Favorite Summer Cake - JELLO

One of my family's favorite summertime dessert is Jello cake. My mom started making it when her work began making it (she works at a deli and they make something similar to this all the time!). She gave me the recipe once and it's been a favorite ever since. I love this cake because it can actually be a light and healthy dessert, given the right ingredients. I have altered this a bit from the original recipe by using the famous "Diet Coke" cake recipe to reduce the fat in a cake mix. I also used Fat Free Cool Whip instead of the regular Cool Whip. I also used my Bundt pan this time, but usually make it with a 13x9 cake pan. I had only used my new Bundt pan once since we got it, so I was excited to try it out on this recipe. Here is our recipe (more of a method really, it can easily be changed to fit your family's tastes), I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Mom's JELLO Cake

1 box white cake mix
12 ounces Diet 7up or Sprite Zero
2 boxes of 4 serving Jello - any flavor, I used strawberry
2 cups boiling water
1 container Cool Whip Fat Free


Mix the cake mix with the Diet 7 up (or make according to the cake mix with the usual eggs, oil and water). I am not sure why this works but it does. It makes any cake SUPER moist and it's less fat! Pour into a lightly Pam sprayed Bundt pan (or 13x9) and bake according to the cake mix directions.

When cake is done, allow to cool for about 10 min. Boil 2 cups water (I did it in the microwave) and add in the 2 boxes of JELLO. Be careful! The water really bubbles when the JELLO is added! :o) Mix until the JELLO is dissolved.

Carefully and slowly, poke holes in the cake with a fork, while cake is till in the baking pan. Use your best judgement regarding how many pokes to give it. We like ours really JELLO-y so I made a lot of pokes. Carefully pour the JELLO over the cake, evenly disbruting it around the cake. I do not usually use all of the JELLO mixture, and as you can see from the pictures, it's very JELLO-y.

Refridgerate for 3 or more hours in the baking pan. If you used a Bundt pan or cupcakes, then you would want to remove the cake from the pan at this time. For the Bundt cake pan, I dipped the bottom of the pan in a sinkful of hot water and it fell right out on my cake server. Spread Cool Whip (or frosting!) on the cake, like frosting. Cover and store in refridgerator.

Again, this is more of a method than a recipe. You could use any kind of cake mix (lemon with strawberry jello would be divine!), diet soda methods or the usual oil, eggs and water, any flavor JELLO (sugarfree too), any type of Cool Whip (strawberry or chocolate - yummy!), or you could use frosting too! Enjoy!