Liquid strawberry gelatin poured over a still-warm white cake creates a watercolor look, but the real showstopper is the frosting. We upgraded the usual whipped cream to a confection made with cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Serve the cake chilled and with fresh fruit for a sweet ending to any occasion. Here, we'll show you how to make poke cake step-by-step.
Bonus: Many poke cake recipes (including ours) start with a boxed cake mix, so it's an easy dessert you can whip up at a moment's notice. You can also use our tips to create your own poke cake recipes, like chocolate poke cake or pudding poke cake. Once you've mastered the basics, any flavor combination is possible.
What Is a Poke Cake?
Poke-and-pour cake (also called poke cake) is a cake recipe that calls for holes to be poked in it after baking, usually with the handle of a wooden spoon or a wooden skewer. Then a liquid is poured over the baked cake to soak into the cake holes. Poke cakes are known for being incredibly moist (thanks to the liquid) and delicious (because of the extra filling).
How to Make a Poke Cake
Here's a high-level look at what you'll need to do to make this recipe for poke cake.
- Make the Cake: Start by mixing the cake batter and baking the cake in a 13x9-inch baking pan. Follow the instructions for the poke cake recipe you've chosen or your boxed cake mix. Once your toothpick comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
- Add Filling: Using the handle of a wooden spoon, a straw, or chopsticks to poke holes through the cake about 1 inch apart. Make sure the holes aren't too close together or too far apart—if they're too close together, your cake could be too moist; if they're too far apart, there may not be enough filling throughout the cake. Once you've poked holes throughout the cake, pour the filling on top.
- Chill and Frost: After you've added the JELL-O filling to your cake, let it chill until set or overnight. Frost this strawberry poke cake as desired and serve. Get creative with additional sprinkles and toppings.
Ingredients
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Nonstick cooking spray
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1 (15.25-oz pkg.) white cake (including eggs, vegetable oil, and water)
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1 cup water
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1 (3-oz. pkg.) strawberry-flavor gelatin mix (JELL-O brand)
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1/3 cup ice
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8 oz cream cheese
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1 cup powdered sugar
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2 cups heavy cream
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2 tsp vanilla
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix and the eggs, oil, and water according to package directions; mix until combined. Bake as directed until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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While cake is still warm, in a small saucepan bring the 1 cup water to boiling. Stir in gelatin mix until dissolved. Stir in ice cubes until melted.
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Use a straw or the end of a chopstick to poke holes 1 inch apart all over the cake. Transfer gelatin mixture into a glass measuring cup and pour over top of the cake. Chill until completely cool and gelatin is set, at least 1 hour or overnight.
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For frosting, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined. Gradually add the cream while beating; continue to beat until frosting becomes thick and forms soft peaks (peaks curl over). Beat in vanilla until combined, stopping before cream forms stiff peaks (peaks stand straight). Spread frosting over cake. Serve with blueberries and/ or strawberries.
How to Store Jello Poke Cake
Cover and store leftover cake in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 322 | Calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 40g | Carbs |
| 3g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 16 | |
| Calories 321.8 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 16.8g | 21% |
| Saturated Fat 10.2g | 51% |
| Cholesterol 47.9mg | 16% |
| Sodium 316.7mg | 14% |
| Total Carbohydrate 40.2g | 15% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.4g | 1% |
| Total Sugars 26.9g | |
| Protein 3.3g | 7% |
| Vitamin D 0.5mcg | 2% |
| Vitamin C 0.2mg | 0% |
| Calcium 103.4mg | 8% |
| Iron 0.7mg | 4% |
| Potassium 63.7mg | 1% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.4g | |
| Vitamin D 18.7IU | |
| Alanine 0.1g | |
| Arginine 0.1g | |
| Ash 1.6g | |
| Aspartic acid 0.2g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 0.1mcg | |
| Choline, total 10.6mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0mg | |
| Cystine 0g | |
| Energy 1345.8kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 14.8mcg | |
| Folate, total 24.9mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 0.8g | |
| Glycine 0.2g | |
| Histidine 0.1g | |
| Isoleucine 0.2g | |
| Leucine 0.3g | |
| Lysine 0.2g | |
| Methionine 0.1g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 7mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.1mg | |
| Niacin 0.8mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 141.5mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.3mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0.2g | |
| Proline 0.4g | |
| Retinol 163.4mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 3.5mcg | |
| Serine 0.2g | |
| Starch 0.1g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0.1g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.7mg | |
| Tryptophan 0g | |
| Tyrosine 0.1g | |
| Valine 0.2g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 595.1IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 165.9mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 2.2mcg | |
| Water 46.8g | |
| Zinc, Zn 0.2mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
