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This Christmas Poke Cake is a fun, easy, and festive treat you can make for the holidays. Light, fluffy, and delicious, this cake will disappear in no time!
Poke cakes are an old classic. They are super easy to make, delicious, and you can really customize them to any flavor combo or colors for any holiday or occasion that you like. Obviously this is red and green for Christmas, but you can do something like Mint Chocolate Poke Cake as really for a more festive flavor.
When it comes to the holidays, I love to have festive treats for get togethers. There is just something fun about having red and green or themed desserts. Things like Candy Cane Pie or Saltine Toffee are traditional for Christmas, but they aren’t always super festive.
But Grinch Hot Chocolate and Christmas Bark kind of scream Christmas with the colors and decorations, and I am all for it! And one great thing about this Christmas Poke Cake is how you can make it super fast and easy. Or if you want to go the homemade route you absolutely can. It is completely up to you how much time and effort you want to put into it.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- White Cake Mix – you will need the ingredients called for on the box as well. Whatever brand you like works great! You can also make your own homemade white cake if you prefer.
- Boiling Water
- Lime Jello
- Cherry Jello
- Whipped Topping – you can use homemade or store bought
- Sprinkles
How To Make Christmas Poke Cake
- Bake Cake. Follow the directions on the box to make a 13×9 inch cake. You could also use a homemade vanilla cake here if you wanted, you just need a 13×9 inch baked cake that has cooled completely.
- Poke Holes. Use the back of a wooden spoon to poke holes about 1 inch or 3/4 of the way into the cake.
- Pour Jello. Mix 1 cup of hot water with the packet of jello and then into every other hole. Do the same with the second color, so you have mostly alternating red and green holes. Let it chill and completely set up in the fridge for a few hours.
- Frost. When you are ready to serve top with whipped cream and festive sprinkles.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- The back of a wooden spoon makes a great took to poke the holes in your cake. You could also use a dowel, or a large fork. Those are just harder to get really distinct red and green separated in the holes.
- Use a white cake mix. The white cake mix will bake up white, not off white or yellow so you will get a more festive and clean look.
- Don’t want to use the frozen whipped topping? No problem! Homemade Stabilized Whipped Cream is a super easy version you can make in minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely. It will become a big mess if you try to poke holes in a cake that is not completely cooled. So take your time and plan ahead.
- Don’t poke too deep! You want to go about 3/4 of the way down the cake, or your jello will go all the way to the bottom of the cake which isn’t ideal.
Can I Make Ahead Of Time
Yes, you really do want to make it the day before so the cake as time to cool before you add the jello, and then the jello has time to really soak into the cake before slicing.
You can also freeze this poke cake. You will want to follow the recipe until the point of adding the whipped cream topping. Tightly cover and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready, let it thaw on the counter and then top with whipped cream and sprinkles to serve.
Storage
You will want to store this cake in the fridge. The whipped topping, whether you use store bought or homemade really needs to be kept cold. The cake will last for about 3-4 days covered in the fridge.
More Festive Christmas Desserts
Christmas Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 oz) box white cake mix , (plus ingredients called for on the box)
- 3 oz Red Jello
- 3 oz Green Jello
- 2 cups boiling water, divided
- 8 oz Whipped Topping
- 2 Tablespoons red & green sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray or grease a 13.x 9 inch baking dish well. Set aside.
- Prepare white cake mix according to the box directions. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean. Remove and let the cake cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled, use the back of a wooden spoon to poke holes about 1 inch deep or 3/4 of the way into the cake. Be careful not to poke all the way to the bottom.
- Mix together 1 cup of boiling water with the red jello, and 1 cup with the green jello. Whisk for about 2 minutes until it has completely dissolved. Alternate pouring red and green into the holes over the cake. Place in the fridge for 3-4 hours to chill completely.
- When ready to serve top with whipped topping and festive sprinkles. Cut into squares.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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