Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake is the perfect light and sweet jello dessert perfect for any gathering with family and friends. Delicious poke cake recipe that’s so pretty!
What is a Poke Cake?
Poke Cakes became popular a few years back and I have loved experimenting with different flavors. These cakes are given their name, Poke Cake, because after the cake has been baked, holes are poked all through out the cake before adding some type of filling into the cake. For this cake, we are using Strawberry Jello.
Ingredients needed for Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake:
Cake:
- White cake mix
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- Strawberry flavored Jell-O
- 1/2 cup cold water
Frosting:
- 1 tub Cool-Whip non-dairy whipped topping
- Almond extract
- 1 tub ready-made frosting, any type {I like the whipped white frosting for this recipe}
And, fresh strawberries, for the topping
Adapted from Six Sisters Stuff
How to make Strawberry Poke Cake:
To start, bake the cake as directed on the back of the box. Follow the directions for a 9×13 pan.
To make boxed cake mix taste better, I swap out milk for the water and add an additional egg – or egg white in this case!
After the cake has cooked, let it cool for 20 minutes. Then “poke” the cake with a large fork. I space my pokes about 1/2″ apart, covering the entire surface of the cake.
Boil 3/4 cup of water. Once it boils stir the Jell-O mix and the boiling water in a mixing bowl until the Jell-O is completely dissolved. Pour in 1/2 cup cold water and continue to stir, then pour over the cake. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about three hours.
Mix the Cool-Whip and frosting together, stirring gently. Add in almond extract. Spread on top of cake.
Wash, core and slice/ dice the strawberries. You can even use a fancy strawberry slicer if you’d like! Layer them on top of the cream when ready to serve. Store cake in fridge.
Enjoy!
STRAWBERRIES & CREAM POKE CAKE
Ingredients
How to Make the Strawberry Poke Cake
- 1 15.25 oz boxed white cake mix
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 3 oz strawberry Jell-O
- 1/2 cup cold water
How to Make the Whipped Cream Frosting
- 8 oz whipped topping
- 8 oz vanilla frosting {I like the whipped white frosting for this recipe}
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 16 oz strawberries for topping
Instructions
- Bake cake as directed on the back of the box for a 9×13 pan. {To make boxed cake mix taste better, I swap out milk for the water and add an additional egg – or egg white in this case!}
- Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and “poke” the cake with a large fork. I space my pokes about 1/2? apart, covering the entire surface of the cake.
- Stir the boiling water and Jell-O in a mixing bowl until the Jell-O is completely dissolved. Pour in the cold water and continue to stir, then pour over the cake.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about three hours.
- Combine the Cool-Whip and frosting, stirring gently. Add in almond extract. Spread on top of cake.
- Wash, core and slice/ dice the strawberries. (You can even use a fancy strawberry slicer if you’d like!) Layer them on top of the cream when ready to serve. Store cake in fridge. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Can poke cake be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make poke cake 1-2 days before you plan on serving it! I actually think poke cakes are even better the next day because the lemon filling has more time to seep into the cake! Just store it covered in the fridge.
Can you freeze poke cake?
You can freeze poke cake! You can freeze the entire cake, or freeze slices in airtight containers. Just thaw it in the fridge for 2-3 hours before serving.
Can you replace the Cool Whip in Strawberries & Cream Poke Cake?
Cool Whip is the best “whipped topping” to use in this recipe. However, if you can’t find Cool Whip where you live or you prefer not to use it in recipes, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead. If you just use regular whipped cream, the consistency will be too light and the cream will not hold up very well when mixed into the jello salad. It’s very simple to make your own stabilized whipped cream and it just takes a few minutes!
See Homemade Whipped Cream recipes here.
How do you make stabilized whipped cream?
To make stabilized whipped cream, you will need the following ingredients:
- 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream.
- Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar and vanilla until soft and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream just until soft peaks form.
- Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
A little tip for making whipped cream faster. Use a metal bowl for whipping the cream and place the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will significantly decrease the amount of time that you will need to beat the whipped cream – the process will go much faster!
CakenGifts.in Noida says
I never made cake but with the help of this recipe I made it successfully. It’s taste was fabulous!!!!!!!!!! I would like to recommend this cake to all my colleagues.
Nellie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
W2F Strawberry Cakes Online says
Very delicious! I’m planning it to made this recipe for Valentines Day and hope everyone loved it. thank you for such a lovely recipe.
Jennie Busteed says
You show Betty Crocker Super Moist white cake mix in your photo, but it only comes in a 16.25 oz box while other white mixes are 15.25 oz. Does it matter?
Jessica says
Nah- it doesn’t matter. 🙂 I hope you like the cake!
Kathy B says
Just like my Mom used to make in the summer. Love this!
Alison says
Love it when good food brings back good memories!
sam says
really nice cake. thanks for sharing.
Jessica says
Thanks Sam!