Easy Strawberry Poke Cake

I don’t know about you, but I’m all about easy, make ahead dessert recipes. Especially as the weather warms up!

It might seem weird to you to pair Jello with cake, but trust me, it’s a match made in heaven. The cake is so moist and packed with flavor, yet also feels super light at the same time. Perfect for summer!

Plus, it’s such a simple, easy to make recipe.  Although it does require a little forethought, since the cake does have to cool before you add the whipped cream topping.

However, that’s true for any cake right?  Frosting a warm cake will end up a gooey mess… trust me… been there before.

In fact, you can even make this cake completely ahead of time, and let it hang out in the refrigerator overnight.  The flavors get deeper and more meshed together, and all you have to do on the day of serving is add some strawberries on top!

How to make strawberry poke cake?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Prepare cake according to package directions and bake.  Use your favorite brand of cake mix.  Our favorites are Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker.
2. Poke holes in warm cake.  It’s best to do this while the cake is still warm so it will absorb the Jello mixture we add next.
3. Combine boiling water and Jello mix.  Just be careful you don’t splash any boiling water on yourself.
4. Pour Jello over cake. I find it’s best to do this slowly, so you can really make sure the entire cake is covered. Cover with foil and refrigerate cake for 1-2 hours.
5. Spread whipped topping on top of cake.
6. Garnish with strawberries if desired. This is best to do right before serving, so the strawberries look their best and don’t weep any liquid into your whipped cream layer.

Variations of this recipe

• Sugar-free – I haven’t specifically tested this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.  Use sugar free cake mix, Jello mix and whipped topping for a sugar-free dessert!
• Other cake flavors – I like to use white cake mix because the neutral color pairs well with the brightness of the jello. However, you can switch up the cake mix and use strawberry, vanilla/french vanilla, or any other flavor you’d like.
• Other Jello flavors – this recipe can serve as a method and will work with any Jello flavor you like!
• Poke Cupcakes – instead of following the package directions to make a 9×13 cake, make cupcakes.  Poke a few holes in the cupcakes and continue with the recipe.
• Strawberry slices – to bump up the strawberry flavor, after adding the Jello and letting it soak into the cake, before adding the whipped cream, add a layer of strawberry slices.
• Homemade – not into using cake mix and prepared whipped topping?  No worries, you can absolutely use your own from-scratch recipes to make those and use them here.  It’s a very versatile recipe!

Making a poke cake ahead of time

This cake is a bit of a natural make ahead dessert, as the cake needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours. Not only to cool, but to allow for the pudding to really soak down into the cake.

However, this cake can be made completely, including the whipped cream topping, then covered and refrigerated a day or two.  Just make sure not to add any toppings (strawberries, cookies, etc) until right before you serve, so they don’t get soggy or weep liquid into the whipped topping.

Storage

Leftovers should be refrigerated and eaten within 3 days.