Cake with jello drizzles poked throughout, and topped with a smooth layer of whipped cream! This light and cool Jello Poke Cake recipe is always a crowd favorite.
It’s one of our favorite summer desserts! Not only is it cool and light, but it’s topped with whipped cream. Be sure to check out some of our other poke cake variations including banana pudding poke cake and Boston cream poke cake.
Strawberry jello Cake
I have fond memories of family gatherings and parties that involve this long-time-family-favorite dessert – Jello Poke Cake (we love it so much we’ve made so many variations on the site you can find HERE).
While it’s absolutely unparalleled at BBQ’s and summer parties because of its cool and creamy texture… Let’s be honest – I crave it year round.
Picture this: a delicious cake with fruity jello poked throughout, and topped with a smooth layer of whipped cream. Needless to say, it’s always a crowd favorite.
What’s awesome is that you can change out the flavor of jello depending on your mood. We almost always use strawberry, but our other favorites are raspberry and cherry. I’ve also done lime, blue raspberry and orange before, but those are definitely a little more adventurous!
How to make Jello Cake
This Jello cake is really so simple, which is probably why we make it ALL the time.
CAKE. Begin by making your cake (whether you make one from scratch, or use a box mix – either one is perfect!) Once the cake is slightly cooled, poke holes with a fork at ½ inch intervals.
JELLO. From there, make your jello as you regularly would according to the box, and then carefully pour it over the cake, making sure it gets in all the holes you previously made.
CHILL. Chill the cake for a few hours and top with whipped cream right before serving, and you’re set! So easy and SO delicious!
Tips for poke cake:
- You can use a cake made from scratch, a box cake, or a store bought cake.
- White cake pairs well with all flavors of jello
- Add a layer of similar pie filling to the top of the cake then top that with whip cream. Such as strawberry jello with strawberry pie filling
- For a nice clean slice, wipe the knife after each cut.
How long does it take for the jello to set? It won’t set up like normal gelatin does, but it will take at least a few hours for the jello to soak into the cake and cool completely. So plan ahead when making this poke cake!
How to speed up the cook time: You can speed up the time it takes to make this dish a couple of ways.
- First, you can buy a pre-made, unfrosted white cake at a local bakery.
- Second, stick the cake in the freezer for 30-60 minutes. Long enough to set the jello, but not freeze the cake.
VARIATIONS & STORING
Can I make poke cupcakes? Absolutely! Instead of making a 9×13 cake make cupcakes according to the directions on the box. Once the cupcakes have cooled poke them with a fork or skewer, use a soup spoon to drizzle jello into the holes and chill
Can I use chocolate cake mix? Of course. This recipe can be used to make any flavor of cake mix and pair it with a complimentary flavor. Such as chocolate cake with raspberry or black cherry jello.
How do I store poke cake?
- Refrigerate: Because of the jello, keep the cake chilled. Tightly cover the cake and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Freeze: To freeze, wrap cake with plastic wrap, then again with aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
Note: If the cake is frosted, then you’ll need to flash freeze it first. You do this by placing individual pieces on a baking sheet, making sure they are not touching. Freeze for 2-3 hours, or until the outside is frozen, then wrap in plastic and foil, label and return to the freezer.
more Poke Cake delicious-ness
We love poke cakes so much we have a large variety here on the site. Something about having a delicious filling or jello poked through out the cake makes it irresistible. Here are some of our favorites on the site:
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Poke Cake
- Boston Cream Poke Cake
- Lemon Lime Poke Cake
- Red Velvet Poke Cake
I know you’ll love this simple, cool, and delicious treat! It’s also pretty light and not as decadent as some of the chocolate treats we make, which is another reason why I love it so much. 😉
For more cool cake recipes, check out:
Jello Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix box and any ingredients listed on box
- 1 3.3 oz jello mix raspberry, cherry or strawberry
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 tub Cool Whip or Homemade Whipped Topping
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix as directed and bake in a 9x13 pan. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- Poke cake with fork at ½ inch intervals.
