My dad asked me if I could come up with a quick and easy recipe for Crema de Fruta so he could try his hand at making it. He's gotten the baking bug recently and wanted to start out with some simple recipes first then work his way up to more challenging ones. So I experimented with a few ingredients and came up with an incredibly effortless version.
As I mentioned on a previous post, crema de fruta is a Filipino dessert that is very popular around the holidays. The traditional version that I posted last year was made with sponge cake and stirred custard. This quick and easy version that I created for my dad is made with vanilla cake mix and instant vanilla pudding mix. Yes, you read that right. Now how can you get any simpler than that?
A lot of my friends and family have quickly embraced this easy recipe because it's pretty much foolproof to make. I have a feeling a lot of them will be making this for their family gatherings in the next couple of weeks. The best part about this recipe is that it will fill two party trays. Hooray!
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Quick and Easy Crema de Fruta
Makes about 24 servings
Allergy note: contains eggs, wheat and dairy
cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 cup milk
1 cup oil
4 large eggs
crema:
2 boxes Jello instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
2 cups whipping cream
fruta:
2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin (1/4 ounce each)
1/2 cup water
2 30-oz. cans fruit cocktail in heavy syrup (DO NOT drain the syrup)
cake:
Mix together cake mix, milk, oil and eggs. Pour into two rectangular aluminum pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
crema:
Using an electric mixer, whisk together instant pudding mix, milk and whipping cream together until thickened. Pour over cake and spread evenly.
fruta:
Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water. Let the gelatin absorb the water and expand. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the gelatin melts. Mix into the fruit cocktail and pour over the crema.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Hello, I'm so happy when I found your blog. I'm a Filipino living in the United States. Crema de Fruta is one of my favorite desserts when I was still living in the Phil. I always buy it from Red Ribbon. With regards to your recipe, I'm having a hard time figuring out the sizes of the Jello Instant Pudding Mix (there are 2 sizes of this)and also, the size of the pans you used. Do you mind being more specific? I'm just a novice baker but trying my best. And also, did you mean heavy whipping cream? Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteThis is a follow-up question to my previous comments, after assembling and the gelatin has set, can we freeze it?
ReplyDeleteHi Ram! I use the 5.1 ounce box and a 9x12 aluminum pan (it's a half size steamable pan).
ReplyDeleteYou can use either whipping cream or heavy whipping cream (the one in a carton, not the aerosol can).
It's probably not a good idea to freeze the crema de fruta because it might get soggy when it thaws. It's best to refrigerate it after assembling and serve it within 2 to 3 days. If you just want to make one tray, you can easily half the amount of ingredients.
Hi! I was looking at y0ur original Crema de fruta recipe and this "quick and easy" version of it. I wanted to know how different are these two from each other in regards with taste?
ReplyDeleteHi! I personally think that the custard and cake for the quick and easy crema de fruta are bit sweeter than the original version but they're lighter in texture.
ReplyDelete