Agar Agar Jelly Fruit Cake Recipe

With over 4 million views on YouTube, this is one of my most popular recipes of all time. I call it a "fruit cake" but it's a completely different kind! This delicious and refreshing beauty is an absolute showstopper, and nothing says "summer treats" more than this gorgeous tropical fruit-embedded jelly. You can be creative with the fruit combination and the colour palette as well.

Watch The Video Tutorial

If you've never made an agar agar recipe before, I highly recommend watching the video below so you understand how it works and behaves.

Also, before you cook, watch this "Recipe Footnote" video as it addresses common problems people have with agar agar jelly, some of which might actually ruin the recipe if you're not aware of them.

Jump to:

• Watch The Video Tutorial
• What is agar agar?
• Ingredients
• How to Make Agar Agar Jelly Fruit Cake
• Unmolding Agar Agar Jelly Cake
• FAQ
• Agar Jelly Fruit Cake Recipe

What is agar agar?

Agar agar jelly, or woon in Thai, is a powder made from seaweed that sets liquid into a jelly. The concept is similar to gelatin - which is why it's sometimes called "plant-based gelatin" - but the texture is very different. It's firmer and less bouncy, but delicious and can create beautiful distinct layers with ease.

IMPORTANT: Only buy 100% PURE agar agar powder. Some brands have sugar and/or flavouring added, and it's not always easy to tell, so you must check the ingredient list. Those versions (unlike the ones below) are instant mixes much like Jell-O powder, so you cannot use them in this recipe.

Agar agar also comes in non-powder forms: flakes, strings, and a few others. I highly recommend using powder because it is the easiest one to work with. Agar flakes would be my second choice, but they measure differently, so you will have to weigh them to get the right amount. If using bigger pieces of agar agar, such as strips, weigh it out, and them blitz in a coffee grinder before using so that it dissolves quickly.

Here are some online options for agar agar powder, but you can also find it at Asian supermarkets (especially ones with Thai and Vietnamese products), Japanese grocery stores (called kanten in Japanese), and health food stores. Locate an Asian store near you with this map!

Ingredients

For this agar agar recipe, the following are the ingredients that I used, but keep in mind that you can change up the juice and the fruit to create your own unique jelly fruit cake. You can also keep it simple and make only 1 or 2 layers instead of 3. For the amounts and full instructions, see the recipe card below.

Fruit Layer

• Water
• Juice from canned lychee (keep the fruit for the cake itself)
• Sugar
• Agar agar powder. See above for more info for the right product to buy. Here are some options online.
• Small fruit pieces of your choice - I used mango, pineapple, red papaya, lychee, kiwi and blueberries.

Coconut Layer

• Coconut milk. Coconut cream would also be okay for this recipe, as would evaporated milk.
• Water
• Agar agar powder. Make sure it's 100% pure agar agar powder.
• Sugar
• Salt
• Pandan leaf, optional

Juice Layer

• Juice of your choice - I used mango juice which is quite thick; if your juice isn’t thick, you can substitute the water with more juice. Pomegranate juice would be great for a purple version.
• Water
• Agar agar powder. Make sure it's 100% pure agar agar powder.
• Sugar, this is added to adjust the sweetness of the juice and may not be needed if it's sweet enough for your taste.

How to Make Agar Agar Jelly Fruit Cake

*Before you start, make sure you have all your fruit cut and ready to go as you will need to work quickly once you pour the liquid into the mold.

Make the fruit layer:

1. In a small pot add cold water, lychee juice, and agar agar powder, and whisk until there are no more big lumps. Once mixed, turn on the heat and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly.
2. Once boiling, let it boil for a minute or so, or until agar agar powder is completely dissolved. To check, scoop some liquid into a spoon, pour it off, then closely inspect the spoon to see if there are any specks of agar agar stuck to the spoon. If not, you're good to move on.
3. Add sugar and stir until dissolved, then remove from heat and immediately pour about ¼-inch of the agar agar into your mold. Working quickly, place fruit pieces in the mold, making sure you evenly distribute all the different colours. Once you've added all the fruit, pour the rest of the liquid gently over them.
4. Let this layer sit for several minutes, or until the top is firm enough to pour on the second layer.

