Strawberry Poke Cake

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Strawberry Jello Poke Cake — This strawberry Jello cake uses just five ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It’s a moist, refreshing dessert you’ll definitely want seconds of! 

Strawberry Poke Cake — This strawberry Jello cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It's a moist, refreshing dessert you'll definitely want seconds of! 

Easy Strawberry Poke Cake … with Jello!

I’m a huge fan of poke cakes because they’re incredibly moist and tender. 

If you’re not familiar, poke cakes are cakes that have holes poked into them after baking and a sweet sauce is poured in, which both flavors the cake and keeps it squishy soft. No chance of a dry cake.

Normally the sweet sauces that I’ve used in poke cakes are sweetened condensed milk, caramel sauce, and peanut butter. Strawberry is a first for me, and it certainly won’t be the last.

This strawberry Jello poke cake is super moist yet light, airy, and not heavy in the least. It’s refreshing on a warm day because it’s stored in the fridge and served chilled. It’s the kind of cake you’ll want to take a fork right into the cake pan and keep straightening the rows.

I love the tie-dyed appearance of the white cake with red Jello streaks. The strawberries and whipped cream (err…whipped topping) is such a classic and perfect combination!

Strawberry Poke Cake — This strawberry Jello cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It's a moist, refreshing dessert you'll definitely want seconds of! 

Ingredients in Strawberry Jello Poke Cake

To make this simple poke cake with strawberry Jello, you’ll need the following ingredients: 

  • White cake mix (plus ingredients called for on the box)
  • Strawberry Jello
  • Cool Whip
  • Fresh strawberries

Yes, plenty of baking shortcuts makes this a fast, easy, and foolproof strawberry poke cake that’s perfect for spring and summer parties or potlucks.

Strawberry Poke Cake — This strawberry Jello cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It's a moist, refreshing dessert you'll definitely want seconds of! 

How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake with Jello

Making strawberry Cool Whip cake with Jello is nearly foolproof! Let’s review the basic recipe steps:

  1. Prep a 9×13-inch pan and preheat the oven.
  2. Then, make the white cake according to the package instructions and bake.
  3. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke holes all over it with a fork. 
  4. Once the holes have been poked into the cake, make the strawberry Jello and slowly pour it evenly over the cake (the Jello mixture will be liquid, you don’t need to let it chill in the fridge).
  5. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil, and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. 
  6. Remove cake from the fridge and spread the whipped topping over the cake.
  7. Refrigerate for another 2 hours before slicing, garnishing with strawberries, and serving.

FAQs

Can I Use Sugar-Free Jello? 

I used regular (not sugar-free) Jell-O and can’t speak to the results if you use sugar-free.

Can i make the white cake from scratch?

Yes! I used a boxed cake mix to save time, but you can also make my white cake recipe and bake the batter in a 9×13-inch pan rather than two 9-inch round cake pans.

How far down should you poke holes in a poke cake?

You’ll want to use a fork or the end of a wooden spoon to poke the cake all over. The holes should go about halfway into the baked cake. Do NOT poke to the very bottom.

How to Store Strawberry Jello Poke Cake

This strawberry Jello poke cake is best the day it’s made, but it’ll last up to 5 days in the fridge. Note that the cake will soften as time goes on. 

Strawberry Poke Cake — This strawberry Jello cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It's a moist, refreshing dessert you'll definitely want seconds of! 

Tips for the Best Strawberry Poke Cake

Scratch cake option: If you want to keep this strawberry Jell-O poke cake more homemade than semi-homemade, you can make a batch of this scratch white cake rather than cake mix. (You’ll want to bake the batter in a 9×13-inch pan and not two 9-inch cake pans!)

Cool Whip: And although you could whip your own cream, it will likely deflate within a day and you’ll have a #cakefail on your hands. I prefer Cool Whip because it’s much more stable and doesn’t deflate.

Strawberries: Lastly, don’t add the strawberries until immediately prior to serving because they can get a little mushy if they’re sitting in Cool Whip in the fridge.

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4.47 from 15 votes

Strawberry Poke Cake

By Averie Sunshine
This Strawberry Poke Cake uses just four ingredients and is a hit at parties and potlucks! It's a moist, refreshing dessert you'll definitely want seconds of! 
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Chill Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 35 minutes
Servings: 20 servings
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Ingredients  

  • one 15.25-ounce box white cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake (likely 3 egg whites, water, and oil)
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • one 3-ounce package strawberry Jell-O
  • ½ cup cold water
  • one 8-ounce container whipped topping, thawed (I used fat-free)
  • fresh strawberries sliced for garnishing, to taste

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
  • Make cake according to package directions (likely adding 3 egg whites, water, and oil) and bake as directed.
  • Remove cake from the oven when it’s done (probably about 23 to 28 minutes) and use a fork to poke holes all over the cake.
  • To a large microwave-safe measuring cup, add 1 cup water and bring to a boil, about 90 seconds on high power.
  • Add the Jell-O and whisk to combine until Jell-O has fully dissolved.
  • Add 1/2 cold water and whisk to combine.
  • Slowly and evenly pour the Jell-O water over the cake, taking your time to evenly distribute it. Cover and place cake in the fridge for about 3 hours.
  • Remove cake from the fridge, evenly spread the whipped topping over the surface, cover cake, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better) before slicing, garnishing with strawberries, and serving.

