Frosting, for many, is the best part of the cake. There's not much to dislike about it, after all—there's a type of frosting for every person. Whipped frostings for those who like it light, dense buttercream for indulgent sugar fans, cream cheese frosting for the tangy crowd... and so on. But I'll bet you've never made or tried frosting made with Jell-O packages before!
Infusing your frosting with the sweetness and bright color of Jell-O changes both its taste and appearance, and using Jell-O as a base flavor means that your frosting flavors are only limited by the varieties on sale.
In addition to its versatility, Jell-O frosting also sets very well; the gelatin in the packages means that your frosting won't lose its shape if piped or spread onto cupcakes. Jell-O gives your frosting structure without density, which is perfect for those who prefer lighter consistencies.
Making Jell-O frosting is relatively easy: the only step that may deter people from trying this recipe involves mixing the frosting with boiling water for a few minutes. However, if you own a stand mixer or hand mixer, this won't be much of an issue.
It's worth noting that other recipes exist that simply blend Jell-O into whipped cream and sugar; while these achieve the same versatility of flavor and bright shock of color, they are often grimy—without boiling water, the gelatin crystals do not dissolve.
The best and easiest recipe for Jell-O frosting (obtained from Happier Than a Pig in Mud) involves the following:
Ingredients
- 3 oz. package of Jell-O (or other jello brand)
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup boiling water
(Using a raw egg white may give people pause, but don't worry—as long as you follow the directions, any bacteria in the egg while will be killed by the prolonged exposure to the boiling water.)
Directions
- Mix everything except the boiling water in a large bowl.
- Add the boiling water gradually while mixing the contents of the bowl on medium.
- Once the water has been added completely, continue to mix for 5 minutes on high.
And that's it—you've created a frosting of whatever flavor you prefer, thanks to Jell-O!
I mentioned earlier that frosting made with Jell-O has structure because of the gelatin it contains; this is both a good thing and a bad thing for us. On one hand, it allows us to create beautiful piped designs that won't melt or slide; on the other, it means that we must work quickly with the frosting before it becomes too hard.
In the end, however, I find this to be a minor inconvenience when looking at the grand scheme of things. Think of how many different flavors of frosting you can create with this recipe... and how many different cakes you can pair each frosting with! The possibilities are almost endless—not to mention endlessly fun.
Do you think you'll give Jell-O frosting a try the next time you bake a cake? If so, let us know how it turns out!
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18 Comments
Jello is not INSTANT--- PUDDING--- Jello PUDDING is instant. I think this recipe makes it confusing as to what to use. Jello -- fruit flavored Jello or other gelatin like it is what to use. Not pudding.
Yeah, you're right. That is a little confusing. I've removed all "instant" references, so thanks for pointing that out!
The recipe referred to 'gelatin', and 'bright color', so I assumed they meant Jell-o gelatin. I bought some strawberry gelatin and tried this recipe three times....it was entirely too watery. I followed directions exactly each time....this recipe is very confusing; I agree with Joline and Justin.
Tried this today and it came out amazing and fluffy, can't wait to feed it to my guests!
Tried this and it was too liquid. Also the vanilla gave it a pukey pink color
Okay... I looked at this recipe and thought... there is NO WAY this is going to work and I was right. It was a watery mess. I used jello. Not pudding. Is that why? Anyway... I also could not figure out why you would use white sugar instead of powdered sugar. So after I made this "watery mess" I then used it as a base for a wonderful frosting. I added a stick of salted butter and 3 (ish) cups of powdered sugar and bam! Amazing frosting.
Yeah, this recipe didn't work at all for me. Even adding the stick of butter and powdered sugar as suggested. Total bummer.
Didn't work as directed. To salvage it, I added another egg white and baked it like mirrange. It was odd on a cake, but ok.
Made this with lemon best frosting ever!!!!
Made this today. At first I was a little worried because it was so thin and liquid, but kept it beating for the full 5 minutes and , wham. I have frosting that melts in your mouth. Love this and thank you for sharing. I even used sugar free jello.
I seldom try recipes with this many failed reviews, but ingredients on hand dictated that I give it a shot. Needless to say if flopped big time! Sad to have wasted perfectly fine grape jello my son would have ate and my egg whites. I let it mix for well over 15 minutes and it NEVER thickened. Extra egg whites and powdered sugar did not help either.
Made it, no problems. Started at speed 4 on my standmixer, a minute or so. Increased speed to 8. Five minutes later I had fluffy, thick frosting.
I only added one teaspoon of vanilla (use clear vanilla extract, color isn't affected).
The flavor is a slap in the face of sugar, not my favorite but I know my fiancee will like it.
Yum! This worked well, and it looks so good I can't wait to eat it! I did use the whip attachment for my mixer, and I don't know if that made the difference, but it is pretty, it smells great, and the beaters were delicious to lick! I skipped the vanilla.
Fabulous!
I made this. At first it was too watery. I just left it in the mixer for 14 minutes. It became fluffy and just right. There was leftover cake so I froze it, not sure if the frosting would survive. It did!! I served it at church and it was loved by all. I love this frosting because it is light and fluffy, not too sweet like buttercream or other common frostings. It is even better than whipped frosting. This will be my new go-to for frosting. Thank you for this recipe.
You should make this in a printable version, so I don't have to cut and paste and can have reference to where I got the recipe. Would make it easier to share this recipe with others too.
Wow! A beautiful frosting that is delicious and extremely easy to make! Thank you!!
So the recipe worked as stated and was indeed a frosting. I think some are to quick to stick to the 5 min. With any type of meringue like frosting humidity and temperature takes a part. However this was sooo sweet even the birthday girl, a sugar fiend, could not eat it. I might try again but will have to play with the quantities to make edible.
I made it and it's kind of weird. It looks like a murdered the pink elephants from Dumbo.
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