squishy yet, you can even make it 2 days ahead.