Easy Christmas Poke Cake
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This Christmas Poke Cake is the epitome of festivity during the holiday season! The easy recipe makes it a cinch to color the cake both green and red before topping it with bright white whipped topping and colorful holiday sprinkles.
If you’re looking for other ways to brighten up your spread at holiday parties and gatherings, check out my Christmas Drop Sugar Cookies with Sanding Sugar, Santa Munch Christmas Popcorn, Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies, and White Chocolate Christmas Fudge.
Table of Contents
Why We Love Easy Christmas Poke Cake
- Super simple. Using a box mix for the cake and store-bought colored gelatin makes this cake a breeze to prepare.
- Full of festive color. It may be hard to find an easy dessert that’s as full of holiday flair as this colorful cake!
- Completely customizable. There are nearly endless ways to put your own twist on this cake from flavors and toppings to switching up the seasonality.
- Minimal prep time. The minimal amount of hands-on time needed for this cake makes it hassle-free and frees you up for other holiday baking.
What is poke cake made of?
Poke cake is a traditional style cake that is made moist, and sometimes colorful, by poking holes in the cake and pouring ingredients like condensed milk, jello, or pudding over top.
You have several options when it comes to the best way to poke holes in a cake.
It will depend on the size of holes you want or what you have handy. For larger holes, use the end of a wooden spoon. For smaller holes, use a drinking straw, wooden skewer,chopsticks, or a fork.
What’s In This Christmas Poke Cake
For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- White Cake Mix, prepared using ingredients and directions on the box.
- Lime Gelatin
- Strawberry Gelatin – raspberry or cherry will work too.
- Water
- Frozen Whipped Topping
- Holiday Sprinkles
Simple Directions
Multi-colored cakes are always impressive and this one is no exception. The best part about this cake and others is that you get all of the wow factor in a fraction of the time.
When you are making this recipe, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Use the directions on the package of the cake mix to prep and bake the cake.
- Cool the cake in the pan to nearly room temperature before using a straw to poke evenly spaced holes in the cake.
- Using 2 bowls, add 3 tablespoons of red gelatin into one bowl and green into the other. Add 1/2 cup boiling water to each bowl of gelatin and stir until fully dissolved.
- Alternate spooning/pouring each gelatin mixture over the cake.
- Cover the cake and refrigerate.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the whipped topping onto the cake. Top with the Christmas sprinkles and return the cake to the refrigerator.
Tips
Poke cakes can get soggy if the holes are too close together. A general rule of thumb is to poke holes about an inch apart though this could vary slightly depending on the size of the holes.
Storage Tips
You can easily make this delicious dessert ahead of time and store it until you’re ready to serve. For the freshest version, add the topping just before serving.
Refrigerate/Leftovers
This cake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Be sure to cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil or transfer it to an airtight container.
Freeze
Freeze the cake for up to 3 months. It can be frozen with the Cool Whip on top but it may be easier to freeze it without the topping.
Kitchen Tips
- A metal baking pan is recommended when baking cakes
- For a white cake, be sure to use only egg whites. Adding egg yolks will result in a yellow cake.
- We have found that when using 2 colors of gelatin ½ box of each color is all that you need. ½ of a 3 ounce package of gelatin is about 3 tablespoons
- Be sure to use hot/boiling water instead of cold water so that the gelatin dissolves completely.
- We recommend using a drinking straw to poke holes in a Jello-O poke cake, try not to push the straw all the way to the bottom, or the gelatin will pool in the bottom of the cake.
- Using a prepared topping like CoolWhip is ideal to ensure that it retains its consistency once the cake is stored.
- Be sure to use sprinkles, confetti or nonpareils, colored sugar sprinkles will melt and bleed on the topping.
Varriations + Additions
- Colors – Switch up the colors of the Jell-O or sprinkles for other holidays or any special occasion.
- Cake Flavor – Use a different flavor boxed cake mix. Keeping it light in color is still ideal to make sure the colors are still vibrant.
- Extract – For fun holiday flavor add a little bit of peppermint extract.
- Topping – Instead of whipped topping, use a cream cheese frosting or a powdered sugar glaze. Or swap the sprinkles for crushed candy canes.
- Food Coloring – Add a few drops of gel food coloring or liquid food coloring to the whipped topping before spreading it over the top of the cake.
- Filling – Instead of Jell-O, use colored instant pudding.
Christmas Poke Cake
Whip up this quick and easy Christmas Poke Cake! Perfectly festive, incredibly simple, and sure to impress at your holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (+ eggs, oil and water listed on box)
- 3 tablespoons (about ½ of a 3 oz box) lime gelatin (such as Jell-O)
- 3 tablespoons (about ½ of a 3 oz box) strawberry gelatin (such as Jell-O)
- 1 cup water (divided)
- 16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
- holiday sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F. Spray a 9 x13 x 2-inch metal cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Prepare and bake the cake according to the package directions on the cake mix box.
- Allow the baked cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes.
- Use a drinking straw, fork or wooden skewer to poke holes in the top of the cake, spacing them about 1 inch apart across the cake. (If cake starts to stick to the straw, wipe it off as you go along so your holes don’t get bigger).
- Using 2 bowls, add 3 tablespoons of red gelatin powder into one bowl and 3 tablespoons of the green into the other bowl. Boil 1 cup of water and add ½ cup of boiling water to each bowl of gelatin. Stir until gelatin granules are dissolved.
- Using large spoon*, pour each gelatin mixture — red and green — over the cake, alternating sections as you go.
- Refrigerate the poke cake to chill for at least 3-4 hours.
- Spread the Cool Whip over the top of the cake, then add Christmas sprinkles on top. Chill until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 125Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used and are just estimates. We encourage, especially if these numbers are important to you, to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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