I was first introduced to this delicious recipe many years ago by my Chinese roommate when I was at University. She should fill our kitchen with these sweet smelling Jelly cakes and on a lazy Sunday afternoon we would indulge to our hearts content on her favorite childhood treat.
Of course you can never go wrong with introducing a child to a desert which has their two favorite words in it ‘JELLY’and ‘CAKE’, but you’ll be surprised at how much the adults love it as well, and you’ll soon have grown men cooing with delight at this delicious childhood treat.
Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
1 x 85 g (3 oz) packet strawberry or raspberry jelly crystals
3/4 cup cold water
125 g (4 oz) butter
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups s flour, sifted
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
Method
Make the jelly according to the instructions on the packet.Pour jelly mixture into a large, shallow dish, about 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in), cover and refrigerate for 2-2 1/2 hours, or until jelly is just starting to set. (It is important that the jelly is used at the right consistency; if it is too firm it will not stick to the cakes.)
Meanwhile, lightly grease 3 x 12-hole shallow patty-pan tins (1 1/2-tablespoon capacity) and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until just combined. Add flour, milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Spoon tablespoons of the mixture into prepared tins. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. They're ready when a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove cakes from tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Remove jelly from refrigerator and quickly roll a cake in the jelly, coating it evenly. Toss the jelly-covered cake in coconut until it's coated all over. This is something the kids will truly enjoy doing.Repeat with remaining cakes and arrange on a platter to serve.
These gooey, buttery wonders are best enjoyed straight way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a whole batch to be enjoyed later.
By Mayuri Jayasinghe
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