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Orange Crush Poke Cake is incredibly easy to make using convenient, ready-to-use ingredients like a boxed cake mix, orange Jell-O, and orange Crush soda for that bold, sweet, vibrant orange flavor.
If you’re looking for an easy dessert that tastes like summer and sunshine in every bite – this one’s a winner 🍊
Orange Crush Poke Cake (Easy Cake Mix Recipe!)
Poke cakes are my favorite dessert to make – I LOVE all the variations, flavors, and they always turn out perfect because of the easy-to-use ingredients that they call for – a great dessert recipe for everyone including beginners.
This orange poke cake uses orange crush soda and orange jell-o to infuse a white cake with tons of orange flavor. It’s vibrant, bright, light, and soft moist thanks to the poke-and-soak-method of a poke cake.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Poke Cake
- 🍊Uses a white cake mix for convenience
- 🍊Packed with bright, sweet, citrus orange flavor
- 🍊A homemade light & fluffy whipped cream topping
- 🍊Ultra-moist thanks to the poke-and-soak method
- 🍊Great make-ahead dessert for summer, springtime, potlucks, gatherings, parties, or family dessert
Ingredients Needed
Orange Crush Soda Cake Ingredients
- White Cake Mix : A 15.25 ounce boxed cake mix
- Orange Crush Soda : Not diet use regular Crush soda
- Egg Whites : Discard the yolk, only use the egg whites
- Vegetable Oil
Orange Jell-O Poke Filling Ingredients
- Orange Jell-O : Not sugar-free, use regular orange gelatin mix
- Water
- Orange Crush Soda : Not diet
Whipped Cream Topping & Garnish Ingredients
- Heavy Whipping Cream : No substitutes!
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Orange Sprinkles : Other garnish options include orange candy slices, no garnish leave it plain, drained & patted dry mandarin oranges.
How To Make Orange Poke Cake With Orange Crush Soda (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Orange Crush Cake : In a large mixing bowl, add the white cake mix, orange crush soda, large egg whites, and vegetable oil. Use an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. The batter should look smooth and creamy.
Pour the orange cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, the edges of the cake are slightly pulled away from the pan, and the cake looks done/puffy.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before proceeding.
Orange Jell-O Poke Filling : Use the handle of a wooden spoon or chopsticks, to poke holes evenly across the surface of the cake, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange Jell-O and boiling water for about 1 minutes until fully dissolved.
Stir in the orange crush soda and let the mixture sit for 3 minutes to cool slightly.
Slowly pour the orange jello mixture evenly over the cake, allowing it to sink into every hole, across the whole surface of the cake.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours to fully set and chill. If refrigerating for longer than 2 hours, cover the cake pan with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before frosting and serving.
Whipped Cream Topping : In a large bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer, or the stand mixer, to beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form; about 4-5 minutes, increasing the speed as needed.
Spread the whipped cream onto the chilled cake, making sure to get some of the cream down into each hole.
If serving right away, add the sprinkles on top. If refrigerating before serving, cover the cake with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to overnight before serving. Add the sprinkles and/or garnish right before serving.
How To Store Leftover Poke Cake
- Refrigerator : Store the cake covered, in the fridge, for up to 4 days. You can leave the cake in the cake pan for storage, or remove individual slices to an airtight container for storage.
- Make-Ahead Instructions : The cake can be fully assembled up to one day ahead and refrigerated, covered, allowing the orange flavor to deepen and the texture to improve. I always do this when I make a poke cake.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- Chilling the cake, once you have filled the holes with the orange jello, keeps the gelatin layer firm, helps it set, and prevents color bleeding into the whipped cream.
- Once you have frosted the cake with the whipped cream, you can serve it right away, or for a more chilled cake (my preference) refrigerate the cake for up to 8-12 hours or overnight. Another option is to refrigerate the poked and filled cake for up to 24 hours before frosting it. I like to do one of these options because the longer chill time helps the cake taste better, the texture to get soft, and allows the flavors to develop. Plus a well chilled poke cake is always better!
- If you really don’t want to make the homemade whipped cream you can use an 8 ounce container of Cool Whip if wanted.
- Garnish ideas include crushed Nilla wafers, orange sprinkles, orange shaped jelly candies, drained & patted dry mandarin oranges, chopped golden oreo cookies, fresh orange zest, orange sanding sugar, or leave it plain as is.
More Poke Cake Recipes
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Hawaiian Poke Cake
- Oreo Poke Cake
- S’mores Poke Cake
- German Chocolate Poke Cake
- Easy Cherry Poke Cake
- Easy Snickers Poke Cake
- Easy Butterfinger Poke Cake
- Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
Orange Crush Poke Cake
Ingredients
Orange Crush Cake
- 1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix
- 1 cup Orange Crush soda (not diet)
- 3 large egg whites (discard the egg yolk)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Orange Jell-O Poke Filling
- 1 box (3 oz) orange jell-o
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3/4 cup Orange Crush soda
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- orange sprinkles (for garnish before serving)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Orange Crush Poke Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, add the white cake mix, orange crush soda, large egg whites, and vegetable oil. Use an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, to beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. The batter should look smooth and creamy.1 box (15.25 oz) white cake mix, 1 cup Orange Crush soda, 3 large egg whites, 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Pour the orange cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, the edges of the cake are slightly pulled away from the pan, and the cake looks done/puffy.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before proceeding.
Orange Jello Poke Filling
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon or chopsticks, to poke holes evenly across the surface of the cake, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the orange Jell-O and boiling water for about 1 minute until fully dissolved.1 box (3 oz) orange jell-o, 1 cup boiling water
- Stir in the orange crush soda and let the mixture sit for 3 minutes to cool slightly.3/4 cup Orange Crush soda
- Slowly pour the orange jello mixture evenly over the cake, allowing it to sink into every hole, across the whole surface of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours to fully set and chill. If refrigerating for longer than 2 hours, cover the cake pan with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before frosting and serving.
Whipped Cream Frosting
- In a large bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer, or the stand mixer, to beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form; about 4-5 minutes, increasing the speed as needed.2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread the whipped cream onto the chilled cake, making sure to get some of the cream down into each hole.
- If serving right away, add the sprinkles on top and cut into slices. Enjoy!If refrigerating before serving (I do this), cover the cake with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to overnight before serving. Add the sprinkles and/or garnish right before serving.orange sprinkles
Notes
Nutrition
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