I'm doing my first Mardi Gras cake, and I want to decorate with Jello gems. I've seen them in different magazines, but I don't have any clue how to make them.

Can anyone make any suggestions?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kathy

I've never seen them but here's a bump

I saw them demmed last year and have the notes (but at home and I am now at work ) so if you are patient I can post more details tonight our time!

It was basically adding additional leaf gelatine to a jelly mix and spooning into the gem moulds - they set hard and can be fixed to fondant using tylose glue

A Knox blox recipe, perhaps?
I make Knox blox by just mixing an envelope of Knox into a small box of Jello and following the Jello recipe. They get firmer than regular Jello, and don't melt outside the refrigerator.

Excuse me for budding in.... but what the heck are jello jems???? Ive always seen really pretty 'jewls' on cakes, that i assumed u had to buy special and add to the cakes and i assume they are edible... and i assume they are very pricey. Now are jello jems the same thing? And if so im veeerry intrested in learning as much as i can about them and how to make them!!! thank you

OK - not quite what I thought - no extra gelatine BUT less water!!

NOW comes the tricky part - these are using Australian ingredients - so here goes for a 'lengthy discussion'

The Edible Gems are made will jelly crystals - It doesn't shrink quickly and will hold its shape even on icing (now we are talking FONDANT here and NOT buttercream - so you might need to do your own testing on the buttercream!) You can top them with edible glitter as well - if you are concerned about the actual 'ediblity' of these - they can be removed quite easily from the cake before it is eaten.

To make:-

1 packet of Jelly crystals (here in Australia it contains 85g)
(we found the orange and the strawberry to be the best -colourwise - blue is not bad but Cherry is too dark)
ADD 100mls of boiling water. Stir until it dissolves as much as it can - then place in microwave til is is dissolved completely - it bubbled a little but then let it cool slightly before pouring into moulds.

Another quick idea that was fun was making 'Edible Sequins' by brushing a sheet of leaf gelatine with a mix of lustre dust and decoraters spirit. Let dry and then 'punch' out 'sequins' with a 1-hole punch - scrap bits may be ground in a mortar and pestle for edible glitter!

Hope you have fun with these

hmmm, im from canada so if anyone has made jello jem here or the USA can u post a recipie?

Applegumkitchen you said they should be removed before being eaten? Do they not taste good??? But they are edible right? If someone eats one it will be ok right? Are they hard...as in will they break someones tooth if they bite it?

Thank you for all your suggestions! I'll give it a try and post when I've finished.

I figured it would be just adding less water to the actual jello packet...much like you do to make the jigglers.

What is decoraters spirit?

could jelly crystals be another name for gelatin?

Decoraters Spirit is what we use here with Lustre Dusts and to thin down colours etc. It is 95- 98% alcohol - whcih evaporates quicker than say vodka or gin - (because it is higher alcohol content) If things are NOT to be eaten you can substitute methyolated spirit or you can use vodka but be careful not to get pieces TOO wet.


I am sure our boxed jelly crystals are the same as your JELLO ?? It is like a boxed dry mixture of gelatine,flavour and sugar.... you just add watetr to make a normal .."wobbly jelly - that you would?? serve with ice cream"

here is a link to pics of boxes http://www.aeroplanejelly.com.au/adults/original-jelly

Doesn't matter the brand - so long as the contents are the same weight - or if not - make sure you increase or reduce YOUR amount to 85g

Thanks, applegum! I'll give it a try!
Kathy

Thanks for the information. I'd like to try this

Well, I tried the jello idea, and unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Might be the humidity...it snowed like gangbusters here yesterday!

Anyway, here is the final cake. Hope you like it. Thanks for all your help!
Kathy

Wow! That is one awesome Mardi Gras cake -- I love it! It turned out great, even without the Jello gems.

P.S. -- What flavor was it? Just curious.

Coming into this discussion quite late, but would like to know what the consistency should be of the mixture when it's ready to be poured...???