Jell-o makes an elegant dessert

My Dad loves his birthday and Father’s Day, because he can dictate the menu without any compromise. Of course, I can dictate the menu in my sleep: Spaetzle and sauerkraut. Dessert is Broken Glass Torte.

Broken Glass Torte is really quite a good dessert and a classic if you really like Jell-o.

Choose three 3-ounce boxes of contrasting colors of Jell-o (Classic: orange, cherry and lime)
1-1/2 cups boiling water for each box of Jell-o
1 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (Knox packages have less than 1 tablespoon in them)
2 tablespoons cold water
½ cup sugar
2 cups whipping cream
1 container of lady fingers

To save some dish washing, I usually begin by dissolving the lightest colored Jell-o in hot water and pour into a pie pan or 8-inch cake pan. I then proceed to do the same with next darkest color until I have 3 pans in the refrigerator chilling.

Once the Jell-o has hardened, I then soften one tablespoon unflavored gelatin in 2 tablespoons water. I heat the pineapple juice to boiling, then add the softened gelatin stirring until dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

In a mixing bowl, I add ½ cup sugar and 2 cups whipping cream, then whip until stiff. Add the room temperature pineapple juice to the whipping cream and whip again until it is stiff. Meanwhile, either cut into strips or cubes the three pans of flavored Jell-o. Fold the cubes gently into the whipping cream. Pour Jell-o and whipping cream into a 10-inch springform lined with lady fingers. Chill for several hours before serving.

This is not only a beautiful cake to have on your dessert table.



It is really pretty inside.



It also tastes pretty good.

Regards,

My birthday is in August.

Is this sufficient notice?

E.M.

NB Last year, C2 gave me some of this cake to try. It is very, very good!!

When I was a young girl, back in the 60s, Broken Glass Torte was my choice, every year, for my birthday cake. I don't believe I've ever met another person who's heard of it. Your beautiful pictures brought back happy memories of steamy late July birthday parties and my mother saying, "you want broken glass torte this year AGAIN, why can't you be like your sister and ask for a cake from the bakery like a normal kid".

Do you know anything about the origins of this dessert? I just assumed it was from the back of a box of jello, or maybe clipped from my mother's favorite mags of the era, Woman's Day or Family Circle. As I recall, it was always a crowd pleaser and showed up often at family reunions and pot lucks in our small northern Illinois town all through the sixties and early seventies.

Hi,

This recipe I got from my Oma at my Dad's insistence because he LOVES Broken Glass Torte. I know this has been made in our family since the 1950's.

If you google you will find many recipes, as to the origins I found this reference for the graham cracker version:

From Jellophile wrote:Crown Jewel Dessert
aka Broken Window Glass Cake
I believe the recipe you are looking for is the "Crown Jewel Dessert" aka "Broken Window Glass Cake." It is in the "Joys of Jell-O" booklet (1963) on page 12. Here it is:

A spectacular dessert that fits busy schedules -- the gelatin for cubes may be made one day, remainder of dessert can wait until the next day.

I have a friend who has done extensive research on jello. Just ask a small question about jello and the facts begin flying. My most recent tidbit: she believes Royal Jello is better flavored than Jell-O. I haven't done any side-by-side comparisons, though for reasons totally unknown to me I always thought the opposite. I will contact her to see if she knows anything about this dessert.

The only time I ever had a failure with this dessert was believing the Knorr packet had 1 tablespoon without measuring. Maybe in years back it had that much, but it is not true today.

IF I learn something else, I will advise.

Regards,

We didn't have Broken Glass Cake, but we did have something I've just remembered that used a jello base and it was called "Swedish Creme." I have no idea why.

For all I know it's one of those mid-60s monstrosities of faux-elegant 'convenience' cooking, (or off a box-top) but I recall it as heavenly. My mother made it only for special occasions, despite its being so easy.

I know that unflavored jello was the base, and somehow cream, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and I don't know what else were incorporated. The result was somewhere, texturally, between heavy whipped cream and pudding, and to my young palate, ambrosial and reeking of grown-up dinner party sophistication. The adults ate it with berries spooned on top. I took mine straight.

As much as I hate to admit this, I am fond of that jello concoction made with lime jello, cottage cheese, pecan pieces, and canned crushed pineapple (? I think it was pineapple, or is pineapple a no no in jello?)

Mother in law #1 always made this for family gatherings.

IIRC, fresh pineapple will prevent jello from standing up. Canned is ok.

I confess to letting my mother talk me into a "layered" jello instead of a birthday cake one year (neither she nor I having much of a sweet tooth).

Of course, she often managed to talk me into some sort of turkey leftovers for my b-day dinner, my b-day falling right after Thanksgiving:-)

Evil Ronnie wrote:As much as I hate to admit this, I am fond of that jello concoction made with lime jello, cottage cheese, pecan pieces, and canned crushed pineapple (? I think it was pineapple, or is pineapple a no no in jello?)

Mother in law #1 always made this for family gatherings.

Evil, nothing to be ashamed of ("I hate to admit this") -- I think jello is an excellent dessert or even appetizer, and wish I had more of it more often. When Horwath's was open, I would always order their jello with melba sauce instead of soup or salad (of course!).

Hammond