Celebrate the summer holidays with this patriotic Red White and Blue Poke Cake. Made with boxed cake mix and jello and topped off with some whipped cream, this cake is a flavorful dessert everyone will enjoy.
Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions for a 9x13 baking dish.
Use the back end of a wooden spoon, a long skewer, or a chopstick to press holes into the top of the cake. You want one hole every ½ inch or so, so that the entire cake is filled with holes. Set aside. Let the cake cool completely before using.
In a small pot bring 1 cup of water to a boil.
Divide the water in half and add ½ cup of boiling water to one small bowl and ½ cup of it to another.
Whisk one packet of jello mix into one bowl of water and do the same with the other so that each jello is in its own bowl of warm water.
Whisk the jello in each bowl until the mixture is dissolved and no longer grainy.
Alternate pouring the two jellos over the top of the cake until the entire top has been covered in colorful jello.
Place the cake in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
After the cake has chilled, spread the thawed cool whip over the top of the cake to cover the jello.
Add your patriotic sprinkles over the top.
Slice and serve. Enjoy.
Notes
To make your red white and blue jello cake more unique you can:
Garnish the top with maraschino cherries
Use fresh blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries to decorate the top to look like an American flag
Swirl red and blue food coloring into the Cool whip for a fun appearance.
Recipe Tips
Poking holes into the cake while it is still warm is recommended to help prevent the top of the cake from cracking when you poke it.
Make sure that you ignore the instructions on the back of the box of jello. We are just using the dry mix inside of the box.
It's okay not to use all of the jello for your cake. I do use all of it, but if you don't want to, you can turn the remaining jello into little parfaits or something by pouring it into a container and chilling in the fridge for later.
If desired you can make your own homemade whipped cream instead of using whipped topping. Just beat 1 ½ cups of heavy whipping cream with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until stiff peaks form. Then use as desired.
If you want to make this recipe into cupcakes, then go right ahead! It might be a little messy or tricky when adding the jello but if you use a straw to pinch up and drop the color into the holes, it should be a little easier. Just make the cupcakes according to the box directions in a paper liner and follow along with our instructions.
Storage
You can keep your patriotic poke cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days or you can free it for up to 3 months. To freeze it, do so after adding the jello but before adding the whipped cream topping. Place it in a tightly sealed container and thaw in the fridge overnight before adding the cool whip and serving.