4th of July Poke Cake
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Updated: 06/23/25
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This easy 4th of July Poke Cake starts with a boxed cake mix and features vibrant red, white, and blue streaks beneath fluffy whipped topping and sprinkles for the ultimate patriotic dessert.
Sheet cakes are essentially the easy button when it comes to desserts because you can serve a lot of people, and they’re always a no fuss dessert. So, turning a sheet cake into a poke cake is great since you can add more flavor and make a themed cake with fun colors. Red, white and blue desserts are the hit of any 4th party and this 4th of July poke cake is a great way to throw together a quick patriotic dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fourth of July cake is a super easy recipe! Great for a day filled with cooking or baking, or for novice bakers.
- This patriotic cake uses box cake mix. You don’t have to worry about having tons of ingredients to make a cake from scratch.
- Patriotic poke cake can be adapted for any holiday. Change the colors and flavors or the Jell-o and you’ve got a great themed cake.
Ingredients for 4th of July Poke Cake
- White cake mix – White cake mix will show the red and blue colors of Jell-o really well. You can use a yellow cake mix or whatever flavor of cake mix you prefer. Keep in mind that you want the cake to be a light color so that the red and blue jello can be seen.
- Eggs – Allow the eggs to come to room temperature before mixing them into the cake batter. They will mix and distribute throughout the batter more easily.
- Oil – Vegetable oil and canola oil are most commonly used with box cake mixes. Feel free to use any oil and check the back of the cake mix box for the correct measurements.
- Strawberry and berry blue Jell-o mix – This will make the red, white, and blue color theme of this 4th of July cake. Use regular or sugar free.
- Boiling water – Use boiling water to bloom the jello.
- Cool Whip – Cool Whip tastes so light and yummy on top of this cake, but you can also make homemade whipped cream to use as a topping.
- Red, white and blue sprinkles – Grab some fun patriotic sprinkles to put on top of your cake.
Can I use different frosting?
Using Cool Whip as frosting always tastes great with a jello poke cake. However, you can always use a different frosting. Make some buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting to top your chilled cake. Or, grab a can of frosting at the grocery store and use that instead. You really can use whatever you like.
Helpful Tools
How to Make 4th of July Poke Cake
Prepare the white cake mix according to the instructions on the box, then pour the batter into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan.
Bake the cake according to the directions on the box. Once the cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke holes in it with a wooden spoon handle or chopsticks.
In two small bowls, stir together one cup of boiling water and one Jell-O packet, separately.
Once the jello has dissolved, carefully spoon it over the rows of holes with the strawberry on one row first, then berry blue, and keep alternating until all of the holes are covered.
Place the cake in the fridge for 5-6 hours to chill. Then, spread Cool Whip or whipping cream over the top of the cake and top it with patriotic sprinkles.
Slice and serve.
Pro Tips
- Slice up some strawberries and top your cake with strawberries and blueberries. You can even put them in a pattern to look like the American flag.
- Carefully pour the jello into the rows. You’ll want to see distinct differences between the rows of blue and red.
- Don’t make the holes too big. Use a small wooden spoon handle or a skewer.
- Poke holes only about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down so the bottom of the cake doesn’t end up soggy.
- Follow the instructions on the box to turn this cake into cupcakes for easy serving. Poke one hole, add jello and let it set before adding Cool Whip!
Storage
FRIDGE: Store leftover poke cake in the fridge for 1-2 days. You can either cover the cake pan tightly with plastic wrap, or place leftovers in an airtight container.
FREEZER: Believe it or not, you can freeze a fourth of July poke cake. Once you let the jello set, wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer and store for up to a month. Do not top the cake with Cool whip before freezing. Allow the cake to thaw, then top with Cool whip once ready to serve.
This 4th of July poke cake is a crowd hit every year! This show stopper always looks picture perfect and tastes absolutely delicious.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
4th of July Poke Cake
Easy Red, White and Blue Poke Cake using a boxed cake mix is so easy to make for an easy patriotic dessert.
pieces
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix plus the ingredients on the packaging to make the cake
- 2 cups boiling water divided
- 3 ounces strawberry Jell-O mix (1 box)
- 3 ounces berry blue Jell-O mix (1 box)
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- red, white, and blue sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare the cake mix into a 9×13-inch baking pan according to the directions on the packaging.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, using the handle of a wooden spoon or a chopstick, poke rows of holes into the cake.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup boiling water and strawberry jello mix until the jello has dissolved.
- In another small mixing bowl, stir together 1 cup boiling water and berry blue jello mix until the jello has dissolved.
- Carefully spoon the strawberry jello into one row of holes, then spoon the berry jello into the next row. Keep alternating the jello in each row. You will have leftover jello mix.
- Place the cake into the fridge for 5-6 hours to chill.
- Spread the cool whip over the top of the cake and top it with the sprinkles.
Tips
FRIDGE: Store leftover poke cake in the fridge for 1-2 days. You can either cover the cake pan tightly with plastic wrap, or place leftovers in an airtight container.
FREEZER: Believe it or not, you can freeze a fourth of July poke cake. Once you let the jello set, wrap the pan tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer and store for up to a month. Do not top the cake with Cool whip before freezing. Allow the cake to thaw, then top with Cool whip once ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 216kcal (11%), Carbohydrates: 47g (16%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 2g (3%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 3mg (1%), Sodium: 331mg (14%), Potassium: 44mg (1%), Fiber: 0.5g (2%), Sugar: 30g (33%), Vitamin A: 33IU (1%), Calcium: 101mg (10%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
How To Serve 4th Of July Poke Cake
We love to have a table full of desserts for our 4th of July parties! We always need to have our pick of sweets after a delicious meal of burgers, hot dogs, and french fries. This red, white, and blue poke cake is the easiest themed dessert I can make.
More 4th of July Desserts
- These 4th of July Sugar Cookies are so adorable! Set the kids up at a table with everything they need to decorate and hav fun!
- I love these Red, White and Blue Mini Cheesecakes. So easy to make and a great little bite-sized dessert to serve at parties.
- Grab some extra boxes of Jello and make these super fun Jell-O Patriotic Parfaits for a light and colorful treat.
- Need some more easy cake mix recipes? Check out these 4th of July Cupcakes! Set out the frosting and sprinkles and let the kids help decorate.
Sharon says
Is there any reason not to use regular cake frosting instead of whipped topping?