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Jello Poke Cake is cool, creamy, and perfect for any get-together. Use any flavor of Jello to make this crowd-favorite dessert!
Poke Cake is one of our favorite summer desserts! Be sure to check out some of our other poke cake variations: 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.
It’s perfect for BBQs and summer parties because of its cool and creamy texture. Let’s be honest, I crave it year round.
You can change the flavor of Jello depending on your mood. We almost always make Strawberry Jello Poke Cake, 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!
Jello Poke Cake has been around since 1976, at least that is when it first appeared in print. The General Foods Kitchen printed the recipe in an advertisement booklet and from there it reached kitchens all over the country.
The popularity grew because it was an easy, quick dessert that could be made ahead of time. Not to mention it is easy to customize and delicious.
How to make Jello Cake
This Jello Cake is really so simple, which is probably why we make it ALL the time.
CAKE. Prepare cake mix as directed and bake in a 9×13 pan. Let cool for 15 minutes. Poke holes in the cake with a fork at ½-inch intervals.
JEllO. Prepare Jello as directed. Spoon over the cake mix until the Jello liquid is all gone.
CHILL + ENJOY! Chill for 3 to 4 hours and top with Whipped Cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve. ENJOY!
Make cupcakes
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 Jell-o into the holes and chill.
Poke cake Recipe tips
Tips for poke cake:
- Use a cake made from scratch, a box mix, or a store bought cake.
- For a nice clean slice, wipe the knife after each cut.
- Garnish with coordinating fresh fruit. Fresh strawberries are especially delicious.
Setting the Poke Cake. It won’t set up like normal gelatin does, but it will take at least a few hours for the Jell-o to soak into the cake and cool completely. So plan ahead when making this Poke Cake!
Speed up the cooking time.
- Buy a pre-made, unfrosted white cake at a local bakery.
- Stick the cake in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, long enough to set the jello but not freeze the cake.
Flavor variations.
- Use chocolate cake mix. This recipe can be used to make any flavor of cake mix paired with a complimentary flavor. Chocolate cake with raspberry or black cherry jello would be delicious!
- 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 Whipped Cream. Strawberry jello would pair well with strawberry pie filling.
more Poke Cake delicious-ness
We love Poke Cake so much and have made several varieties. It’s so easy to change up with any flavor of jello. The possibilities are endless!
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
Storing Info
STORE. Because of the jello, keep the cake chilled. Tightly cover the cake and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To FREEZE, wrap the Poke Cake with plastic wrap, then again with aluminum foil. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
If the cake is frosted, flash-freeze first. Flash-freeze a whole cake 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. Wrap in plastic and foil, label, and return to the freezer.
For more cool cake recipes:
Jello Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix plus any ingredients listed on box
- 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry Jell-O (or raspberry or cherry)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping (or 2 cups whipped cream)
Instructions
- Prepare cake as directed on the box and bake in a 9-x-13-inch baking dish. Let cool for 15 minutes.
- Poke cake with a fork at ½–1-inch intervals.
- Use hot and cold water to make Jell-O as directed on the package.
- Spoon Jell-O liquid over the cake gradually until it is all absorbed.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 3–4 hours. Top with whipped topping right before serving.
Video
Notes
Cupcake Version: Instead of making a 9-x-13-inch cake, make cupcakes according to the directions on the cake mix box. Once cupcakes have cooled, poke them with a fork or skewer, drizzle Jell-O into the holes and chill as directed above before adding whipped topping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We made this for a family gathering and everyone loved this cake. So easy and so delicious ????
Love taking this to family gatherings!! I am glad your family liked it! Thank you so much!
Love this! Such an easy and yummy cake!!
I am so glad you think so 🙂 It is my go-to!! Thank you!
I love how easy this cake is to make & how incredibly good it is. I took it to a church event & it was gone in minutes!
Thank you
You are so welcome!!
Thank you for making a recipe that is wonderful and so easy..!!!
You’re so very welcome!! Thanks so much for stopping by!!
Can you bake the cake one day, and poke the holes and fill it the next day
What size cake mix & box of jello is required. Also what is the serving size. I look forward to your response.
Thank you,
Gee
Do you let the jello set up at all before pouring it on the cake? Mine totally absorbed into the cake and never solidified in the holes- even after a few hours. My cake was cool. The flavors were awesome so I am determined to find out where I went wrong and try it again. Thanks!
Love your Poke cake……..if you’d like to expand the recipe try taking a big spoon and pouring in hot pudding first into holes you make in the cake. Then pour the jello all over and refrigerate. Yummie and smooth. Perfect for summer time
Thanks for the tip, Deanna – I will try that next time!
I’m looking at my pudding recipe, it just calls for cold mil. Heat it in microwave???
What size box of jello big or small one?
jUST THE THREE OZ. BOX. bUT IF YOU HAVE THE LARGER BOX, SIMPLY USE TWO CUPS AND LET THE OTHER TWO CUPS SET AS REGULAR JELLO.
That pink looks perfect for Valentine’s Day! I’ve never had a cake like this. Does it make the cake soggy?
No, but it makes it super moist and so refreshing. Let me know if you ever try it out. 🙂
The cake came out very soggy. I had made this cake many years ago and it wasn’t soggy at all. It wasn’t this recipe. Don’t remember how much of the Jello mixture I ised, but I will DEFINITELY not use all of the liquid tHe next time I make this cake. Very disappointed. The cake mix I used was Duncan Hines SupEr MoIst classic white.
I am sorry it was. I have never had it turn out soggy, so I am not sure what happened. Thank you for trying it!
I made the cake today and it was completely soggy after 4 hours in frig. I’m glad I didn’t waste the container of cool whip. I used a lemon Duncan Hines cake mix and a 3 oz box of jello. So disappointing.
I know what happened!! a reader pointed out that the recipe was only supposed to use half the water that the jello calls for!! she asked the author to correct the recipe and she said she would…BUT she didn’t..I ruined my cake as well…I think that sucks that it was pointed out and she said she would fix it and didn’t!! very poor etiquette…such a shame I was really looking forward to this cake too…we were low on things and this was one of the things we had in the kitchen so I really wanted it to turn out well 🙁 My kids wanted something sweet … it’s a soggy mess…I should have known better I am an experienced cook!!
Hi Gwen! We didn’t ever say we would correct the recipe, just thanked the reader for pointing out her experience and feedback. 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. I’m sorry to hear yours turned out soggy. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!