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.

Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe - Perfect for parties and potlucks and it's kid-friendly! (Video Recipe Included) @natashaskitchen

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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.

Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe - Perfect for parties and potlucks and it's kid-friendly! (Video Recipe Included) @natashaskitchen

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!

Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe - Perfect for parties and potlucks and it's kid-friendly! (Video Recipe Included) @natashaskitchen

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!

Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe - Perfect for parties and potlucks and it's kid-friendly! (Video Recipe Included) @natashaskitchen

Watch How to Make Raspberry Jello Cake:

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Raspberry Jello Cake Print-Friendly Recipe:

Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe

4.85 from 89 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 -16 servings

For the Raspberry Mousse:

  • 6 oz package raspberry jello
  • 8 oz tub cool whip, thawed in the fridge

For the Cake Layer:

For the Syrup:

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.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Raspberry Jello Cake
Skill Level: Easy/Medium
Cost to Make: $$
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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Raspberry Jello Cake Recipe - Perfect for parties and potlucks and it's kid-friendly! (Video Recipe Included) @natashaskitchen 

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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 

4.85 from 89 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Aldi
    October 22, 2018

    So easy but so good!, one of my favourites. 🙂

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 22, 2018

      I’ve enjoyed reading your feedback today! Thanks Aldi!

      Reply

  • Nisha Thomas
    September 25, 2018

    Hi Natasha, your recipe is so yummy and my kids are behind me to try this. My issue is I have a convection oven and a 9×13 baking dish will not fit in it. Please advise what size of a round cake pan will best suit your recipe measurements. I am new to baking 😬
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 25, 2018

      Hi Nisha! Two smaller pans will work just fine. Several of our readers have reported doing that!

      Reply

  • Laura
    August 4, 2018

    I had difficulty with this recipe. I followed the directions, and the cake stuck to the rack anyway. Also, the part about brushing the syrup over the cake…the whole amount or just brush enough to cover the top? Also, jello takes a loooong time to start to set at room temperature. One really must refrigerate it a bit.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      August 4, 2018

      Hi Laura, I do use the full amount of syrup. With the jello, make sure you are following the instructions in the recipe and not per the box, otherwise it will take longer. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • Denae Stahl
    June 15, 2018

    I’ve made it before….it was really delicious!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      June 15, 2018

      I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Denae!

      Reply

  • Denae Stahl
    June 15, 2018

    Can this be refrigerated overnight?

    Reply

  • Jenn
    June 3, 2018

    Hi Natasha; I’ve made this (but orange) for my husband and it’s his favourite dessert. It’s tricky and I’m learning about patience 😉 But worth the effort. My biggest problem now that I don’t rush the jello and mousse layers, is how much the cake shrinks when it cools. Is this normal? I always have to cut it to fit a smaller pan, though today I’m trying to stuff the end space with parchment. I don’t want to lose the top layers down the sides. Thank you for this wonderful recipe that has enabled me to recreate a hotel dessert my husband described to me.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      June 3, 2018

      I’m so glad you love this recipe!! It does help to not grease the sides of the pan when baking the cake, otherwise the cake can pull away from the edges. I hope that is helpful 🙂

      Reply

  • Kalpi
    April 29, 2018

    Hey i tried this recipe and my mousee did not set..i waited for 2 hrs but still

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 29, 2018

      Hi Kalpi, if the jello has not set, it may be due to using either a different sized jello package than what is stated in the recipe or changing the measurement of water added. I recall another reader added water according to the package instructions rather than according to the recipe and that would cause the mousse not to set properly. I hope that helps to troubleshoot!

      Reply

  • Maggie
    December 11, 2017

    Approximately how many people would this recipe serve and can I double it? Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      December 11, 2017

      Hi Maggie, I usually have the serving size in the print friendly recipe card towards the bottom. This one serves 12-16 people since it is the larger glass baking dish. You could double it but you will probably have to make the cake 2 separate times in 2 separate equal sized casserole dishes.

      Reply

  • Irina
    November 4, 2017

    I have made this jello cake numerous times and it turned out just like in your photo 🙂
    Very easy to follow directions and is always a hit with adults and kids alike. Strawberry version tastes delicious also. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 6, 2017

      My pleasure Irina! I’m glad you love the recipe! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!

