Strawberry Poke Cake

This strawberry poke cake recipe includes a tender and moist white cake filled with flavorful strawberry jello and topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It’s a refreshing and easy poke cake recipe that aims to satisfy!

Do I have a summer dessert recipe for you today! This strawberry poke cake is infused with strawberry jello, topped with heavy whipping cream, and is so light and refreshing. If you’re a fan of strawberries and cream or strawberry shortcake, this recipe is for you.

If you’re new to poke cake recipes, welcome! Poke cakes are some of my favorite and there are plenty of recipes already on Southern Plate: coconut poke cake, s’mores poke cake, pineapple poke cake, and candy corn poke cake (yes, really). What’s so good about a poke cake? Well, by poking holes in the cake and pouring in some kind of filling (sometimes pudding but in this instance, strawberry jello), it deliciously soaks into the cake and infuses the flavor in every bite. Trust me, poke cakes take simple vanilla cakes to the next level!

Fortunately, they’re super easy to make. You just need to bake your cake mix according to the box directions, make your jello, and then poke them holes and pour the jello over the baked cake. Then you have to be a little patient and let your strawberry jello poke cake sit in the fridge for a couple of hours so that the jello filling can sink into the soft, tender, and moist cake. Once the time is up, all that’s left to do is add the whipped topping and some sliced strawberries.

This is such a great old-fashioned sheet cake recipe for when you need to feed a lot of people. I hope you enjoy making this strawberry poke cake recipe as much as I enjoy eating it!

Recipe Ingredients

• Your favorite white cake mix (eggs, oil, and water are usually what’s called for in the cake recipe. Check the box).
• Strawberry jello mix
• Water
• Cool whip or our homemade whipped cream 
• Strawberries, sliced

How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake

Make your cake per the box instructions.

Spread cake batter in a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Once done (stick a toothpick in the middle and it should come out clean), take it out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes.

Using the back of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cooled cake. I mean it is a poke cake ☺.

Next, boil the water.

Mix together the strawberry gelatin powder and the boiling water until it fully dissolves.

Carefully pour the mixture evenly over the holes in the cake.

Cover your strawberry poke cake with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

When ready to serve, spread our homemade whipped cream or cool whip over the top of the entire cake.

Cut into pieces and serve with sliced strawberries. 

What a pretty poke cake! Enjoy!

Storage

• Store leftover cream poke cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• You can also freeze the jello poke cake slices without the cool whip topping for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before adding the topping and enjoying!

Recipe FAQs

Do you have to refrigerate a poke cake?

Yes, cooling the poke cake in the fridge for a few hours allows the cake to soak up the jello.

How do you poke holes in a poke cake?

There’s no need for anything fancy. The handle of a wooden spoon is the perfect size for your poke cake holes.

Can I use a different kind of box cake mix?

Absolutely! Feel free to use any kind of boxed cake mix, like a Duncan Hines yellow cake mix or even a chocolate cake mix (strawberries and chocolate is a delicious combination, right?).

Can I use a different jello flavor in my poke cake?

Yes, adapt this strawberry jello poke cake recipe to suit you. Use lemon jello for a lemon cake (top with lemon zest), raspberry, or maybe even a cherry jello cake? The choice is yours.

Check out these other scrumptious strawberry recipes:

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Cream Pie

Cream Cheese Strawberry Cobbler

Strawberry Jello Pie

Strawberry Bread With Pecans

Fresh Strawberry Muffins