Rainbow Cake Jello Shots

By
Spruce Eats Staff
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Spruce Eats Staff
The Spruce Eats staff is a team of food obsessed people with a collective 60 plus years of culinary experience and over 80 years of editorial experience, combined. We have worked the line in restaurant kitchens, developed and tested thousands of recipes, and run editorial and creative direction for both digital and print media as well as major grocery stores.
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Updated on 07/29/21
rainbow cake jello shots

The Spruce / Bahareh Niati
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Chill: 12 hrs
Total: 12 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 11 servings

These colorful, beautiful layered jello shots are perfect for any adults-only celebration. Using flavored vodka, these jello shots have a delicious funfetti flavor and a creamy texture that makes them irresistible. 

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Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups lemonade
  • 4 packets gelatin
  • 1 1/4 cups vodka (Whipped Cream, Birthday Cake, or Vanilla flavored)
  • 2 tsp. sweetened condensed milk
  • 6 to 18 drops food coloring (6 different colors)
  • Garnish: frosting, edible glitter, and sprinkles

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Rainbow Cake Jello Shots ingredients

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  2. Spray a silicone mini muffin or candy-making pan, with a volume of 2 to 4 tablespoons per cavity, lightly with cooking spray. Wipe the excess spray from the pan so there is no visible residue.

    grease silicone candy-making pan

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  3. Pour lemonade into a small pot or deep pan and sprinkle with both packets of gelatin. Let sit off the heat for about 2 minutes until gelatin “blooms.” You’ll see a ripple film form on the top.​

    lemonade and gelatin in a pot

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  4. Put the mixture on a low heat. Heat and continually whisk until the gelatin evenly dissolves about 2 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to let the mixture come to a boil.

    lemonade-gelatin mixture in a pan

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  5. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool a bit. Whisk in the vodka and sweetened condensed milk.

    vodka and sweetened condensed milk added to the lemonade mixture in the pan

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  6. Divide the mixture evenly into 6 separate bowls. Put a few drops of different colored food coloring in each and whisk to thoroughly mix.

    gelatin and food coloring in bowls

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  7. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the first color mixture into the pan cavities. Refrigerate until just set, usually about 20 minutes. Do not allow to set too long because if they are still a bit sticky all the layers will set together better.

    gelatin mixture poured into the molds

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  8. Repeat with all colors, letting each layer set for about 15 minutes between. Refrigerate overnight.

    Jello shots in molds

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

  9. When ready to serve, un-mold and garnish with edible glitter, colored sprinkles, frosting dollops or any combination.

    Rainbow Cake Jello Shots

    The Spruce / Bahareh Niati

Tip

  • The shots should slide easily out of the muffin pan but you may need to do some careful prodding with a small offset spatula. Once out, you can top with frosting or whipped cream and sprinkles.