Easy Strawberry Poke Cake

Easy Strawberry Poke Cake is a retro-style dessert made with a box of cake mix, strawberry gelatin, and a whipped cream topping. And of course lots of fresh strawberries.

It is just a matter of weeks before the pick-your-own strawberry field near my house opens. They are the plumpest, juiciest, reddest strawberries ever.

Spring should be full of plenty of strawberry treats.

This Easy Strawberry Poke Cake is similar to the Strawberry Tres Leches cake I made last year. To make a poke cake, you first bake an easy white cake using a box of cake mix. I’ve added a box of pudding mix, 4 eggs, vegetable oil, and milk to make sure the cake doesn’t come out dry.

Once cooked, you poke the cake all over with a serving fork or straw, just like you would a tres leches cake. Dissolve the strawberry flavored gelatin in water and pour on top of the cake. It seeps down into the holes creating a beautiful colored pattern and distributing that super sweet strawberry-flavored goodness throughout the cake.  Finish it off with some fresh whipped cream and fresh strawberries for a beautiful and delicious spring dessert.

You can make this recipe even easier by using cool whip to frost the cake instead of fresh whipped cream. But fresh whipped cream is one of my favorite things to make (and eat!) and it only takes a few minutes. The cream will whip up faster and better if you remember to chill the mixing bowl and whisk attachment for your mixer in the refrigerator before whipping the cream.

Try These Other Delicious Strawberry Desserts:

• Strawberry Pretzel Salad
• Strawberry Twinkie Cake
• Strawberry Sheet Cake

Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is!

Easy Strawberry Poke Cake

4.86 from 7 votes

By Christin Mahrlig

Prep: 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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This retro-style strawberry dessert is super moist with plenty of strawberry flavor and a whipped cream topping.

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Ingredients

Cake

• ▢ 1 (15.25-ounce) box white cake mix
• ▢ 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding
• ▢ 4 eggs
• ▢ 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 3/4 cup milk
• ▢ 1 (3-ounce) box strawberry flavored Jell-O
• ▢ 1 cup boiling water
• ▢ 1/2 cup cold water

Whipped Topping

• ▢ 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 pound strawberries,, hulled and sliced

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and milk until well mixed, about 2 minutes. Pour into pan and bake for 40 minutes.
• Let cool for 20-30 minutes.
• Using a serving fork or straw, poke holes all over cake.
• In a medium bowl, mix Jell-O and boiling water until Jell-O is dissolved. Mix in cold water and pour mixture slowly over cake so that it sinks down in holes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• To make whipped topping, place heavy cream in a mixing bowl of an electric mixer and using a whisk attachment, beat on high until soft peaks form. Gradually add in sugar and continue to beat until cream gets thick.
• Spread whipped topping on top of cake and top with sliced strawberries.

Notes

Place bowl and whisk attachment for beating cream in the refrigerator to chill before using.

Nutrition

Calories: 419kcal

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

Did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag us @spicysouthernkitchen on social media!

Originally published March 14, 2014

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