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An incredibly light and delicious, easy to make Strawberry Poke Cake recipe! A white cake mix, fruity strawberry jello, and topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

If your family loves strawberry desserts then check out this Strawberry Jello Pie and Easy Strawberry Cake.

Easy Strawberry Poke Cake with Strawberry Jello

Poke cakes are a classic dessert where the cake is ‘poked’ and then filled with some sort of Jello or pudding.

This easy strawberry poke cake starts with a white cake mix, it’s then poked with holes and filled with strawberry Jello, top it off with some whipped cream and that’s it.

You’ll love how light & fluffy tasting this cake is. And the best part is that there are many ways to switch it up. Make a cookies & cream version with my Oreo Poke Cake, or try this Peaches and Cream Poke Cake that uses fresh peaches and a homemade white cake recipe.

Ingredients Needed

White Cake Mix – Use your favorite cake mix for this recipe.
Egg Whites – Only the egg whites are used because we want to keep the cake as white in color as possible.
Water – You will need water for the cake mix + the Jello powder. The water for the Jello will need to be boiling hot water.
Vegetable Oil
Strawberry Jello Mix
Cool Whip – Freshly whipped cream can be used in place of the frozen Cool Whip topping.
Fresh Strawberries – To garnish each slice of cake with.

How To Make a Strawberry Jello Poke Cake (with a Cake Mix)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan and spray with cooking spray.
Prepare the white cake mix according to the directions on the box. It’s usually 4 egg whites, water, and oil. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Use a toothpick or cake tester to ensure it comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before moving on.
Use a fork or chopstick to poke holes into the cake, 1-inch apart from each other.
Add the strawberry Jello powder to a mixing bowl along with 1 1/2 cup of boiling water. Stir with a whisk until dissolved and combined.
Add 1/2 cup cold water to the Jello mixture and stir to combine.
Pour the Jello into the poked holes across the top of the cake using a spoon or squeeze bottle. Be sure that enough Jello penetrates through the holes in the cake. Tap the pan against the counter, if needed, to ensure that the Jello soaks down into all the holes.
Place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the Jello to cool and set.
Remove the cake from the fridge and carefully spread the whipped topping over the cake in an even layer. Cover the cake and return it to the fridge to chill for 6 hours before cutting and serving.
Cut the cake into squares and garnish each one with a sliced strawberry or chopped strawberries.

Variation & Substitution Ideas

I love a Jello poke cake because of all the different and fun ways you can switch it up. Here are some ideas and things that would work well.

Whipped Topping : If you don’t want to use Cool Whip then make your own whipped cream topping. I actually do this a lot because it tastes so much better, but it does involved more prep time so keep note of that if you’re wanting to make a dessert in a hurry. With a hand or stand mixer, beat 3 cups of heavy whipping cream + 1/2 cup powdered sugar until stiff peaks form – this will take about 4-5 minutes.
Oil : Any neutral flavored oil will work just fine. Vegetable oil or canola oil are the best ones. Avocado oil is another option if wanted.
Jello Flavor : Use any of them! The recipe stays the same no matter what Jello flavor you use. Match the garnish toppings to what flavor of Jello you use.
- Mandarin oranges + orange Jello
- Fresh cherries or cherry pie filling cherry + cherry Jello
- Fresh chopped pineapple + pineapple Jello
- Blueberries + berry blue Jello
- Peach chunks (fresh or canned) + peach Jello
- Raspberries + raspberry Jello
- Lime wedge + lime Jello

How To Store a Poke Cake

Poke cakes need to be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days. I think the cake gets better and better as it sits in the fridge.

It’s easiest to use a cake pan with a lid for easy covering, or cover the cake pan with plastic wrap or foil instead.

Serving Suggestions

This strawberry poke cake needs to be served chilled from the fridge for best results.

There are also lots of garnish options for each slice if wanted. Add a drizzle of strawberry sundae syrup, chopped strawberries on top, a whole strawberry, etc.

Recipe Tips

Here are a few helpful tips so that you can have success recreating this recipe in your own kitchen ♥

Fridge Time : It’s important to not rush the 6 hour chill time before serving. This time allows the cake to soften, get soaked with all that strawberry Jello flavor, and for the whipped cream topping to chill and become stiffer. Any poke cake is much better once it’s been chilled.
Poked Holes : Don’t poke the holes too close together or else the entire white cake will just be a strawberry jello cake. For the best look, leave 1-inch between the holes to ensure that you get that ‘poked hole’ effect with the strawberry jello.
Ensure Cake Is Cooked Through : Use a toothpick or cake tester, inserted into the center, to ensure that the cake is cooked before removing it from the oven. A cake is not like cookies where they will continue cooking and setting while cooking. The cake needs to be done before removing it from the oven. When a cake sinks in the center it usually means it was not cooked enough – a toothpick test will solve this.
Use Filtered/Purified Water : For the best taste to the cake make sure you are using filtered water. Either from a sink faucet, fridge water, or from a water bottle. Some tap water can have a slightly odd taste to them, which you don’t want to translate into the cake, so for best results use filtered or purified water.

Strawberry Jello Poke Cake