Strawberry Poke Cake
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- Notes
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Ingredients
Yield:One 9- by 13-inch cake (12 servings)
- 1cup/225 grams unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
- 1½cups/300 grams granulated sugar
- 4large eggs
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3¼cups/415 grams all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1cup/240 milliliters whole milk
- 1(3-ounce/85-gram) package strawberry-flavored gelatin (such as Jell-O)
- 3cups whipped cream
- 1cup fresh strawberries, sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
462 calories; 21 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 28 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 229 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.
- Step 2
In a bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, patiently beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Step 3
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each to make sure it is well combined before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Step 4
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture, mixing on low speed after each addition until just combined. (This helps incorporate everything well and avoids over-mixing.)
- Step 5
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, spread in an even layer and bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Step 6
While the cake is baking, prepare strawberry gelatin according to package instructions and set aside to cool.
- Step 7
Once the cake has cooled for 15 minutes, use the handle of a wooden spoon or thick skewer to poke holes all over the cake an inch apart. Pour the gelatin over the top of the cake, making sure it gets into the holes and refrigerate the cake for 3 to 4 hours, until firm.
- Step 8
One hour before serving, spread whipped cream over the cake and decorate with strawberry slices. Refrigerate for an hour, until ready to serve. This cake keeps well in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Dew
Heresy, I know, but this seems like a cake best made with a boxed cake mix. :)
Salute
1 (3 ounce) package Jello gelatin 1 cup boiling water 1⁄2 cup cold water 1⁄2 cup vodka - Add boiling water to jello powder and stir until dissolved. Add the cold water and vodka.
Françoise
Nothing fancy, no doubt. But fresh, simple, quick, needing few ingredients and likely to be a hit with children and those tired of complex baking land longing for something light and not overly sweet or rich. Cover it with fresh lightly sweetened whipping cream and a mix of pfreeze-died strawberries and toasted sliced almonds for texture. I'll be at that table with a hot cup of Earl Grey tea.
Mary
Made this today for our picnic. EVERYONE loved it. Best compliment was: "This is right out of a 1950s Lutheran Church potluck supper." Trust me that's a compliment! 😀
kmccann18
Have been making this for 40 years after it was featured in some ladies magazine my mother got. It was for Xmas. Make a layer cake - box of course! Make jello with half the water you normally do. Poke holes and do one red, one green, frost with whipped cream. My brother still says Xmas isn’t complete without it! Gourmet? No. Pure delicious nostalgia? Yes!! A
Harry Stylish
But what is the texture like? Is it like a Tres Leches cake—super moist? Is it jiggly from the gelatin?
Mary Alford
I haven’t made a poke cake since the 1980’s! It’s a cool refrigerated treat that my kids loved and thank you NYT for reminding me. Try mixing flavors of cake and jello - we liked lemon cake and lime jello. And, if you are feeding adults, this isn’t a bad option for Jell-O shots either.
Nancy F
Im wondering how well a homemade cake with jello that needs refrigerated tastes? Homemade cake fresh from the refrigerator is not soft and fluffy but heavy and dense. . A box cake ( yes i said it) is probably a better option.
Cynthia
Overall, a great recipe that we'll make again! But next time I will check the cake at 35 minutes or so. At 45 minutes the bottom and sides of the cake were a little too browned. Another note, it looked like the full recipe of Jell-O would be too much and so I didn't use it all, but next time I will use all the Jell-O so that there's lots of pink color/strawberry flavor in each piece.
DISAPPOINTED
WON'T MAKE AGAIN. Experienced cake baker here: Recipe is more like a pound cake [delicious on its own] but a poor choice for poking with jello as it is very firm and a bit dry refrigerated. Bake time is way off: I set timer for 44 minutes and it was nearly burned at the edges. 60 minutes would have made it inedible. Whipped cream required refrigeration but cake was much improved at room temperature. .. Since I don't use boxed mixes [softer cake] I can see a poke cake isn't for me.
David S
Second time I've made this... I put some sliced strawberries in the holes before adding the J-ELLO... it's a nice addition.
ThreeCats
I was thinking the same thing!
alex
Need to go all the way with this throw-back. Frosting: one box instant vanilla pudding thinned with 1 cup of milk. Fold in a container of cool whip. Frost and chill.
This, But Banana
I did this, but used 4 bananas & banana pudding total instead of using strawberry. I did not find this recipe to be dry like others have said. Like others said, it may be easier to just use a boxed cake mix and do milk instead of water.
Big Lar
Made this Saturday to take to a dinner party because I didn’t feel like spending the entire afternoon on something fancy, and gotta say: This was easy, delicious and a huge hit, as written.
Nets
I have to agree with others in 1. Texture - akin to pound cake. Quite dense 2. Flavor - just fine. Nothing great 3. Ease - you could probably use a box cake mix and get a better result. In the end, I probably won’t make this again. Not awful but didn’t make me want to go back for more.
Danielle
Simple, easy and the teenagers that hang around my house request it again & again.
LK
Really wanted to make the full recipe-- have met April Anderson and frequented her bakery-- but I took the comments to heart and did this with a boxed cake mix & my kids. Followed the directions here as much as I could, and decorated it like this one. Easy, delicious, and tons of fun.
ayn
I’ve been making this for years with a Gluten Free box cake (King Arthur). It makes for a moist, soft, delicious cake. Usually I make it for the 4th of July and use fresh blueberries and strawberries/raspberries to turn the top into a Flag or a rainbow of fresh fruit for a Pride flag. Always a big hit!
Amy
I made this for a church event. Everyone raved about it! The jello made the cake even more moist and frosting with cool whip kept it from being overly sweet. Wonderfully light summer desert!
Dungeness
I thought this would be something like Tres Leches cake. It was not. The jello didn't even work like I thought, and did not give it a punch. The whipped cream and fruit on top saved it. Surprisingly bland. If you try to turn this into jello shots, you are wasting good vodka on this cake.
David S
Second time I've made this... I put some sliced strawberries in the holes before adding the J-ELLO... it's a nice addition.
LK
What do you use to make the holes? I used the handle of a wooden spoon, but seems like you would need something bigger in order to fit the strawberry slices?
Marg
Used a box mix and plant-based gelatin. Did not like the result, which was dry. Also, the gelatin did not travel well down the poked holes. Whipped cream almost saved it. Won't make again.
hollyjax
I had high hopes for this cake delivering on a strong strawberry flavor and it didn’t. It was a good tasting shortcake like dense cake but the strawberry flavor from the jello pokes just didn’t come through. I wonder if i left the cake out of the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving though would’ve helped. I am glad i tried this cake but i will make other strawberry cakes before making this again.
Ananda G
Made it per recipe for 4th of July and it was a hit! It’s a perfect larger gathering or potluck share - wonderful desert for those that enjoy a lighter sweetness level treat. Dense cake so a little goes a long way, but nicely juxtaposed w fresh whipped cream and in season strawberries.
Berea
Accidentally used twice the amount of jello and it was delicious! Very moist like a pound cake, not jiggly like jello. Baked the cake for 45 mins exactly. Added the whipped cream at the end right before serving.
Anna W.
Based on others’ helpful notes, I baked this for only 35 minutes, and the cake still came out dry and dense. Definitely did not live up to the jello cakes of my youth! Steer clear.
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