      Reply

  • Ching
    November 2, 2017

    Looks really tempting. Thanks for sharing your lovely cooking and baking happiness! I will try making your jello’s soon – for my small boy who doesn’t like cakes and cream, lol.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      November 2, 2017

      My pleasure! I hope you enjoy the recipe! Please let me know what you both think!

      Reply

  • Oksana
    October 10, 2017

    This is my go-to dessert when I have unexpected company the next day 🙂 always have the ingredients on hand and simple to make 🙂 thx!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      October 10, 2017

      You’re welcome Oksana! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe so much! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!

      Reply

  • Jess
    September 10, 2017

    I did an altered version for Father’s day last weekend and it was a hit! Thanks for the recipe idea 😀

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      September 10, 2017

      My pleasure Jess! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply

  • Lyn Elkind
    August 27, 2017

    Is there a reason for Cool Whip instead of real whipped cream? I refuse to buy this item.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      August 27, 2017

      Hi Lyn, I use it here because it is more stable when folded. 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.

      Reply

    • Jess
      September 10, 2017

      I used thickened cream that I whipped up. Worked perfectly well 🙂

      Reply

  • Sali Fowakrji
    July 5, 2017

    Natasha can i use a springform pan for this recipe? It would make cutting the slices much easier at the end. It was very difficult for me to cut the first slice last time I made this with a regular glass pan.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      July 6, 2017

      Hi Sali, It would have to be a very large springform pan or you would need to cut the recipe down. The springform would also need to have a perfectly tight fitting ring so the jello doesn’t seep through the pan. I would suggest cutting the sponge cake away from the baking dish to make serving much easier. I hope that helps for next time! 🙂

      Reply

  • lera
    May 20, 2017

    love your channel!. i wanna know when you say 1 cup of water do you mean 200 ml water? because i did the mesure with a cup of tea and it became supe jelly.:( thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 20, 2017

      Hi Lera, 1 cup = 240 mL in liquid measure. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  • vitrie
    May 14, 2017

    Thank You so much for your recipe.,
    i’m so glad and excited

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 14, 2017

      Virtie, you are very welcome 😀

      Reply

  • Alessa
    May 7, 2017

    I’d love to make this recipe! However I don’t have cool whip where I live. Is there any substitute? Would whipping cream work?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      May 7, 2017

      Alessa, one of my readers wrote: ” I made this jello and everybody in my family loved it. I used frozen raspberries on the topping instead of fresh ones. But I think it worked just as fine. I used Whipped Topping for the mousse instead of cool whip. It worked just as fine. Thanks for the recipe. I love them all.”
      I hope this helps.

      Reply

  • Elena
    April 25, 2017

    I made this jello and everybody in my family loved it. I used frozen raspberries on the topping instead of fresh ones. But I think it worked just as fine. I used Whipped Topping for the mousse instead of cool whip. It worked just as fine. Thanks for the recipe. I love them all.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 25, 2017

      You’re welcome Elena! I’m happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review! 🙂

      Reply

  • Natalia
    April 21, 2017

    Hi Natasha, I was looking for something special to make for a play date for kids. And then I saw this recipe. I couldn’t find raspberry flavored jello, so I tried strawberry. Loved it! Thank you for the recipe, kids and adults enjoyed it so much! Also I made sponge before for a different cake and I used same method for the Jello cake. Just want to share how I did it, a bit different. First I separated whites from yolks. And then I whipped yolks with half of the sugar. After that I whiped whites with the rest of the sugar until stiff. Combined them carefully and added flour, folded them together same way as you described. I am sure the final result would be all the same.
    Your ideas are so good, I read your website daily and I always find something for every occasion. ))

    Reply

    • Natasha
      natashaskitchen
      April 21, 2017

      Thank you for sharing and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!! 🙂

      Reply

  • Olga
    April 18, 2017

    This jello cake was so good! I really loved it.

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      April 18, 2017

      I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe Olga! 😀

      Reply

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