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Home » Recipes » Cake Recipes

Patriotic Jello Poke Cake

Published: Mar 27, 2022 Last Updated: Feb 3, 2023 by Marye 1418 words. | About 8 minutes to read this article.

So Pretty! Patriotic, red-white-blue Jello Poke Cake is quick and easy to make with fun red and blue gelatin streaks and whipped white chocolate topping. Perfect for all your summer parties.
Total time 15 minutes
Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
Picture of a serving of cake with title text overlay for Pinterest.

What's a 4th of July celebration without a gorgeous red, white, and blue dessert? Can you have a summer party without one?

I think not.

A square of Jello poke cake streaked with red and blue Jello and a white chocolate topping
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love it
  • 🧾 Ingredients
  • 🥄 Equipment
  • 🥫 Storage
  • 📖 Variations
  • 💭 Things to know
  • 👩‍🍳 FAQs
  • 📚 Related recipes
  • 🍽️ Serve with...
  • 📞 The last word
  • Patriotic Jello Poke Cake

❤️ Why you'll love it

  • SO easy to make! It's a great recipe for beginners because the cake is never dry since you pour gelatin into it!
  • It's always the star of the dessert table because it's so pretty.
  • Kids love it.

This patriotic Jello poke cake recipe is quick and easy to make, as well as make-ahead, so you can spend your time enjoying the day right along with family and friends.

White cake is infused with strawberry and blue raspberry gelatin then covered with a creamy whipped white chocolate frosting and garnished with fresh berries.

Red, white, and blue it's the perfect dessert for all your summer parties.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

  • strawberry Jello
  • blue raspberry Jello
  • white cake mix (including the ingredients used to make it)
  • powdered sugar
  • white chocolate or vanilla instant pudding mix
  • heavy cream
  • strawberries
  • blueberries
  • white chocolate

🥄 Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

One nice thing to have is a sheet pan with a plastic cover. That way the cover stays up off the top of the cake and you don't run the risk of the plastic sticking to the fruit and moving it around.

I like this sheet cake pan from Wilton.

🥫 Storage

You can make this red, white, and blue poke cake 2 days ahead of time if you don't frost it until the day you want to serve it OR you can make it a day ahead of time and go ahead and frost it.

Once frosted keep it in the refrigerator. Be sure to cover it tightly because the whipped frosting will take on refrigerator odors and weird flavors.

Store leftover poke cake, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After that it will tend to get soggy and have a weird texture.

Square of Jello Poke cake with blueberries and raspberries on top.

📖 Variations

You can use other flavor combinations of gelatin to create Jello poke cakes for almost any occasion!

  • Cherry and lime  with vanilla whipped topping.
  • Black cherry for Valentine's day with white chocolate or chocolate whipped topping.
  • Lime for a St Patrick's Day green Jello poke cake.
  • Lemon sheet cake with lemon or lime gelatin and lemon whipped topping.
  • Strawberry sheet cake with strawberry gelatin.

There are so many different flavors of jello that there are ALL kinds of possibilities!

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: You can make this even quicker and easier by buying an unfrosted white cake at the bakery or bakery section of your store.

  • Be sure not to go all the way through the cake but vary the depth of the holes from about half way to about ¾ths of the way down.
  • Twisting the dowel a little will help the cake hold more of the filling.
  • Make the holes when the cake is still a little warm.
  • Make sure the holes aren't too close together - keep them even all over the cake.
  • Be sure to allow plenty of time for the cake to chill or it will be soggy. Give it at least 3 to 4 hours.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

What is a poke cake?

A poke cake is any cake that you poke holes into to allow pudding, fruit puree, or gelatin to seep into the cake. This isn't the same as poking a cake with a thin toothpick so that it will soak up condensed milk or other liquid. The holes in a poke cake tend to retain some of what you've put in it making pockets of filling throughout the cake.

What do you use to poke holes in poke cake?

A small dowel or handle of a wooden spoon is used to poke holes in the cake.

Do you have to refrigerate a poke cake?

Most poke cakes need to be refrigerated whether they are covered in pudding, Jello, or something else.

Close up of the red white and blue Jello Poke Cake

📚 Related recipes

Here are some other great patriotic recipes for your summer parties.

