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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.
I remember when Jello came out with the Poke Cake recipe. I was a teenager and Mom told me to make a poke cake. It was the holiday and in my teenage mind I knew I was going to make a cake to celebrate. I used food dye (blue because Jello didn’t make a blue one then)) not realizing that they might run into each other and make some awful color – it definitely was a cake to celebrate!
When Jello came out with the blueberry, I started making the celebration cakes again.
Loved this cake. My family enjoyed it as well. Easy to make.
This is a super great red- white & blue idea!! I own an in home daycare & the kids absolutely love to make snacks & help cook. I had never thought of using the blue & red jello. We are doing this soon. Thank you so much for sharing!! I love your recipes. They always turn out amazing! Thank you
I made this over Memorial Day weekend and the grandkids LOVED it!!
Such a festive cake and so easy to make. I have always loved jello poke cakes.
This is an all time summer classic cake. Everyone loves it and it is so pretty. You can’t go wrong with Strawberries. My grandchildren loved to help make this dessert. It is so refreshing and easy to make..
I have made this cake many times. It made a pretty and showy birthday cake for a five year old. It is a fun cake to make with my grandkids. It is a favorite with my husband. I find it to be a refreshing unheavy summer dessert.
Taste like a holiday! Very colorful and great for a warm summer day! Love all your delicious recipes! Will make when my daughter and her family comes from Phoenix to Delaware for the 4 th of July.