While you wait for the fruit layer to set, make the coconut layer:

1. In a small pot, combine coconut milk, water, and agar agar powder, and stir to dissolve the powder.
2. Add the pandan leaf, (if using), then turn on the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
3. Once boiling, let it boil for a minute or so, or just until the agar agar is completely dissolved (do the same check as above).
4. Add sugar and a pinch of salt and stir to dissolve. Remove the pandan leaf.
5. Your bottom layer should be firm enough by this point, but check by gently touching it and see if the top is set and dry; it is okay if it is still soft in the centre. If it is ready, GENTLY pour the hot coconut layer on top of it. If the bottom layer is still quite soft, pour the coconut layer onto the back of a spoon and let it drizzle gently onto the bottom layer.

While you wait for the coconut layer to set, make the bottom juice layer:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot and stir to mix the powder. Turn the heat on to medium and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, just until the powder has completely dissolved. DO NOT OVER COOK THIS MIXTURE, SEE NOTE BELOW.
2. Make sure the coconut layer has set enough, and pour the hot juice layer over it.
3. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until cold.
4. If you want to unmold the whole thing in one piece, it can be a bit of a challenge, but see the video for my technique OR check out my Coffee and Cream Agar Jelly for a new technique I came up with!

Important note about using fruit juice: When working with acidic liquids such as fruit juices, DO NOT simmer the liquid any longer than necessary. Simmering agar agar in an acidic liquid for a long time will break it down and it will not set. Simmer it just long enough to dissolve the powder and use it immediately. Trust me, I learned the hard way! 

Unmolding Agar Agar Jelly Cake

In the video tutorial, you'll see that it was a bit of a struggle to unmold the cake in one piece. Many people have asked why I don't just place the mold in a hot water bath to dissolve the exterior slightly and then flip it out.

Trust me...if that worked, I would've done it! But agar agar isn't gelatin, and it doesn't work like that. Once set, agar agar will not melt unless you boil it. This is why it's a great treat for a hot summer day - it'll sit out on your picnic table without melting!

How to unmold agar agar jelly: Unlike gelatin, agar agar doesn't stick to the mold, so if you create an air gap and nudge it out, the whole thing will plop out cleanly. If making small pieces, we usually just use a toothpick or skewer to nudge it out.

For a bigger piece, like this cake, it's a bit trickier because you need more air gap, so here are a few tips for easily removing the cake:

• Use a flexible mold such as silicone or thin plastic: this is your best option, and you can see how easy it is to remove in this recipe's video. If you have a silicone mold, you can flex the mold and it'll just plop out. You can also get molds that come in fun shapes which kids always love.
• If using a hard mold, use toothpicks or skewers to create an air gap to help the jelly release. Watch the video tutorial to see how I did this; it'll be much easier to understand to see it in action.
• If using a hard mold, oil the mold first. Rub a very thin layer of oil on the mold using a paper towel, and it should help the jelly come out after you create the air gap.
• Or forget unmolding...you can cut and serve them in pretty little cubes, like in this picture below. Make it in a square or rectangular dish, then cut and serve. **If you're going to do this, remember to reverse the order in which you make the layers since you will not need to flip the jelly upside down!

Important Note on Unmolding: Do not unmold or cut agar jelly until close to serving time. When agar jelly is uncontained, water will slowly seep out because it's an unstable gel. A small amount of water loss will not affect how it tastes, and if it has to sit for a couple of hours unmolded that's fine, but you want to avoid it when possible. If you want to give it away to people, I recommend making it in glass or clear heat-proof plastic containers that you're willing to part with.

FAQ

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