Notes

  • Don’t add the strawberries until immediately prior to serving because they can get a little mushy if they’re sitting in Cool Whip in the fridge.
  • Cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • If desired, you can make your cake from scratch using this Vanilla Cake Recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 141kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 102mg, Sugar: 14g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Poke Cake Recipes: 

Check out 40+ Strawberry Recipes HERE and all of my poke cake recipes HERE

Pineapple Poke Cake with Pineapple Glaze –  Fast, easy, one-bowl, no mixer, from-scratch cake that’s easier than a mix! The glaze soaks into every inch and you’ll be in juicy pineapple heaven!

Pineapple Poke Cake with Pineapple Glaze on a white plate

Caramel Cream Poke Cake – A creamy caramel mixture soaks into soft yellow cake before being topped with whipped cream and more caramel! An easy cake that’s a guaranteed winner especially with caramel lovers!

Caramel Cream Poke Cake on a white plate

Honey Bun Poke Cake — Tastes like a Honey Bun in cake form!! Sweet, rich, decadent, and reminds me of the Honey Buns I used to eat as a kid! Fast and EASY!!

A slice of Honey Bun Poke Cake on a white plate

Orange Poke Cake with Honey-Orange Glaze — BOLD orange flavor in this EASY, 100% scratch, no mixer poke cake!

Orange Poke Cake with Honey-Orange Glaze on a white plate

S’mores Poke Cake — S’mores by way of an unapologetically rich and decadent poke cake. Two of my favorite things married into one glorious and easy dessert!

S'mores Poke Cake on a white plate with a fork

Coconut Caramel Poke Cake — An incredibly EASY super moist cake thanks to a creamy caramel mixture that’s poked into the cake!

A slice of Coconut Caramel Poke Cake on a white plate

Better-Than-Anything Peanut Butter Cake — This peanut butter poke cake is a super easy cake recipe. It’s packed with peanut butter flavor and topped with a mix of peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups. Poke cakes don’t get tastier than this!

A slice of Better-Than-Anything Peanut Butter Cake on a white plate
4.47 from 15 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

    1. Thanks for the 5 star review, Kelly, and great to hear this was well received! Agreed, nice and light and perfect for a summer BBQ!

  1. 5 stars
    This cake was soooo good! And so easy to make. My 8-year-old did most of the work :) My husband (who doesn’t like super sweet desserts) loved it. It was light and moist and the fresh strawberries are perfect on top!

  2. 5 stars
    This cake was soooo good! And so easy to make. My 8-year-old did most of the work :) My husband (who doesn’t like super sweet desserts) loved it. It was light and moist and the fresh strawberries are perfect on top!

    1. Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad it was so good and easy! And not too sweet for your husband, either!

  3. Do you let it cool before putting it in the fridge or put it straight in after adding the jello? It seems like you add the warm jello mix to a warm cake, and then put it straight into the fridge.

    1. You can let it cool at room temp a bit and then put it in the fridge, or just straight to fridge, it’s very flexible.

  4. I am about to use strawberry cake mix, berry blue jello, and lemon frosting (think primary colors!). Fingers crossed for me! :D

  5. Love that beautiful cake!!! It looks so yummy. Definitely going to try making it for my sister coming birthday party:)

  6. Instead of the cold water, try using 1/2 to 1 cup of Strawberry soda pop. It enhances the flavor of the strawberry jello and gives it a nice punch, and then instead of just coolwhip for the topping, I make a pkg of instant vanilla pudding but only use 1/2 of the milk, when it is thick, I then add in 1 12oz pkg of coolwhip and continue to ice the cake. It is still very light and fluffy and ooooh so good. I have also used lime jello and just used sprite for the soda.

    1. Funny I just made a cake with that type of frosting (pudding mix, half the milk, cool whip) that I am posting about in a few weeks. Good tip about the water/soda swap, thanks.

  7. Ooh, this looks springy and light! I laughed about your “straightening the rows” comment. I’ve done that once or twice in my life …

  8.  This is a very pretty cake for spring and summer and the marbled look caught my eye right away! I think cool whip and jello are great for making something a little lighter without sacrificing flavor.