Christmas Poke Cake

Christmas dessert doesn’t get any more quick and easy than this Christmas Poke Cake! It starts with a box mix and adds a few pantry staples for a fun, pretty, and delicious Christmas-themed Poke Cake. 

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It’s about to be a whole lot merrier this holiday season when you make this easy jello poke cake recipe! This is a fun and festive dessert that is perfect for holiday parties, potlucks, or Christmas day.

You Will Love This Easy Christmas Cake!

I love easy recipes for the holidays and this poke cake is one of the easiest! It’s made with white cake mix and red and green jello so every slice has a colorful holiday pattern. Plus, it keeps well in the refrigerator so you can make it ahead.

If you’ve never made a jello poke cake, I’m showing you all of the steps so it turns out every time you make it. What I love about this recipe is that you can switch up the jello colors and make it all year for any occasion. This is a holiday version, but with so many flavors of jello available, the possibilities are endless.

When it comes to poke cakes, I love chocolate cakes, Oreo cakes, and all of them in between but, for Christmas, this easy recipe is the best!

Ingredients

• White cake mix: You will also need the ingredients listed on the box to make it. I like to use white cake mix because you can really see the red and green jello inside the cake.
• Raspberry Jell-O mix: I like raspberry, but any red jello will work!
• Lime Jell-O mix
• Boiling water
• Frozen whipped topping: Be sure to thaw it before frosting the cake. You can also use low-fat whipped topping.

How to Make a Jello Poke Cake

Bake the Cake: Prepare the white cake following the package instructions. Once it’s baked, cool it in the pan for 10 to 20 minutes. 

Prepare the Jello: Pour the jello mixes into separate bowls. Add one cup of boiling water to each and stir until they are well mixed.

Poke! Use a fork to poke holes every 1″ in the top of the cake. I like to do a grid pattern.

Fill: Spoon the jello mixtures over the holes to fill them. Alternate between the red and green jello for each row of holes. You won’t use all of the jello, but be sure to enough so it soaks down into the holes.

Chill: Once you’ve filled the cake, place it in the refrigerator for 10 to 20 minutes to cool. The cake is ready when the top is cooled completely. Don’t skip this step – after you add the hot jello liquid, the cake needs to cool before you add the topping. Otherwise, your topping could melt and get runny.

Topping: Spread the whipped topping over the top of the cake and then chill the cake again for two hours.

Decorate: Top the cake with Christmas sprinkles, crushed peppermint candies, or other holiday candies that you like.

Slice and Serve! This cake is best when it’s served cold, so if you are not serving it right away keep it in the refrigerator.

FAQ

This easy poke cake will get you in the holiday spirit! It’s fun to make and tastes delicious – everyone will fight over the last slice!

More Holiday Dessert Recipes

• Red Velvet Cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and iced with cream cheese frosting!
• Gingerbread Poke Cake is a great holiday cake for the Christmas season!
• White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies are a festive treat for the cookie platters.
• Make a batch of yummy Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for a special treat.
• Turtle Brownies are a decadent dessert bar that will wow your family and friends!

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!

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5 from 12 votes

Christmas Poke Cake

Quick and easy Christmas dessert recipe using a boxed cake mix, Jell-O and whipped topping that's festive and delicious.

Prep:10 mins

Cook:30 mins

Cooling Time:2 hrs

Total:2 hrs 40 mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 15.25 oz white cake mix plus ingredients to prepare
• ▢ 6 oz box raspberry Jell-O mix
• ▢ 6 oz box lime Jell-O mix
• ▢ 2 cups boiling water
• ▢ 8 ounce container frozen whipped topping thawed

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Instructions

• Bake the cake per the package instructions on the cake mix box. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a baking sheet for 10-20 minutes.
• When the cake is cool, make each Jell-O mix. Using two bowls, place each of the Jell-O mixes into their respective bowls. Then add 1 cup of boiling water to each bowl and stir until the solution is well mixed.
• Using a fork, poke holes every 1” in a grid pattern across the cake.
• Then using a spoon, pour the Jell-O liquids into the holes alternating raspberry Jell-O and lime Jell-O by row, creating alternating rows of raspberry and lime over the cake. Be sure to use enough Jell-O liquid to penetrate into the holes poked by the fork. You will not use all of the Jell-O liquids.
• Once you have completed filling the holes with jello, allow the cake to cool for an additional 10-20 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Once the cake is cool when you touch the top, spread the whipped topping with a spatula over the top of the cake. Place your cake in the refrigerator.
• Allow cake to chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Once chilled, add your favorite christmas sprinkles, crushed peppermints, or your favorite Christmas candies.
• Serve chilled and enjoy! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Tips

What other jello flavors can you use?

For the holidays, black cherry, cranberry, cherry, and strawberry work for the red. They all pair with lime jello for the perfect flavor and color for your holiday cake.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use any combination of colors depending on the holiday! You don’t have to wait until Christmas to make it.

Can you use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip?

Prepared whipped topping is great because it’s stable and keeps well after you’ve frosted the cake. You can make sweetened whipped cream from scratch but sometimes it doesn’t hold up well after a day or so in the refrigerator. So just keep that in mind!

Can you freeze the cake?

I don’t recommend freezing it. 

How long does it keep?

Leftover cake should be kept in the refrigerator. It will keep well for three to four days.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 270kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 60g (20%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 2g (3%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 3mg (1%), Sodium: 397mg (17%), Potassium: 45mg (1%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 43g (48%), Vitamin A: 33IU (1%), Calcium: 101mg (10%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

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We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.