- Prepare jell-o as directed. Spoon over cake mix until jell-o liquid is all gone.
- Chill 3 to 4 hours and top with whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve. ENJOY!
I wanted to make this but stores no longer sell a 13.3 0z box of Jello. I esp wanted to make it with sugar free Jello, and again no Jello is that size. I had to but 0.3 oz package and try to figure out how much I need and ended up with 4 times the amount! This receipee need to be changed!
The recipe is 1 (3.3ounce) box 🙂 That will make a big difference.
Easy to make and it was yummy. I used strawberry jello. I also mixed the cool whip with strawberry frosting and iced the top.
Perfect!! Thank you for sharing what you did!
If you made it with four boxes. How did it come out? At least you tried
It is a one(1) 3.3oz box not 13.3….
DId you know you can make a jello cake in a bundt pan? I’vE done it. I love to use my BunDt pan instead of a 9×13.
I personally haven’t tried. One way to find out 😉
My Gran used to make this cake but before she poured the cake mix into the pan she would put in pie filling or fruit pieces. An example-Cherry pie filling, then yellow cake mix, bake then use cherry jello, Mandarine oranges with orange jello etc.. Always a huge hit at family gatherings. Now I just need to figure out if home made vegan jello will work in the recipe. Any cake mix can be done vegan.
I love using different flavors 🙂 That’s a good question…if you try it, you will have to let me know 🙂
Perfection!!!
One of my favorites! Delicious and not too rich. Always a crowd-pleaser.
Glad you agree! Thank you!
Can the jello poke cake be done in layers and Use cool whip in between the layers without the layers sliding off each other?
I haven’t tried layering jello poke cake but I think it’d be worth a try. If your layers aren’t too thick then the cool whip in between the layers wouldn’t slide as easily. Let me know how it goes if you try layering. I would love to hear how it turned out!
Delicious and loved by everyone, especially the kids!
Glad you tried it! Kids always love it! Thank you!
What if you use 6 ounce (large) jello and just add the 1 cup of boiling and one cup of cold water to it? Will it gel properly? I didn’t realize that I was using the wrong size jello. Will it taste sweeter or heavier?
Oh, man, I wish I knew. I haven’t used the larger one. I would follow the recipe on the box.
I did a similar cake…..i used the box orange cake..then used orange jello. For frosting i did a small box of instant vanilla pudding mixed with 1 cup of milk instead of 2…and one big container of cool-whip…..just like a orange dream cicle
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing that!
Nutrition facts are skewed. And its .3oz box not 3.3oz.
Definitely not .3 it is just 3 oz.
I grew up on this cake. It’s awesome! My mom made different variations .We didn’t have tons of junk foods like kids do these days. So when mom made cakes & pies we loved it. That was our junk food. Simpler times better days! Thanks for sharing I haven’t made this in years.
It is 1 box that is the 3.3 or 3.4 ounce.
Since I only had a 6 oz box of raspberry jello I made it according to the directions but only used half of it. It’s in the fridge so we will see.
Let me know how it turns out. I’d love to know!
I am always asked to make my cherry poke cake which uses cherry jello, 1 package of cream cheese whipped and then folded into the Cool Whip and topped with can of cherry pie filing.
Sounds like a heavenly combination! Thanks for sharing what you do!
I made a white 9″ round cake with lemon Jell-O and my own lemon frosting and it turned out beautifully. I have a total winner at home. I made it Sunday for Easter and it was gone on Monday 😁 wish I could share pictures
That sounds amazing! I’m so glad it turned out so well!
Most jello cake recipes only call for hot water in jello. Yours calls for both hot and cold. Just was wondering why.
This jello poke cake calls for both hot and cold water as opposed to some others. I liked how the texture turned out with this method. The instructions in the recipe calls for making your jello as you regularly would according to the box. The box directions call for 1 cup boiling water and 1 cup cold water so we just mixed the jello like you would normally. Hope this helps!