Old-fashioned pink jelly cakes

Do you remember jelly cakes? Also known as peach blossoms, jelly cakes are an old-fashioned favourite in Australia. Made from a delightful sponge that’s coated in strawberry (or raspberry) jelly and coconut and then filled with whipped cream, these sweet treats are delicious!

This particular recipe is based on a classic from the Country Women’s Association — and you can’t go wrong with a CWA recipe, can you? Quick and easy to whip up, I used patty-pan tins for these tasty morsels.

Makes 18

Ingredients

• 80g butter softened
• 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup (160g) milk
• 1 cup (130g) self-raising flour, sifted
• 85g packet strawberry jelly crystals
• 1 cup (240g) boiling water
• 1 cup (240g) cold water
• 3 1/2 cups (280g) desiccated coconut
• 1 cup (240g) whipped cream

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175C (fan-forced).
2. Lightly grease two 12-hole patty-pan tins and set aside.
3. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and creamy. Add egg and beat until well combined. Fold through milk and self-raising flour (best if you alternate folding the milk and the flour, so 1/2 milk, 1/2 self-raising flour, 1/2 milk, 1/2 self-raising flour).
4. Divide mixture between the patty-pan holes, filling to just below the top.
5. Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Meanwhile, prepare jelly with crystals, boiling water and cold water (as per the packet instructions) and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until partially set.
8. Dip each cake into the jelly mixture (one at a time, using a slotted spoon). Then coat with the coconut by tossing together in a bowl.
9. Place a spoonful of whipped cream on top of one of the jelly cakes and sandwich together with another. Repeat.
10. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until the jelly is set. (Any leftover jelly, cake and cream can be used for a trifle.)