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Cool, light, and refreshing 4th of July Poke Cake is great for summer holidays! It’s simple, festive and delicious!
For more favorites, check out Our Classic Poke Cake, 4th of July Rice Krispie treats and Fruit Pizza.
4th of July Cake
(…. or Memorial Day or Labor Day.)
Because we love jello poke cake so much, we knew we wanted to make a patriotic version for some of our favorite holidays.
Why we love it:
- Holiday perfect. Perfect for patriotic holidays like Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- Simple. This cake is easy to make and requires few ingredients.
- Delicious. The kids love this cake, especially because it’s nice and cool.
How to Make Patriotic Poke Cake
- CAKE. Prepare boxed cake mix as directed and bake in a 9×13 pan. Let cool for an hour.
- POKE. Poke holes into the cake with the end of a knife or handle of a wooden spoon at 1 inch intervals.
- JELLO. Prepare the two jell-o’s separately as directed on box (but only add ½ cup cold water after adding jello mix to the 1 cup boiling water). Pour jello into a two tall glasses. Using a straw, fill it with the liquid JELLO and place in every other hole in the cake. Do this with both the red and blue jello.
- REFRIGERATE + SERVE. Chill 3 to 4 hours and top with whipped cream (or Cool Whip). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Make this patriotic cake into cupcakes. Divide the batter into about 24 cupcake tins and bake according to directions on the box. Once they have cooled poke them with a fork or skewer, use a soup spoon to drizzle jello into the holes and chill.
- Make two round cakes. These would be very pretty when stacked. Bake cakes according to package directions. Cool then poke holes, add jello and chill.
- Add toppings: I love the simplicity of the whipped cream on top, but you can add some toppings for extra flare. Here are some ideas.
- Red White and Blue Sprinkles
- Fresh berries: blueberries, raspberries, sliced strawberries
- Swap the whipped topping for cream cheese frosting or buttercream
Storing Tips
STORE tightly covered cake 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.
For more Poke Cakes, try:
- Jello Poke Cake
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake
- Oreo Pudding Poke Cake
- Lemon Lime Poke Cake
- Red Velvet Poke Cake
4th of July Poke Cake Recipe
Cool, light, and refreshing 4th of July Poke Cake is great for summer holidays! It's sure to be a tasty hit.
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix box
- 1 3.3 oz box strawberry jello or cherry
- 1 3.3 oz box blueberry jello
- 2 cups boiling water divided
- 1 cup cold water divided
- 8 oz whipped cream
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix as directed and bake in a 9×13 pan. Let cool for an hour.
- Poke holes into the cake with the end of a knife or wooden spoon at 1 inch intervals.
- Prepare jell-o’s separately as directed on box (but only add ½ cup cold water after adding jello mix to the 1 cup boiling water). Pour jello into a two tall glasses. Using a straw, fill it with the liquid JELLO and place in every other hole in the cake. Do this with both the red and blue jello.
- Chill 3 to 4 hours and top with whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 168kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 243mg, Potassium: 44mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 104IU, Calcium: 92mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Poke cakes are the best. Made this the other day n everyone loved it.
Such a simple light dessert! It was a hit at a family gathering!!
Yummy! I’ve made something like this before with only strawberry jello. Love the idea to add blueberry too. This is making an appearance on my 4th of July dessert table. It’s one of the easiest and most delicious holiday desserts. Thank you!
I always love a good poke cake, and this one is so fun for July 4th! I had my daughter help me, and she loved poking the holes in the cake, and of course adding the sprinkles. I think she’ll be requesting it all summer long. 🙂
What a fun cake and absolutely perfect for the 4th of July!
Thank you! It really is such a fun one for the holiday weekend!
I dont NORMALLY enjoy cake, but poke cake is a DIFFERENT story, i love that si cold and FLAVORFUL. This one is so fun for 4th of July.
Such a fun and cool patriotic dessert!
I love that this cake festive as well as light but full of yummy flavor. Poke Cakes are a favorite!
I have made this several times, my family can’t get enough! It is the softest cake ever!
This is one of our favorite cakes to make all summer long! It’s a hit anywhere we take it.