Poke cakes have always been one of my favorites! My mom used to make one that I loved because it will filled with jello flavoring, so I wanted to recreate that for my own family. I created this red, white and blue poke cake as a patriotic tribute for a July 4th celebration, and needless to say it was a big hit. Not only for its good looks – but the strong flavors.
What is a poke cake you ask?
If you are not familiar with the concept of a poke cake – then the name may leave you scratching your head. Just like it sounds, a Poke cake is in fact a cake that you will poke holes in after it is done baking so you can fill it with goodies. While this one has liquid jello inserted in the holes – you can be creative and experiment! Try pudding, pureed fruit or anything that you can easily squirt into the holes!
Jello Poke Cake Recipe
While there are an array of options for a poke cake as noted above, this specific recipe uses Jello as the poke filling.
Cake Ingredients:
- 1 box of french vanilla cake mix
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 C (1 stick) of softened unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1 C whole milk
- 1TBSP pure vanilla bean paste
- 1 package (8oz) cherry jello
- 1 package (8oz) Blueberry or Blue Raspberry jello
- 2 squeeze bottles
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 C unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- 2 1/2 C powder sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3-5 TBSP heavy whipping cream
- Blue and red food coloring
- 3 bowls
- Medium star tip and pastry bag
- Large cup to put the piping bag in.
Cake Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 350 and spray your cake pan with pam spray, set aside
-Using a standing mixer or hand beater, combine the mix, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla bean paste and mix on medium speed until fully mixed
-Once mixed, pour batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
-Once the cake is baked and pulled out, make your jello mixes
-Take a medium bowl, mix the cherry jello with 3/4 C boiling water
-Mix until dissolved and then add 1/2 C cold water
-Set aside for 2 minutes and then mix
-Repeat the jello steps for the blueberry jello
-Pour each jello into their own squeeze bottle
-Using the bottom of the wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake
-Take the blueberry jello squeeze bottle and squeeze some of the jello into the top row
-Take the Cherry jello and repeat the process using the next row
-Alternate the jello’s until all the rows are filled
-Place cake into the fridge for 4 hours to over night
Frosting Directions:
-Using a standing mixer, combine all ingredients except the food coloring into the bowl and mix on medium speed
-If your frosting starts looking like powdery rocks, add another tablespoon of heavy whipping cream
-Mix until you see creamy stiffed peaks
-Separate the frosting into three bowls
-Add the red food dye into one bowl
-Add the blue food dye into the second bowl
-Leave the third bowl white
-Fit the star tip into the piping bag and place the bag inside the cup, pulling the bag over the cups edge
-Using a spoon, scoop some of the red icing and put it on 1/3 part of the piping bag
-Repeat with the blue and white frosting
-Twist the top of the piping bag and squeeze the frosting down
-Using the piping bag, pipe stars over the top of the cake
-Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to get a clean slice or serve right away.
Patriotic Poke Cake Recipe
Patriotic red, white and blue Jello poke cake that is perfect for your 4th of July celebration.
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 1 box french vanilla cake
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted sweet cream butter - softened
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste
- 1 package cherry Jello-O (8 ounce)
- 1 package Blueberry or blue Raspberry Jello (8 ounces)
Frosting Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter - softened
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2-5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Blue food coloring
- Red food coloring
- 2 squeeze bottles
- 3 bowls
- Piping bag with star tip
Instructions
Cake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray your cake pan with pam spray, set aside
- Using a standing mixer or hand beater, combine the mix, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla bean paste and mix on medium speed until fully mixed
- Once mixed, pour batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean
- Once the cake is baked and pulled out, make your jello mixes
- Take a medium bowl, mix the cherry jello with 3/4 C boiling water
- Mix until dissolved and then add 1/2 C cold water
- Set aside for 2 minutes and then mix
- Repeat the jello steps for the blueberry jello
- Pour each jello into their own squeeze bottle
- Using the bottom of the wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake
- Take the blueberry jello squeeze bottle and squeeze some of the jello into the top row
- Take the Cherry jello and repeat the process using the next row
- Alternate the jello's until all the rows are filled
- Place cake into the fridge for 4 hours to over night
Icing Instructions
- Using a standing mixer, combine all ingredients except the food coloring into the bowl and mix on medium speed
- If your frosting starts looking like powdery rocks, add another tablespoon of heavy whipping cream
- Mix until you see creamy stiffed peaks
- Separate the frosting into three bowls
- Add the red food dye into one bowl
- Add the blue food dye into the second bowl
- Leave the third bowl white
- Fit the star tip into the piping bag and place the bag inside the cup, pulling the bag over the cups edge
- Using a spoon, scoop some of the red icing and put it on 1/3 part of the piping bag
- Repeat with the blue and white frosting
- Twist the top of the piping bag and squeeze the frosting down
- Using the piping bag, pipe stars over the top of the cake
- Place into the fridge for 30 minutes to get a clean slice or serve right away.
Other July 4th Ideas
For this cake you can add some extra elements to really make it stand out! We added some simple streamer like accents in red to give the look of fireworks. But you can use sparklers right before serving or add other decorative accents to give it a more festive feel.
If you are looking for other patriotic inspired recipes you can take a look at our Patriotic Cupcake Recipe or our Patriotic Surfboard Cookies.
Leave a Reply