Suitable for vegetarian diets. If you’re looking for the perfect dessert for an upcoming gathering, this is it. This Strawberry Jello Poke Cake is wonderful for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and all your summertime celebrations. And if you love this recipe, you’ll also like Banana Pudding Cake and Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake.
Why You’ll Love This
Super easy dessert to makePotluck type dessert Perfect for relaxing Sundays Versatile, flexible dessert, easy to modify
What Is A Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a classic cake recipe. It’s a cake that you poke holes into after it’s been baked and cooled. Then some sort of filling, typically gelatin or pudding, is poured into the holes to give you the most delicious and moist cake.
Ingredient Notes
Cake mix- we used a white cake mix, but you can use your favorite homemade white cake recipe.Water, oil, and egg whites- this is what the box mix will tell you that you need on the boxBoiling water- to make the gelatin.Box of Strawberry gelatin – We used a 4 serving-sized box of Strawberry Jell-O™.White frosting – whole container of frosting, you can substitute this for other flavors or other things in the variations section below.Red decorating gel- to spread around with the frosting.Fresh strawberries- cut in half.
Ready to get baking? Gather up the ingredients and I will show you….
How To Make A Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions in recipe card below. To prepare the poke cake:
Preheat oven to 350F / 180C. Start by spraying a 13×9 pan with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, water, oil, and egg whites at low speed for 30 seconds in a large bowl. Then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes, making sure to scrape the bowl to incorporate it all. Pour cake mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 28-32 minutes. Test the doneness of the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s finished baking. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. Next, boil water and pour the gelatin packet into a bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved.
To complete the poke cake:
When the cake is cool, use a wooden spoon handle to poke holes halfway down into the cake.Continue to poke holes about an inch apart across the entire cake. Then evenly pour the gelatin over the top of the cake.Refrigerate for one hour to allow the gelatin to set.Remove from fridge, use a spatula to spread frosting on the cake, and add red decorating gel on the frosting. To serve, use a knife to cut the cake into 4 x 3 rows, garnish with strawberries, then enjoy!
Recipe Tips
If you don’t have a wooden spoon, you can use a fork or drinking straw to poke the holes. To speed up the gelatin setting process, place the cake in the freezer for about 30 minutes, and check on it periodically. Using a homemade cake recipe will increase your total prep time. Clean your knife after each cut when slicing the cake. The frosting makes the knife messy and cutting becomes more difficult. Keeping your cake in the refrigerator when not being served is helpful so that your icing doesn’t become too soft. You can use a funnel to help pour the geletin into the holes.
Delicious Variations
Swap cake mixes- swap out your cake mixes. Try different flavors and feel free to use your homemade cake mix recipes, like this Gluten-Free Chocolate cake mix too. Swap frostings- feel free to use other frosting flavors. Try a homemade Nutella frosting recipe or Strawberry Frosting. You can even add some room-temperature cream cheese to your frosting. Skip frosting- Instead of frosting try something like Cool Whip or whipped cream.Trade out the gelatin- Try different gelatin flavors for different treats. Cherry, peach, and raspberry are delicious.
Storage and Freezing
Store– Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze – Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.
If freezing before adding frosting – Let the cake cool down then tightly wrap in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and transfer into these convenient Ziploc freezer bags. Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags. Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. If freezing with frosting – place the cake in the fridge first so the frosting isn’t super soft and repeat the same steps, plastic wrap, foil, and then bags and freezer. Thaw first before slicing and enjoying later.
FAQs
More Recipes You’ll Like
Cream Cheese Pound Cake.Banana Pudding Cake.Air Fryer Banana Bread.Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake.
Tools You Need
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