Broken Glass Gelatin Dessert Variations
Recipe Guy
Filipino | Desserts | Party and Potluck
Broken glass gelatin is a base recipe with room for several color and flavor combinations. Firm colored cubes sit inside a pale milk-and-cream binder, so the important contrast is structural as well as visual: distinct pieces suspended in a sliceable whole.
About This Recipe
This guide separates two preparations that need different handling. Flavored gelatin becomes the colored cubes; unflavored gelatin sets the cream surrounding them. Make and chill the cubes first so they are ready when the milk mixture has cooled enough to receive them.
The variation quantities are alternatives for a complete batch, not additions to combine. Drain fruit and nata well, and keep purees and extra juice out of the binder. Chocolate coffee has its own measured cube preparation, while the milk binder stays the same.
Cooking Notes
- Bloom the unflavored gelatin in the listed cold water before dissolving it in warm evaporated milk. Check for undissolved bits before adding the other dairy ingredients.
- Keep the colored cubes chilled while the cream binder cools. It should remain fluid for pouring but no longer be hot enough to soften the cube edges on contact.
Ingredient Notes
Firm cubes
Slightly firmer colored cubes hold their shape in the cream.
Temperature
Cool the cream binder before adding cubes so they do not melt.
Broken Glass Gelatin Dessert Variations Recipe
Make one ten-serving batch: choose rainbow or one of the five variations below. Use a 9 by 13 by 2-inch dish and serve slices from the dish; this method does not require greasing or unmolding.
Shopping List
- Three 3-ounce/85 g regular sweetened gelatin packets for the selected colors; not sugar-free mix, agar or gulaman
- Unflavored gelatin: two 7 g envelopes for the binder; three additional envelopes only for chocolate-coffee cubes
- One 14-ounce/397 g can sweetened condensed milk
- One 12-fluid-ounce/354 ml can evaporated milk
- All-purpose cream, vanilla and only the selected variation ingredients below
Ingredients
Colored Cubes
- 3 packets (3 ounces/85 g each) regular sweetened gelatin: strawberry, lime and orange for rainbow, or the flavors specified below
- 3 cups boiling water and 1 1/2 cups cold water, divided equally among the three packets
Cream Binder
- 1 can (14 ounces/397 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can (12 fluid ounces/354 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 cup (240 ml) all-purpose cream
- 2 envelopes (7 g each; 14 g total) unflavored powdered gelatin
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Variation Paths
- Rainbow: Use the three base colors and the plain binder; no add-ins.
- Strawberry: Use three strawberry packets and fold 1/2 cup diced, well-drained strawberries into the cooled binder with the cubes.
- Mango: Use three orange-flavored packets and fold 1/2 cup diced ripe mango into the cooled binder with the cubes. Do not add mango juice or puree.
- Ube: Use the rainbow cubes and stir 1/2 teaspoon ube extract into the binder with the vanilla; this is extract-flavored, not a halaya substitution.
- Coconut Pandan: Use three lime packets for the green cubes; flavor the binder with 1/4 teaspoon pandan extract, fold in 1/2 cup thoroughly drained nata de coco, and scatter 1/4 cup shredded coconut over the set dessert at serving. These are lime cubes in a pandan-scented binder, not a substitution of agar-based buko pandan powder.
- Chocolate Coffee: Replace the entire colored-cube ingredient list with 3 envelopes (21 g total) unflavored gelatin, 4 1/2 cups water, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon instant coffee and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa. Use the same separate cream binder above, including its own 14 g gelatin.
Instructions
- For each regular colored packet, dissolve it completely in 1 cup boiling water, stirring about 2 minutes, then mix in 1/2 cup cold water. Pour each color into a separate shallow heatproof container. Refrigerate at least 4 hours until firm, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
- For chocolate-coffee cubes instead, sprinkle their 21 g gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water and let hydrate for 5 minutes. Heat the remaining 4 cups water; dissolve the sugar and coffee in it. Whisk cocoa smooth with a little of that hot liquid before returning it to the rest. Off heat, stir in bloomed gelatin until dissolved. Pour into shallow containers, refrigerate at least 4 hours and cube when firm.
- For the binder, sprinkle its separate 14 g gelatin over the 1/2 cup cold water and bloom for 5 minutes. Warm the evaporated milk until steaming, not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin until no grains remain.
- Whisk in condensed milk, cream and vanilla, plus ube or pandan extract only for the selected version. Cool until no longer warm to the touch but still fluid; do not pour hot binder onto the cubes.
- Fold in chilled cubes and only the measured fruit or nata for the chosen version. Transfer to the 9 by 13 by 2-inch serving dish. Refrigerate promptly for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firmly set.
- Add the coconut topping only for coconut pandan. Cut into ten portions and serve cold from the dish. Keep remaining portions refrigerated.
Nutrition Estimate
This is a collection of alternatives, not one combined recipe. A single calorie or nutrient total would be misleading. Use the ingredient quantities, yield and nutrition estimate for the individual recipe you choose; its estimate does not include every variation, optional topping, sauce or side dish. The separate formulas above require separate calculations for their stated portions; no combined estimate is provided.
Tips For The Best Broken Glass Gelatin Dessert Variations
- Use a sharp knife: Clean cubes make the dessert look polished.
- Chill overnight: A full chill helps slices hold their edges when lifted from the dish.
- Drain add-ins: Nata and fruit should not water down the binder.
- Serve from the dish: Use the specified ungreased dish and lift portions with a small spatula.
How To Serve And Store
Serve cold. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Common Questions
Is this cathedral window?
Yes, it is the same family of creamy gelatin dessert.
Can I use agar?
No. Agar and gulaman products have different strengths and require different heating. The measured six choices here use regular sweetened gelatin or unflavored gelatin; these quantities and the warm-milk method are not an agar formula.
Can I make it in cups?
Yes. Divide the full batch among ten cups of at least 10-fluid-ounce capacity, leaving headroom. Chill until set and serve from the cups.
How long does it keep?
Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Why are the colored cubes melting into the cream?
The binder may still be too hot, or the cubes may not have set firmly. Chill the cubes fully and cool the milk mixture before folding; forceful stirring can damage their edges too.
Can I make broken glass gelatin in individual cups?
Yes. Use ten cups with at least 10-fluid-ounce capacity and divide the batch evenly. Keep the same chilling requirement; this version is served from its container, not unmolded.
Technique and food-safety references: kraftheinz.com; knoxgelatine.com; knoxgelatine.com; foxyfolksy.com.
