Jello Poke Cake recipe makes a moist, fluffy white cake filled with sweet fruit flavor, all covered with creamy Cool Whip (instead of frosting) and finished with fresh sliced strawberries. Each slice is refreshing and light without being overly-rich or heavy, so there’s always a bit of room in your stomach for a dessert this delicious!
Jello Poke Cake Recipe
Our easy recipe for Jello Poke Cake recipe can be made with your favorite flavor jello. While I love the contrasting colors and fruity flavor of this strawberry Jello poke cake, the combinations of cake and gelatin are endless! Simply follow the original Jello poke cake recipe as written, but swap the strawberry Jello mix with whatever fits your mood. Or if you can’t decide on a single flavor, my rainbow Jello poke cake is made with multiple!
What Is A Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a freshly baked cake, either from a box or from scratch, poked with holes and filled with a liquid or creamy filling to infuse flavor. Popular fillings include condensed milk, pureed fruit or preserves, pudding, heavy whipping cream, caramel or chocolate sauce, or flavored gelatin.
Jello Poke Cake Ingredients
- White cake mix plus ingredients called for on box: You can substitute butter and milk for the oil and water on the cake box directions if you prefer. It will produce a richer flavor! Feel free to use your favorite gluten free cake mix for a GF base.
- Strawberry jello: I used strawberry Jello, but any flavor jello will work for this recipe.
- Boiling water
- Cold water
- Cool Whip, whipped topping, or homemade whipped cream
- Fresh strawberries for garnish if desired
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Jello Poke Cake
- Bake The Cake: Bake the cake according to the box directions. While warm, poke holes throughout the cake with a fork or wooden spoon handle.
- Prepare And Pour The Jello: Mix boiling water with Jello powder, stir until dissolved, then add the cold water. Pour the Jello over the entire cake, allowing it to seep into holes.
- Cover The Cake: Cover with Cool Whip.
- Slice and Serve: Top with fresh fruit before slicing and serving! Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Decorate Your Dessert: I don’t recommend decorating the cake with the sliced strawberries until right before serving, as the strawberries may leak juice into the whipped topping.
Customize Your Cake: This jello cake recipe is so easy to customize for any themed party or holiday. Simply switch up the jello flavors and colors to match your celebration. You can cover your cake with festive sprinkles (such as nonpareils, sugar pearls, and jimmies) for a birthday party, fresh fruit, or chopped candy, or crushed cookies.
Pick Another Poke Cake: Poke cake dessert recipes can be customized with your favorite flavors of cake mix and filling. Try my Boston Cream Poke Cake, Eggnog Poke Cake, Cookies and Cream Poke Cake, Hot Chocolate Poke Cake, and more for other fun flavor combinations.
Tips & Variations
- Swap The Strawberry: For a fun flavor change, swap out the strawberry Jello for another flavor and use fresh fruit on top to match! Fill your poke cake with other fruit flavors, like my Blackberry Poke Cake, Raspberry Poke Cake, and Banana Pudding Poke Cake recipes.
- Make With A Different Mix: Feel free to use your favorite vanilla, yellow, or angel food, or even strawberry cake mix for this recipe. Or make your jello poke cake from scratch if you have a recipe you love.
- How To Make The Holes: It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm because as it cools, the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily. I often use the end of a chopstick to poke the holes in the cake, but you can use the back of a wooden spoon, a straw, toothpick, fork etc. You may have smaller or larger holes depending on what you use.
- Cool Your Cake: You should let this cake cool for 2 hours in the fridge before frosting with Cool Whip and to allow the jello to set properly. Otherwise you may end up with a soggy bottom.
Do I need to chill my cake before serving?
While the cake can technically be served as soon as the strawberry filling and whipped topping are applied, refrigerating it for at least an hour or two before serving helps it firm up and maintain its structure. White cake is very delicate, and the refrigerator time gives it more stability.
Proper Storage
- To Store: You can store this jello poke cake in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for 1-2 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the cake after adding the jello and letting it set in the fridge. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap before freezing and it will stay fresh for about one month in the freezer.
Other Easy Cake Recipes
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Jello Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix plus ingredients called for on box. I used the Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Cake Mix
- 3.4 ounces strawberry jello or any flavor will work
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup cold water
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- fresh strawberries for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Prepare cake to directions and after baking poke holes throughout the cake with a fork or wooden spoon handle.1 box white cake mix
- Mix boiling water with Jello and stir until dissolved, then pour in cold water.3.4 ounces strawberry jello, 1 cup boiling water, ½ cup cold water
- Pour Jello over the entire cake, allowing to seep into holes.
- Cover with Cool Whip.8 ounces Cool Whip
- You can also add fresh fruit to the top before slicing and serving!fresh strawberries for garnish if desired
Jenn’s Notes
- For a fun flavor change, swap out the strawberry Jello for another flavor, and use fresh fruit on top to match!
- You can substitute butter and milk for the oil and water on the cake box directions if you like. It will produce a richer flavor!
- It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm because as it cools, the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily.
- When you’re pouring the cream into the holes, tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and make sure the cream fills the holes completely.
could I use icing on the cake instead of the cool whip?
Lovely recipes
Made this just like the recipe and it was so soggy! Don’t know what I did wrong. Followed all the directions to a t
I’ve wrecked these cakes twice, following the directions. Have no idea what I did wrong either. I’m beginning to wonder if the simple fix is cooking the cake longer. Maybe an overdone cake with smaller holes will absorb the jello perfectly. I even put it in the fridge after putting in the jello.
I have never seen a poke cake recipe where you use a fork for the holes? I’ve always used a wooden spoon, makes bigger holes to fill? That’s the only thing I can think of?
I used to make this years ago for my kids.. maybe 30… let the jello start to set up. Use a turkey battery to put the jello in the holes. Perfect every time. Needs to go in fridge after you put in the jello. Till it sets firm.
Turkey baster.
Thank for sharing the recipe ,its look so delicious!