Cool and creamy, this Strawberry Jello Cake is the ultimate summertime dessert! It’ll be your new favorite dessert for cookouts and pot-lucks!
If you love a simple cake dessert, then this Strawberry Jello Cake is for you. Made with just a few simple ingredients, this delicious strawberry dessert is perfect for just about any occasion. Fantastic for your summer picnics, potlucks, and backyard cookouts, this delicious jello poke cake recipe is easy to make ahead, and enjoy with friends and family.
STRAWBERRY JELLO CAKE
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My brother Dave’s birthday is July 3rd. As a kid, he never really got to celebrate it with his classmates and friends, as it was smack-dab in the middle of summer, and most of his pals were on vacation with their families for the 4th of July holiday. Because of this my mom always made sure there were plenty of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents around for his Independence Day eve birthday. She also always made his favorite cake – a strawberry jello poke cake. Now that Dave is an adult, he still requests this delicious strawberry cake! It’s also become a July 4th picnic dessert mainstay.
What is Poke Cake
- It’s a cake you poke holes in after baking. The holes are then filled with flavorings like Jell-O, caramel sauce, a sweetened condensed milk mixture, pudding, etc. The “filling” creates unique internal stripes where it soaks into the cake. These cakes are usually topped with frosting, whipped cream, or whipped topping and garnished with sprinkles, fruit, or candies.
How to Make Jello Cake
- Bake a simple white cake in a 9-inch x 13-inch pan.
- Once cooled, poke holes into the cake with a fork.
- Mix up the strawberry Jell-O and pour it on top of the white cake and into the holes. Because of the Jell-O, the cake becomes wonderfully moist and loaded with strawberry flavor. If you want to make a different flavor jello cake recipe, just change out the Jell-O flavor and garnish to match.
- To make sure the Jell-O sets up, the cake will need to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours.
- Once refrigerated, and just before serving, top the cake with whipped topping and strawberries.
Homemade cool whip is a great alternative to using a frosting, which can be a little heavy. The whipped topping spreads nicely on the Jell-O cake and creates a barrier for topping the cake with sliced strawberries. The strawberries can be kept whole (like in the photos) or the stems can be removed and the sliced strawberries can be placed all over the top of the Cool Whip layer. Whichever you prefer, this delicious strawberry jello poke cake recipe is the ideal summer dessert… just like my family’s other favorite dessert, Strawberry Cheesecake.
Try these other poke cake recipes, they’re our favorites!
- Oreo Poke Cake
- Caramel Apple Poke Cake
- Banana Split Poke Cake
- Toasted Coconut Poke Cake
- Better Than Sex Cake
- More dessert recipes…
Tools used to make this Strawberry Jello Cake recipe
Stand Mixer:Â I don’t know what I’d do without my stand mixer. I use it for just about everything…and I mean everything! Cakes, cookies, mashed potatoes, and shredding chicken!
Baking Dish:Â This baking dish is a must-have for any home cook. I actually have 3 of them in my cupboard, and each dish comes with a lid for storing leftovers or taking your dishes on the go.
Medium Saucepan:Â I don’t what I’d do without this saucepan. It gets used in my kitchen every day. The glass lid even has strainer sides so I even have a colander for pasta!
Rubber Spatula:Â Rubber spatulas are one of those kitchen tools you don’t realize how much you use until they’re all dirty. This set of three spatulas in various sizes and shapes will make cooking everything from dinner to dessert a breeze.
Ingredients
- 1 package white cake mix (16.25 ounces)
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3 egg whites
- 3 ounces strawberry gelatin mix (1 box)
- 1 1/2 cup water (divided)
- 8 ounces whipped topping (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 cups sliced strawberries (about 12 strawberries)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Prepare cake mix with water, vegetable oil, and egg whites according to package directions.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 29-33 minutes. Let cake cool to room temperature. After the cake has cooled, poke holes into the cake with a fork.
- Boil 1 cup of water; remove from heat. Add in gelatin mix and stir about 2 minutes or until well dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water and stir to combine.
- Pour the Jell-O into the holes that were poked into the top of the cake, being sure to pour all the Jell-O over the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours to let the Jell-O setup.
- Once chilled, top the cake with the whipped topping. Add the sliced strawberries for garnish. Slice and serve the cake. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Nutrition
Creamy Strawberry Pie by Delightful E Made
Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff Salad by Delightful E Made
Nadia says
Love this cake but forgot part of it ….I maye à double layer round cake add vanilla pudding or strawberry glace and sliced strawberries in between thé layer…but yours is so pretty that I am going to try your receipe . Thank you for this!
Stephanie says
My family has been making this for years. It’s easy, cheap and a great dessert if you’re on a budget.
I would suggest that you let your Jell-O harden a little bit in the fridge before you pour it into the cake. This prevents the cake from becoming soggy. You can also control exactly where you want the Jell-O to go.
Once you’re finished you cover the entire cake and put it in the fridge to harden. Cover in cool whip and your choice of toppings (optional).
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you for the tips!
Susan Barlowe says
I had the cake in the oven but l just wanted to make sure how to finish it.
I looked here and made sure l was
doing the right thing. Yep l am doing fine. This was a big help. You would
think at my age…72…that l could do this alone but it never hurts to check.
Aubrey Cota says
I’ve learned that double checking saves a lot of heartaches and disappointments!