Strawberry Jello Poke Cake

This Strawberry Jello Poke Cake has moist white cake filled with pockets of strawberry jello and covered with whipped topping. A very simple recipe, thanks to the help of a box cake mix.

a slice of strawberry poke cake on a plate with a fresh strawberry on top.

I love poke cake recipes such as Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake, our Old Fashioned Lemon Poke Cake and this yummy Rolo Poke Cake. They are an easy way fancy up the look and taste of ordinary cake. Just like this Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake!

Yet ummer brings more berries – and with it, more baking with berries like this Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake. YUM! Almost every week I’m scouring the farmers market, hoping for the freshest homegrown berries – and right now, all the strawberries!

This easy strawberry poke cake recipe is the perfect summertime indulgence, because it’s cool and light. Most of the sweetness of this wonderful dessert comes from the berries with a little flavor of jello infused throughout.

Plus, this delicious cake is also a very simple recipe to make. Strawberry Jello Poke Cake with Cool Whip takes few ingredients, and is a great one to enjoy at home or take along to potlucks, family gatherings, and backyard barbecues.

The look and taste of this easy dessert recipe are true symbols of summer. It’s a great red and white Canada Day dessert and so pretty for birthday parties! In my experience this cake has always been a crowd favorite.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • EASY RECIPE – With the convenience of a box cake mix and a whipped topping, this might be the easiest poke cake to make aside from Grandmas Fruit Cocktail Cake Recipe.
  • DELICIOUS – Fluffy moist cake infused with Strawberry Jello, and finished with a Cool Whip topping.
  • VERSATILE – It’s an easy poke cake that can be made in less than an hour for when the craving hits, or decorated for a special occasion.
  • Total Time: 2.5 hours
  • Serves: 10

Ingredients and Notes

ingredients on a table to make strawberry poke cake with jello, box cake mix, water, eggs, and fresh strawberries.
  • White Cake Mix – You can also use a vanilla cake mix, or chocolate cake mix for this strawberry jello poke cake recipe.
  • Cool Whip – Use regular or low fat Cool Whip. You can even make your own whipped topping or use a Delicious Cream Cheese Frosting.

As always, the full ingredients and recipe is on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Recipe Variations

  • You can make your own whipped topping for this easy strawberry poke cake. Simply beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks develop. You might want to add a teaspoon vanilla extract to give the whipped cream a nice sweet flavour.
  • I love the red with white when you use a box of moist white cake mix , though you could use yellow cake mix or chocolate cake mix if you need to.
  • Use another flavor of Jello to switch up the overall taste such as cherry jello. This perfect summer dessert can be any flavor you’d like.

How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake

STEP 1 (Not Pictured) – Preheat oven to 350°. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with a nonstick coating and set aside.

steps to make strawberry poke cake such as baking box cake mix and poking holes into the baked cake.

STEP 2 – Combine the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and water in a mixing bowl and stir until all of the ingredients are wet. Mix the batter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.

STEP 3 – Pour cake batter into the 9×13 pan and bake for 25-28 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

STEP 4 (Not Pictured) – Place cake pan on a wire rack and cool for 45 minutes.

STEP 5 – Using the back of a wooden spoon, gently poke holes all over the top of the cake, about 1 inch apart.

STEP 6 – Pour the powdered strawberry JELLO mix into a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and whisk until combined.

steps to make strawberry poke cake with jello including pouring jello mixture into poked holes, and adding a layer of cool whip on top.

STEP 7 – Pour the jello mixture all over the top of the cake.

STEP 8 – Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.

STEP 9 – Before serving, spread Cool Whip on top of the cake. If desired, garnish with whole sliced fresh strawberries either on the whole cake or on top of each cake slice. Enjoy!

Storage

Place leftover cake into an airtight container or cover well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate this strawberry jello cake for up to 4 days.

I could almost eat the entire cake, so don’t be surprised if you don’t have any leftover though.

The easy recipe for Strawberry Jello Poke Cake is below, and don’t forget to check out my other Strawberry Desserts recipes. If this recipe is your style, you might want to try our Strawberry Jello Pie recipe.

a slice of strawberry poke cake on a plate with a fresh strawberry on top.

Recipe FAQ

Why is my Jello poke cake soggy?

If you pour the Jello mixture into the holes too fast or add too much, there is a chance. Yet jello solidifies quickly so you really don’t have to worry too much about that.

What is Jello poke cake?

A Jello poke cake is when Jello is poured into the poked holes in an already baked cake. This is compared to a poke cake filled with pudding, or even a homemade lemon curd.

Can you make strawberry poke cake ahead of time?

Yes, and I suggest doing so because it’s best when good and chilled. You can make it up to the day before, and just frost the cake and garnish right before serving.

If you’ve tried this Strawberry Poke Cake with Jello or any other recipe on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you. Finally, consider leaving a 🌟 star rating while you’re here. Thanks!

a slice of strawberry poke cake on a plate with a fresh strawberry on top.

Strawberry Jello Poke Cake

This Strawberry Jello Poke Cake has moist white cake made with box cake mix, pockets of strawberry jello, and covered with whipped topping. A very simple cake recipe that is the perfect light summer dessert.
4.82 from 38 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 38 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Author: Tammi

Ingredients 

  • 1 box white cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 3 oz strawberry JELLO
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 8 oz Cool Whip (thawed)
  • Strawberries (for garnish)

Instructions

  •  Preheat oven to 350°. Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with a nonstick coating and set aside.
  • Combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and water in a mixing bowl and stir until all of the ingredients are wet. Mix the batter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  • Pour into the 9×13 pan and bake for 25-28 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Place cake pan on a wire rack and cool for 45 minutes.
  • Using the end of a wooden spoon, gently poke holes all over the top of the cake, about 1 inch apart.
  • Pour the powdered strawberry JELLO mix into a mixing bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and whisk until combined.
  • Pour the jello mixture all over the top of the cake.
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
  • Before serving, spread Cool Whip on top of the cake. If desired, garnish with whole sliced fresh strawberries either on the whole cake or on top of each cake slice. Enjoy!

Notes

Vary the recipe by using another flavor of cake mix, or Jello flavor. 
Place leftover cake into an airtight container or cover well with plastic wrap. Refrigerate this strawberry jello cake for up to 4 days.
Tried this recipe?Tag @MyOrganizedChaosBlog so I can share!

Nutrition

Serving: 10people | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 134mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 118IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 1mg
Pin Recipe

Similar Posts

14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is such an easy strawberry poke cake with cool whip. It’s a quick cake to make, and so light and fresh for spring and summer.

  2. For the holiday weekend, to get the red-white-and blue look, I’m topping with blueberry pie filling then the whip cream and cutting up strawberries for the top! We shall see!!!

  3. I wonder what it would taste like made with a Strawberry cake mix? I guess I’m going to find out since that’s the only one I have . I’m making Fluffy white icing unless I’ve got some Cool whip stashed in the freezer too. If it works I’ll let you know.

  4. I make poke cakes all the time I switch it up I do a peach poke cake with peach yogurt whip on top it’s delicious

  5. This reminds me of something my grandma used to make! Plus I love strawberry desserts in the summer!

  6. We used to make poke cakes regularly in summertime while i was growing up. I would love to make this beautiful cake with my own girls as our summer tradition. Yum!

4.82 from 38 votes (37 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating