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Get ready for the 4th of July or any other Red, White, and Blue holiday with this fun, festive, and easy 4th of July Poke Cake! Your guests will love it and you will be making it year after year.
Celebrate Independence Day in style with this delicious 4th of July Poke Cake recipe! This patriotic dessert is a crowd-pleaser that will add a festive touch to any party or gathering. It start with a moist vanilla cake, and then has strawberry and blue raspberry jello, all topped with fluffy whipped cream, this dessert is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
The red and blue colors of the Jell-O work well with the white cake and whipped topping, to make this fun and festive for the holidays. Best of all, it’s easy to make and can be prepared in advance, so you can spend more time enjoying the festivities. So fire up the grill, light up the fireworks, and enjoy this delicious dessert with your loved ones!
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- White Cake Mix and ingredients called for on the box – and brand of cake mix you like
- Water
- Strawberry Jello
- Blue Raspberry Jello – or any other blue flavor Jello
- Heavy Cream
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Festive Sprinkles
How To Make 4th Of July Poke Cake
- Make The Cake – follow the directions on your cake mix using the egg whites, vegetable oil and water called for. Bake in a 13×9 inch pan until it is done. Let it cool for about an hour, can do it ahead of time as well.
- Poke Holes – once the cake has mostly cooled, you want to poke holes all over the top. I like to use a chopstick, because I think it is the perfect size. But you can use the handle of a wooden spoon, or a knife works as well. Just poke a bunch of holes all over the top of the cake.
- Fill The Holes – Start by mixing red jello with 1 cup of boiling water, whisking well until the jello has dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup of cold water. Then using a straw or a meat injector syringe, fill half of the holes with red jello. Repeat using the blue jello.
- Frost – Prepare the whipped cream by beating heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until well combine. Spread over the cake. Top with festive sprinkles if desired.
- Chill – Let the cake sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours for the jello to set up and chill. Then slice to serve.
How Do You Fill The Holes
Traditionally when you make a poke cake, you just pour the jello evenly over the top and let it sink into the holes, but because you want to alternate colors, it is a little more complicated in this cake. There are a couple ways you can do it.
Use a Straw – make your jello in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Then using a straw, insert the straw into a hole in the cake, and poor jello into the straw. Repeat for about half of the holes.
Syringe – if you have little kids, you may have a medical dispenser syringe that comes with children’s medicines. Or if you are an avid griller, you may have something like this Meat Injector that works well. Just fill the syringe, and inject into the holes of the cake.
Squeeze Bottle – another alternative is a condiment style squeeze bottle, if you have those on hand, they work really well.
Cake Frosting
For this cake I just topped with a homemade whipped cream. You can mix it up and top with your favorite white frosting, or you could use Cool Whip if you want a shortcut.
Storing Your 4th Of July Poke Cake
This cake is best stored in the fridge. Cover so it is airtight, and it will keep for 2-3 days. If you want to make this ahead, I would frost the day of if you can or at least wait to add the sprinkles until the day of your party. The sprinkles can start to “bleed” a little in the fridge, and your cake won’t be quite as pretty.
Leftover Jello
Beware, there will be leftover Jello. You do not need to use the full amount of the red or blue for the cake. You will only need about half of each. Traditionally a poke cake is made with 1-3oz package, but because we are using the 2 colors we are going to have extra. You can make layered cups, similar to these Red White and Blue Jello Shots, but without the alcohol. Or you can just let the jello set up and enjoy on its own.
More Fun Summer Treats
- Patriotic Party Mix
- Red, White & Blue Muddy Buddies
- Watermelon Krispie Treats
- Patriotic Pretzels
- Strawberry Jello Pie
- Brownie Batter Dip
- Lemon Cheesecake Cones
4th of July Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz white cake mix, plus ingredients called for on the box
- 1 3 oz package strawberry jello
- 1 3 oz package blue jello
- 2 cups boiling water, divided
- 1 cup cold water, divided
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons festive sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º. Spray or grease a 13×9 inch baking pan well.
- Prepare cake according to the package directions. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 22-25 minutes, until it springs back when you gently tough the top, or a tester comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for about an hour.
- Once the cake has mostly cooled, you want to poke holes all over the top. You can use the handle of a wooden spoon, and knife, or a chopstick works perfectly.
- Start by mixing red jello with 1 cup of boiling water, whisking well until the jello has dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup of cold water. Then using a straw or a meat injector syringe (see blog post for tips), fill half of the holes with red jello. Repeat using the blue jello.
- Prepare the whipped cream by beating heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined. Spread over the cake. Top with festive sprinkles if desired.
- Let the cake sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours for the jello to set up and chill. Then slice to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is such a pretty cake! It looks delicious, too. It’s perfect for the 4th!
Perfect dessert idea for the upcoming holiday!
I can’t wait to make this for our 4th of July party! I will have to bake two of these because they will disappear quickly.
I would love to try this! SO fun and festive!
This poke cake is so festive! My guest will love it for sure!
Saving this for 4th of July! This is so perfect!