Strawberry Jello Poke Cake (with Cheesecake layer!)
Strawberry Jello Poke Cake is a delicious summer cake that is perfect to bring to the neighborhood potluck or BBQ.
Strawberry jello poke cake is such a perfect summer dessert. It seems like we love all things strawberry when it's in season such as stuffed waffles with strawberries and cream cheese, strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream, and of course this strawberry poke cake.
It is always fun to see the inside of the cake when you lift it up, with the white and red stripes.
Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake
This strawberry jello poke cake also has a cheesecake layer between the cake and whipped cream frosting layer. We used a cheesecake pudding mix instead of making a cheesecake filling from cream cheese and other ingredients.
We found by using the mix for the cheesecake it make the cake come together faster.
Using whipped cream as the frosting works really well with this cake. It's light and airy, which is reminiscent of strawberry shortcake.
What is poke cake?
If you've never had a poke cake before, you'll love it!
It is a cake that has holes poked into it after baking and then pouring some sort of filling into those holes for an infusion of flavor. For this cake, we use strawberry Jell-o. You might also know this cake by the name Strawberry poke hole cake.
Do I have to use white cake mix?
No, not at all. If you prefer you can use a different flavor of cake mix.
White cake just pairs so well with this, but other flavors work just as well, such as strawberry cake.
Can I use other jello flavors?
Of course, you can use other jello flavors. Use your favorite flavors. Lemon or raspberry are both great flavors for a summertime cake.
Tips
When you put this cake in the refrigerator to cool, make sure it is level. You don't want the jello running towards one side of the cake.
Make sure to wipe off the knife between cutting each slice. This will help with getting those nice, clean slices.
When refrigerating, I found cling wrap to droop onto my cake and then pull some of it off when removing it. Foil worked really well, if you have a cover for your baking dish that would work as well or you can stick toothpicks at each corner to hold the cling wrap up.
You can slice some fresh strawberries to sprinkle over the top before serving.
Leftovers
If you end up with leftovers, use some clingwrap or foil over the top of the container and store it in the fridge. You can store the cake for 2 days, 3 days tops. The cake does start to get a bit soggy, so you don't want to make this too far ahead of time.
Ingredients
- box white cake mix (plus the ingredients needed to make the cake - water, oil, and eggs)
- package of strawberry Jello (plus boiling water and cold water)
- fresh or frozen strawberries in sugar
- box instant cheesecake pudding
- cold milk
- cool whipped topping
How to Make
Step 1: Grease the bottom and side of a 9x13 cake pan and set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
Step 2: Slice the strawberries and put into a small bowl. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top. I used a teaspoon (not the measuring spoon kind) with some sugar on it and it was the perfect amount.
Step 3: Make the cake according to the package directions. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Let the cake cool completely.
Step 4: Once cool, use a fork or the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Step 5: Using a medium bowl, make the strawberry Jello according to the package directions up to chilling. Pour the Jello evenly over the top of the cake. Cover with foil and refrigerate cake for 1 hour.
Step 6: Make the cheesecake pudding mix in a small-medium bowl and mix in ½ cup of strawberries, spread this mixture evenly over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 7: Remove the Cool Whip from the freezer about 10 minutes before the hour chilling time is up.
Step 8: Pull the cake out of the fridge and spread the Cool Whip over the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 9: Slice up and serve with a fresh strawberry on the side.
Strawberry Cheesecake Jello Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix and ingredients on box to make the cake
- 1 pkg Strawberry Jello 1 cup boiling water, ½ cup cold water
- ½ cup fresh or frozen strawberries
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 box instant cheesecake pudding
- 2 cups cold milk
- 8 oz. cool whip
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut up ½ cup of strawberries and place in a small bowl. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of sugar over the top and set aside.
- Make the cake as the directions on the box.
- Pour batter in to prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
- Make the Strawberry Jello according to the package directions up to chilling. Pour over the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Make the Cheesecake pudding and mix in ½ cup strawberries and pour over the cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Pull out the Cool Whip about 10-15 minutes before the hour is up for the cake.
- Spread the cool whip over the top of the cake and refrigerate for 1 hour. Slice up and serve with a fresh strawberry on the side.
Notes
Please note that the nutritional content of this recipe will vary based on the specific ingredients used. For a detailed breakdown of the nutritional values, consider using a recipe nutrition calculator with the exact brands and measurements you've used.
Nutrition
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