  • Cream Cheese Coffee Cake with Berries
  • Plain Cheesecake
  • Star Shaped Zebra Cake Copycat
  • Margaritas by the Pitcher
  • Overhead shot of a bowl of potato salad.
    Mom's Homemade Potato Salad
  • A fork cutting into a square of cake.
    Pig Pickin' Cake Recipe
  • Closeup of fried chicken on a plate.
    Best Cajun Fried Chicken: So Crispy!
  • Overhead view of Fritos salad in a white bowl
    Frito Corn Salad Recipe

🍽️ Serve with...

  • Grilled chicken is always perfect for summer.
  • This watermelon basket is a classic and it's so easy.
  • You can't go wrong with a fruit salad, either.
  • Macaroni salad is a classic summer side.
Red white and blue poke cake with a serving cut out showing the inside.

📞 The last word

My parents always celebrated big on 4th of July with themed pool parties that ended with watching fireworks explode and spew color across the nighttime sky.

I have so many great memories!

We have never entertained on that grand of a scale, however I still like to celebrate with all of the traditional foods! Macaroni salad, potato salad, burgers, and easy desserts like this patriotic Jello Poke Cake.

This easy cake is extra yummy because of the whipped white chocolate topping. You can make white chocolate stars for decoration freehand or in star shaped chocolate molds

You may also like this Boston cream poke cake.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

small square closeup of jello poke cake for the recipe card
5 from 14 votes

Patriotic Jello Poke Cake

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So Pretty! Patriotic, red-white-blue Jello Poke Cake is quick and easy to make with fun red and blue gelatin streaks and whipped white chocolate topping. Perfect for all your summer parties.
Course Dessert - Cake
Cuisine American - Vintage
Prep Time: 15 minutes
chilling time: 8 hours
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings:16
Calories:386
Author:Marye Audet-White
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

Cake

  • white cake, baked in a 13x9-inch pan
  • 4 ounces red Jell-O, 4 serving size
  • 4 ounces blue Jell-O

Frosting

  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • ¼ cup Confectioner's sugar
  • 3.9 ounces white chocolate instant pudding
  • 1 pint ripe strawberries, hulled and halfed
  • 1 pint blueberries
  • ½ pint raspberries, optional
  • ½ pint blackberries, optional

White Chocolate Stars

  • 6 ounces white chocolate

I earn a commission from Instacart from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

Cake

  • Poke holes in cooled cake at ½-inch intervals, poking about halfway through the cake and twisting gently with a small dowel.
  • Put the red Jell-O in one bowl and the blue in another.
  • Pour ½ cup of boiling water in each and stir until gelatin dissolves.
  • Pour the red Jell-O in some of the holes in the cake randomly and finish filling the other holes with the blue Jell-O.
  • Chill overnight.

Frosting

  • Add the heavy cream, pudding mix, and Confectioner's sugar to the bowl of a mixer.
  • Using the whisk attachment beat until light and fluffy - with the texture of thick whipped cream.
  • Cover the chilled cake thickly with the topping.
  • Add the fruit in any design you prefer.

White Chocolate Stars

  • Melt white chocolate and either fill star shaped candy molds or create stars freehand on waxed paper.
  • Chill until firm.
  • Use to decorate cake.
  • Store in the refrigerator

Notes

Storage:
You can make this red, white, and blue poke cake 2 days ahead of time if you don't frost it until the day you want to serve it OR you can make it a day ahead of time and go ahead and frost it.
Once frosted keep it in the refrigerator. Be sure to cover it tightly because the whipped frosting will take on refrigerator odors and weird flavors.
Store leftover poke cake, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. After that it will tend to get soggy and have a weird texture.
Tips:
Expert Tip: You can make this even quicker and easier by buying an unfrosted white cake at the bakery or bakery section of your store.
  • Be sure not to go all the way through the cake but vary the depth of the holes from about half way to about ¾ths of the way down.
  • Twisting the dowel a little will help the cake hold more of the filling.
  • Make the holes when the cake is still a little warm.
  • Make sure the holes aren't too close together - keep them even all over the cake.
  • Be sure to allow plenty of time for the cake to chill or it will be soggy. Give it at least 3 to 4 hours.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 929IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg

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    First published June 28, 2018. Last updated March 28, 2022 for readability and more tips.

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    About Marye

    With a 40 year focus on the importance of family and a passion for southern comfort food, Marye Audet-White is an expert in melding the two together effortlessly. Marye's a NY Times Bestselling author with 10 cookbooks under her belt and her recipes have been featured in Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Today, House Beautiful, Texas Living, Food & Wine, and many more.

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