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This Strawberry Jello Poke Cake is made with light and airy angel food cake, white chocolate pudding frosting, and plenty of fresh berries! Decorate it for a patriotic holiday or any summer party.
I love the nostalgic factor of a poke cake. Bake a cake, make little holes in it, and pour something over the top (sweetened condensed milk or pudding is common; in this recipe we’re using Jello). Then frost and serve, and every bite is infused with extra flavor.
In this Strawberry Jello Poke Cake, I used an Angel Food Cake for a few reasons: the color (I wanted white for a patriotic backdrop to my American flag), texture (I love the airiness of Angel Food Cake in the summer), and flavor (I love pairing Angel Food Cake with strawberries, like a shortcake).
To keep things simple, I used a boxed cake mix. The patriotic flag decoration is totally optional, too. Decorate the cake as you see fit!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Angel food cake: This recipe keeps things easy with a boxed mix, but you can substitute my from-scratch Angel Food Cake recipe. Prepare the cake as directed but pour it into a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan instead of a tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then proceed with the poke cake starting at Step 3.
- White chocolate instant pudding mix: If you substitute vanilla pudding, your frosting will have a yellow tint (but it will still taste amazing).
Step-by-step instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Do not grease 9-inch by 13-inch pan. Mix angel food cake mix according to package instructions (the one I used only required water). Pour into ungreased pan and bake until firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. If the center still jiggles, bake it 5 minutes longer.
- Cool completely, at least 1 hour. Using a fork, pierce cake in rows about 1/2-inch apart. When the fork becomes sticky, dip tines in water to clean (typically at the end of each row).
- Pour Jello into a medium bowl and whisk in boiling water. When Jello is dissolved, stir in cold water. Drizzle over the entire surface of cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
- In a large bowl, or in a standing mixer fit with the whisk attachment, combine pudding and milk until well blended. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spread frosting on cake.
- Arrange berries on top to resemble an American flag. Store in refrigerator.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This cake will make at least 20 slices, more or less depending on how you slice it.
- Storage: Store leftover Poke Cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: To get ahead of schedule with this poke cake, bake the angel food cake, poke the holes, and add the Jello the day before you need it. Cover and refrigerate overnight, then frost the next day.
- Strawberry Shortcake: Instead of the classic Buttermilk Biscuits, substitute slices of Poke Cake or Angel Food Cake for your next Strawberry Shortcake.
Recipe FAQs
In case you aren’t familiar with poke cakes, a Poke Cake is a baked cake with holes poked in it. Then, you pour something delicious into the holes (jello, pudding, sweet condensed milk, vodka, whatever). Frost it and you’re set! It’s awesome.
Angel food cakes are traditionally made in a tube pan, but they can be made in other pans as well. In fact, at the grocery store you might see angel food cake in a loaf pan. In this recipe, we use a boxed mix and bake it in a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan, but my from-scratch recipe can be made in that pan as well.
Always bake angel food cake in an ungreased pan. If the pan is greased, the batter will not rise (the batter clings to side to rise).
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Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) box angel food cake mix (see note 1)
- 1 (3 ounce) box strawberry Jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 (3.3 ounce) box white chocolate instant pudding mix (see note 2)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed
- 1 pound strawberries
- 1 pint blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Do not grease 9-inch by 13-inch pan.
- Mix angel food cake mix according to package instructions (the one I used only required water). Pour into ungreased pan and bake until firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. If the center still jiggles, bake it 5 minutes longer.
- Cool completely, at least 1 hour. Using a fork, pierce cake in rows about 1/2-inch apart. When the fork becomes sticky, dip tines in water to clean (typically at the end of each row).
- Pour Jello into a medium bowl and whisk in boiling water. When Jello is dissolved, stir in cold water. Drizzle over the entire surface of cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
- In a large bowl, or in a standing mixer fit with the whisk attachment, combine pudding and milk until well blended. Gently fold in whipped topping.
- Spread frosting on cake and arrange berries on top to resemble an American flag. Store in refrigerator.
Notes
- Angel food cake: This recipe keeps things easy with a boxed mix, but you can substitute my from-scratch Angel Food Cake recipe. Prepare the cake as directed but pour it into a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan instead of a tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then proceed with the poke cake starting at Step 3.
- White chocolate instant pudding mix: If you substitute vanilla pudding, your frosting will have a yellow tint (but it will still taste amazing).
- Yield: This cake will make at least 20 slices, more or less depending on how you slice it.
- Storage: Store leftover Poke Cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: To get ahead of schedule with this poke cake, bake the angel food cake, poke the holes, and add the Jello the day before you need it. Cover and refrigerate overnight, then frost the next day.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I made this yesterday for a party of 10, I used the angel food cake, sugar free jello & pudding and fat free cool whip.
The whole cake went, It was excellent and guilt free. I wish I was able to post a picture but I don’t see that option. Thanks for ousting this recipe.
Hi Jackie, that sounds great! I’m sure it came out beautiful, thanks! – Meggan
Can you use Almond Milk?
I’ve been making poke cakes with jello for years. It’s one of kid’s’ favorite summertime treat. We always frosted the cake with Coolwhip. I never thought of using an angel food cake before.
I’ve used almond milk with pudding before, and the pudding doesn’t set.
Thanks, it sunk whe it was cooling.
Why did my cake go flat in the middle?
Hi Mary, did it sink significantly in the middle vs. the outside? In general the middle is a little lower, I think, because the jello mixture tends to congregate there and possibly drags it down. The cake (not counting the frosting) is not very tall either because of the jello. So, your cake sounds like it’s probably fine. Once it’s frosted, it should look level. I am predicting this answer will disappoint you, though, so I’m wondering if a better cake than Angel Food might be better. You’ll have to see how it tastes and whether you like it. Thanks for the question!
I’ve heard of a poke cake, but have just realised while reading this that I had no idea what it actually was! But what a fabulous idea! I suppose you could drizzle over all manner of things, as well as jello!
I love that you’ve made this into such a patriotic cake, Meggan. So perfect for 4th July!
Ha ha Helen, you mean I am not the very last person on Earth to make a poke cake? You haven’t either?! Whew, it’s a load off my mind! I think people normally drizzle pudding and/or some kind of sweetened condensed milk on poke cakes. Kind of like a trashy tres leches. :) This one is really good though, I was pretty excited to eat 3 pieces in a row. Take care my dear!