I was never a big fan of Jello. Especially the kind that is made by mixing stuff from a box. When I was a child, my mom used to make a layered dessert that was sort of like a trifle except there was no cake layer. Instead there was a biscuit layer, a custard layer and a jelly layer. The different textures made this dessert not only look so good but it also tasted wonderful! The jelly layer that was in this dessert was essentially the Jello that you can make from a box. Somehow in combination with the custard that jiggly jello tasted really yum! And it elevated the custard too!
Recently as I was browsing through Pinterest, which incidentally is my favorite activity before going to bed, I came across this strawberry jiggly pudding/cake. Unfortunately the recipe contained everything that I wouldn’t want to eat – boxed jello, condensed milk and heavy cream. But watching the video of that recipe made me drool! It took me a while that night to fall asleep since I so badly wanted to eat a dessert like that! I started formulating an AIP version of this recipe in my mind that I wanted to try soon! So the very next day I went and got fresh strawberries from the market so I could start my recipe testing!
I had to do a couple trials before I could get the exact texture I was looking for. In the end I settled for a texture that is more towards a pudding than a cake. This texture is similar to that I have in my Mango Pie recipe (which is in my book AIP Indian Fusion).
What ingredients are used in this recipe?
- Fresh Strawberries, Grass fed Gelatin, Coconut milk and a sweetener (I used maple syrup but you can use a keto approved sweetener for making a keto version)
- You can use frozen strawberries if fresh strawberries are not available. And also use any other nut milk instead of coconut milk for a non-AIP paleo version.
I also made a step by step video for this recipe. See link below:
- 1¼ cup strawberry puree (About 20 medium fresh strawberries pureed using 2 tbsp water)
- 2 tsp grass-fed gelatin (you can use 1 tbsp gelatin to get a more cake like texture)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (use any keto approved sweetener for keto version)
- pinch salt
- 3-4 strawberries sliced (for garnish)
- 1 tbsp olive oil for greasing the ramekins
- Place the strawberry puree in a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin and then sprinkle the water over it. Stir with a spoon to completely wet the gelatin and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- In a small sauce pan, add the coconut milk, the maple syrup (or any keto sweetener) and the salt and place on low heat. As the coconut milk begins to bubble slowly, add the gelatin and water mixture and stir vigorously with a spoon to dissolve the gelatin lump completely. Turn heat off and let this mixture cool for 10 minutes.
- Now slowly add this mixture to the bowl with the strawberry puree whisking continuously to get a uniformly blended mixture.
- Brush the ramekins with olive oil (this step is important if you plan to unfold your pudding)
- Divide the mixture into four, 4 oz ramekins (or two, 8 oz ramekins). Place the ramekins on a tray. Arrange the strawberry slices on top. Cover ramekins with plastic wrap and place the tray in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours for the pudding to set.
- Serve the dessert cold as is in individual ramekins or you can unmold it by placing it in hot water for 10-15 seconds and then flipping it carefully onto a plate.
