🍓🍰😍 This strawberry Jello poke 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!
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Easy Strawberry Poke Cake … with Jello!
I’m a huge fan of poke cake recipes 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!
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!
Stef
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 cake mix or chocolate cake mix would also taste great
- Strawberry Jello – I used regular (not sugar-free) Jell-O and can’t speak to the results if you use sugar-free
- Cool Whip – Although you could whip your own heavy cream, the stiff peaks will likely deflate within a day, and you’ll have a cake fail on your hands. I prefer Cool Whip because it’s much more stable and doesn’t deflate
- Fresh strawberries – I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
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:
- Prep a 9×13-inch pan and preheat the oven.
- Then, make the white cake according to the package instructions, pour the cake batter into the prepared pan, and bake. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke holes all over it with a fork or the handle of a wooden spoon.
- 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).
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap or foil, and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. Remove the cake from the fridge and spread the whipped topping over the cake.
- Refrigerate for another 2 hours before slicing, garnishing with strawberries, and serving. 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! For even more strawberry flavor, try adding a drizzle of fresh strawberry sauce, too.
FAQs
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.
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.
This strawberry Jello poke cake is best the day it’s made, but it’ll last up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Note that the cake will soften as time goes on. For this reason, I don’t recommend storing leftovers in the freezer.
Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake (likely 3 egg whites, water, and oil)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 (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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake (likely 3 egg whites, water, and oil)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 (3-ounce) package strawberry Jell-O
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 (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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
©averiecooks.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
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!
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!
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!
Orange Poke Cake with Honey-Orange Glaze — BOLD orange flavor in this EASY, 100% scratch, no mixer poke cake!
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!
Coconut Caramel Poke Cake — An incredibly EASY super moist cake thanks to a creamy caramel mixture that’s poked into the cake!
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!
Is there a way to make this egg free? Grandson is allergic to eggs.
I would use an egg replacer https://amzn.to/4561Kjj and see how that goes. I have not tested it.
Must use fresh local berries. supermarket strawberries have no tast
Would angel food cake be too delicate? In my mind it would make it an even lighter desert..?
I think it would be too delicate. This is very light and lovely as written with white cake so I think it’s very safe to use white cake mix. Enjoy!