Jelly Cakes Recipe - Lamington Bites

Classic Jelly Cakes

The jelly cakes, or lamington slices, are small vanilla cakes prepared, sandwiched with cream, coated in jelly, and tossed in coconut. These lamington bites are so heavenly and delectable that you enjoy a full yummy raspberry jelly and crunchy coconut top with a delicate cream-filled sponge in each bite.

These lamington cakes are all-time loved, old-fashioned Australian desserts. Classic jelly cakes are round in shape and baked using gem iron. Nowadays, gem iron is hard to find. So, bake them in a patty cake pan or muffin tray. The other alternative is to bake it in a cake pan and then cut it into squares like I did in this recipe.

Check out my other festive recipes like lunch special Bombay chicken biryani for Mother's Day, apple walnut crumble and heart puff pastry for Valentine's Day, and kids' monster treats for Halloween!

Ingredients for Lamington bites

Self-raising flour: I use self-raising flour for these yummy lamingtons. You can also use all-purpose flour, but make sure to add baking powder and baking soda.

Butter: Softened to room temperature. I use unsalted butter. The best is to keep it outside at room temperature for half an hour before baking a cake. You can also use a salted one.

Raspberry Jelly crystals: To prepare raspberry lamingtons, you need a jelly that you can make using raspberry-flavored Jello crystals. Use any flavored jelly if raspberry is not your preference.

Thickened Cream: The thickened cream used in this recipe has a 35% fat content. The cream you use must have at least 30 percent milkfat to achieve the whipped cream effect. Learn how to whip cream by hand whisk!

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to make Lamingtons Jelly Cakes?

Watch my Jelly Cakes video below with easy instructions!

The jam coconut sponge cake is easy but takes a longer time to prepare. The hardest part of making these cakes is knowing the perfect consistency of the jelly for coating. It must be partly set to stick to the cake slices. It will soak into the sponge if not set to the required consistency, making them stained and soggy. If the jelly sets completely, it will be too late to coat the slices.

The perfect consistency is like when it is in a state of jelly but still stir-able.

Let's go into detailed steps:

Step-1 Jelly preparation

Pour the raspberry jelly crystals into a bowl. Add hot water while stirring to dissolve the crystals, followed by cold water. Keep the jelly in the fridge until half-set.

It takes almost 1- 2 hours. Keep in check continuously. The consistency of jelly plays a crucial role in jelly cakes. If the right consistency is not met, you will end up with stained, soggy, or uncoated cakes.

Step-2 Vanilla cake

Combine the softened butter, sugar, and vanilla with a spatula or electric mixer in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs in batches as shown below.

Step-4 Cake assembly

Remove the cake from the tin. Cut the cake into three equal parts by making two horizontal cuts (image 1 below). Spread the cream evenly on the second part of the cake (image 2), sandwich the first part on top, and cut it into squares (images 3-4).

Cut the third layer in half. Spread cream over one half, then cut the other half into three equal pieces. Carefully place these three pieces on top of the cream-covered half to form a layered section. Finally, cut this stacked section into squares (see images 5-6 below).

Confession: In this Lamington recipe, I accidentally cut the vanilla sponge into three layers instead of four. For neater, more even slices, I recommend cutting the sponge into four equal parts next time, as it makes stacking and cutting much easier!

Coat the square cakes with raspberry jelly by dipping them and then placing the slices on a rack (dip one at a time). Toss the jelly-coated cakes in desiccated coconut (see pictures below).

That's it! And here you go with super delicious raspberry lamingtons or old-fashioned jelly cakes. Enjoy jelly cakes!!

How many servings does the recipe make?

The serving size of these raspberry bites depends on how big you like to slice your lamington pieces. I cut big square slices of cake. It comes with around eight pieces of jelly cake slices

Variations

1. If you enjoy different flavours, use a variety of jelly flavours to suit the occasion.
2. For extra indulgence, pipe whipped cream on top of the cakes before serving.
3. You can also mix coconut into the cake batter instead of coating the cakes at the end, if you prefer.

Expert Tips

1. The jelly should be thick and slightly viscous, similar in consistency to egg whites.
2. Always use chilled cream, but avoid using frozen cream.
3. Keep in mind, jelly cakes are best enjoyed within 2–3 days as the cream and jelly don’t keep well for long.
4. To save time, you can bake the sponge cake a day ahead and prepare the cream and jelly in advance, then assemble everything when you’re ready.

If you love classic Aussie desserts..

Try these nostalgic no-bake treats for a party and afternoon tea!