Around Christmas time, I have noticed that I tend to gravitate towards rubied red items. And this one has been a long time in the making. When we were small, my mother had a very, very thick cookbook tome full of all sorts of retro delights as well as classic dishes. Even when young, we’d be fascinated by these dishes. My mother would rarely cook them as my Father would only eat food from his Mother country and my sister and I would be left to flick through the glossy thick book, the spine wearing away to nothing but cotton threads from many trips on and off the bookshelf.
Sour cherries
The one items I always looked at longingly was a huge Cherries Jubilee set in a jelly mould (this was probably a nod to retro where everything was jellified). My father at the time worked for Davis Gelatine yet it was wasted on me as I didn’t like jelly at all. They’d always try and ply us with the company dessert only to have me turning my nose at it. Until I married a jelly freak. If you’ve ever wondered who buys those freakishly blue tubs of jelly from the supermarket may I offer you my husband.
Gelatine sheets
I saw a similar jelly in a picture in a while back and showed it to my husband. His eyes widened in anticipation and I knew that he would appreciate this.The timing was right, it was close to Christmas and for those of you who want to use real cherries, they’re in season now in Australia. You could eliminate all of the palaver with the 20 gelatine sheets by buying the required 5 packets of cherry jelly (and why not if you’re busy).
Festive Cherry Jelly
An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella
- 1 decorative jelly or Bundt cake tin with a 10 cup capacity (or thereabouts, you can just adjust quantities)
- 20 sheets leaf gelatine
- 375g bottle of sour cherries (juice reserved-about 1 cup) or 500g fresh cherries pitted
- 1 cup undiluted cherry or berry flavoured cordial (2 cups if you’re using fresh cherries as you won’t have the juice from the jar)
- 6 cups of cold water
- 2 cups of recently boiled water
- oil spray
Chantilly cream
- 200ml cream
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- Vanilla bean paste
1. Soak leaf gelatine sheets in cold water until pliable.
2. In a large bowl, place the 2 cups of hot water and remove soft gelatine sheets and stir in water until dissolved. Then add 6 cups of cold water, 1 cup of reserved cherry juice (if using jarred cherries) and cordial.
3. Spray the tin with a non stick oil spray just in case (I don’t know if it’s necessary as it’s a non stick tin but I’m superstitious). Then pour in a small amount of the jelly mixture into the bottom just to give it a small coat of jelly. Place in fridge to set. Then scatter some cherries on top and add another layer of jelly to fill it up a third of the way. Repeat another two times so that the cherries are evenly distributed.
4. Whip cream until soft, then add cream and vanilla and serve alongside the jelly.
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23 Comments | Add your own
i think this is just lovely! i’m not usually enticed by gelatin, but i’m really drawn to this. beautiful, lorraine, and definitely festive.
Hi NQN, this looks absolutely scrumptious! I have to give this a go – cherries + jelly = YUM! Have a wonderful Christmas and thank you for this marvellous blog. I am looking forward to more of your culinary adventures in 2009
This looks good, even to a non-convinced jelly person like me. I think it is the cherries – everything is better with cherries!
I only eat jelly on Christmas day! It’s not something I usually go for either, however its just not Christmas without berries and champagne jelly – recipe pulled out of a Woman’s Weekly about 5 years ago. Every red fruit you can think of set in champers – yum!
I’m a fan of anything red too! Including jelly
Such a lovely stand and mould.
I love the cake stand! Oh and the jelly is beautifully festive! Love it! Have a very merry christmas Lorraine and a great new year! Hope to catch up soon in 2009
My entire childhood is scattered with jelly related memories, I’m always finding an excuse to make it lol. Love the mould, I usually make individual ones.
Red jelly is my favourite (except port wine!). Your jelly looks luscious, esp. with the whipped cream. You used bottle cherries I assume – can you imagine pitting 500g of fresh?
This looks lovely, and it’s so festive!
Hi NQN! Just a quick Q. Where did you get the gelatine sheets from. I can’t use powdered gelatine to save my life (i made lumpy mango pudding)
Did you get it from Essential Ingredients?
TIA
What a coincidence! I’m about to make homemade jelly too. Yours looks beautiful.
oh wow wobbly wobbly wobbly jellyyy ^^! yummmmm and love the cherry distribution mmm
Hi grace-Thanks so much! I’m not a big jelly fan either but I put my differences aside for this
Hi Pam-Thankyou!
I hope you have a lovely Christmas too and you’re more than welcome. Thankyou for reading!
Hi Annie-Absolutely! I agree everything is better with cherries
Hi Paula-That’s a great Christmas tradition! Something nice to look forward to at Christmas
Hi Christie-I thought you might like this Miss Cherry Queen!
Hi Karen-Thanks so much!
Have a gorgeous Christmas and New Years and here’s to catching up in 2009!
Hi Miss Honey-Hehe mine too! I usually make smaller ones but something possessed me to make a gigantic one-and my husband all too happily ate it
Hi belle-Port Wine does have an unusual taste doesn’t it. Oh yes the idea of pitting 500g of cherries was vastly unappealing!
Hi Su-yin-Thankyou so much!
Hi Amy-I bought them at Acoutrement in Mosman as that’s the closest to me. I have similar problems with gelatine powder!
Hi Bria-Oh cool! Brilliant minds think alike!
Hi FFichiban-Haha I kept singing “are you ready for this jelly” while wobbling it
I’m mesmerized! Part of me wants to try it, but being a household of 2, I’m not sure who would eat it all.
wow! this looks very pretty
This looks really easy,but yet so impressive. It would look great presented at the middle of the table at the end of a meal.
This so reminds me of my childhood with so many jelly and fruit desserts…
I love jellies, and I LOVE moulded jellies. Nigella would definitely approve
This is such a gorgeous jelly. I am rather fond of ruby red anything at any time of the year, and just adore cherries, so this one’s for me.
I am wondering if you do have mango jelly recipe, like the one in the chinese restaurant.
Hi Marc-It went surprisingly quickly but I think the hot weather had a lot to do with it
Hi suesse-mahlzeit-Thankyou very much!
Hi Maria-Thanks!
It’s definitely easy if you use packet jelly and pitted cherries. If you go the other way and pit the fresh cherries and use gelatine sheets, well that is very hard (and not really recommended for one’s sanity 
)
Hi Reemski-Yes I seem to recall and inordinate number of jelly dishes-both savoury and sweet!
Hi Y-Yes I think she loves a wobbly, quivering jelly!
Hi Cakelaw-Thankyou!
Yes it really signals the Christmas season doesn’t it 
Hi Lilia-I have one but I haven’t tried it out yet. I’m planning to make one this summer though so watch this space!
I’ve been enjoying your site for some months. I have one question about this recipe. When you write to use a cherry flavoured cordial, would you please explain what this is for someone in North America? Is it a liqueur? or a fruit juice drink? Thank you for all your work and recipes.
Hi Byrd-Thanks so much!
I’d use a cherry flavoured cordial for this as that amount of alcohol would be too much although you could substitute a part of the cherry juice for some alcohol (just not the whole part 
). Thankyou for reading! 
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