Want to wow your guests over the Spring and Easter holidays. Make this pretty and colorful Easter Poke Cake for your dessert table!
This Easter JELLO Poke Cake looks complicated but it is pretty easy to make.
You can pick your favorite cake and Jell-O colors and make the perfect Easter dessert.
I am so happy with how this pretty Easter JELLO Poke Cake turned out. Poke cakes are very easy to make. All you need is a boxed cake mix, some JELLO and some frosting.
You will also need the ingredients to make the cake mix and some water for the JELLO. Easy peesy to make this stunning Easter dessert cake.
The fun and very Easter colored JELLO Poke Cake gets the pretty pastel Easter colors when the blue JELLO combines with the yellow and pink cake.
The blue JELLO turns to green in the yellow cake layer and purple in the pink cake layer. Perfect Easter colors!
I love JELLO Poke Cakes.
I don't know if it is the fun color combinations you can come up with or if it is because I love old fashioned Vintage Recipes.
JELLO Poke Cakes are so very vintage. If you grew up in the 70's you probably ate JELLO Poke Cake all the time.
They were a very popular holiday dessert recipe.
How to make an Easter JELLO Poke Cake
Traditionally JELLO Poke Cakes use Cool Whip Topping as the frosting. If you have ever used cool whip as a topping you know how soft and runny it can get.
You can make a very similar cool whip flavored frosting with a tub of canned frosting and cool whip.
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make this pastel colored poke cake recipe. You will need a cake mix, frosting and JELLO.
- White cake mix: You will need one box of cake mix and the ingredients to make it to make two 8 or 9 inch round cakes. You can use Duncan Hines Spring Velvets Cake in the color of your choice or a White Cake Mix that you have colored with gel food coloring.
- two 3 oz. boxes of blue JELLO
- 1 container of Cool Whip
- 1 tub of Vanilla Frosting
- food coloring if using white cake mix (affiliate link)
- parchment paper
Directions
Follow the instructions below to make a delightfully Easter themed poke cake for the holiday.
Step 1: Cut two circles of parchment paper to fit into the bottom of 2 eight inch round cake pans. Grease the bottom of the pan. Place a round of parchment paper in each cake pan and smooth down. Grease and lightly flour.
Step 2: Make the cake as directed on the box. Divide the batter between two bowls. Add the food coloring to each bowl and mix until no streaks of color can be seen. Pour the colored cake mix into the two cake pans. Bake the two 8 inch cakes following the directions on the box. Cool the cakes completely on a cake rack. Do not remove the cakes from the cake pans yet.
Step 3: Dissolve both boxes of blue JELLO in 2 ½ cups of boiling water and allow to cool to room temperature.
Step 4: While the JELLO is cooling use a chop stick or handle of a wooden spoon to evenly poke holes around the top of both cakes. SEE Notes!
Step 5: Put about ½ cup of the dissolved JELLO in a small, spouted measuring cup. I've found this to be the easiest way to get the JELLO in the holes and not all over the top of the cake.
Step 6: Slowly pour the JELLO into one hole at a time until you see the JELLO come to the top of the hole. Move on to the next hole until all holes have been filled once. Resist the urge to refill the holes.
This causes the JELLO to puddle at the bottom of the hole, soaking the bottom of the cake. Refill the measuring cup as needed.
Step 7: Once you have filled the holes in both cakes loosely cover the cake pans with aluminum and refrigerate at least 4 hours so the JELLO sets up, overnight is best.
Step 8: Run a butter knife around the edges of each cake. Place a plate on the top of one cake pan. Flip the plate over and tap the bottom of the cake pan gently to release the cake if needed. Pull the parchment paper off the top of the cake.
Frost the top of the cake with an even layer of frosting.
Step 9: Next, place your hand with your fingers splayed open in the center of the other cake pan for the top layer. Flip the pan over to release the cake. Carefully handle the cake so it does not crack or break. Remove the parchment paper and place the second cake layer on top of the first one on the plate. Center the layers evenly.
Step 10: Frost the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Cool Whip Frosting Ingredients
Two simple ingredients to make a cool whip frosting perfect for retro poke cake recipes.
- 16 oz. tub of vanilla frosting
- 1 cup of thawed Cool Whip
Cool Whip Frosting Directions
Easy directions to make cool whip frosting.
- Scoop the vanilla frosting into a bowl.
- Mix the cool whip topping into the frosting until combined completely.
Recipe FAQs
A poke cake is a cake that has been poked with hole that are then filled with JELLO or pudding.
The handle of a wooden spoon is usually used to poke the holes in a poke cake. I have found that if making a poke cake with JELLO I like to use something smaller like a chop stick to poke the holes. The bigger holes made by a wooden spoon handle work perfect when making a poke cake using pudding which is thicker and will not seep out of the larger holes like the thinner JELLO does.
Recipe Expert Tips
Following these tips will guarantee success when making this Easter cake recipe.
- Why use parchment paper? In my experience parchment paper is required to help keep the JELLO from leaking out the bottom of the cake layers.
- What size cake pans: I used eight inch round cake pans. If you use nine inch round pans the cake layers will be thinner.
- What brand cake mix to use?: Use your favorite white cake mix.
- How to get the right JELLO colors: I made a yellow cake layer and a pink cake layer. By using blue JELLO the colors of the JELLO naturally combine and changed to green (yellow cake layer) and purple (pink cake layer) when poured into the holes poked into the cake.
- How to poke the holes in a poke cake: I find the handle of a wooden spoon to be too wide that is why I use a chopstick. The smaller hole created by a chopstick helps the cake absorb the liquid JELLO as you pour it into each hole. If you don't have a chopstick try to find something smaller than a wooden spoon handle to use.
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Easter JELLO Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box White Cake Mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 boxes blue JELLO ((3 oz. boxes ))
- 1 cup thawed Cool Whip
- 1 16 oz. tub ready to spread Vanilla Frosting
- food coloring if using white cake mix (color each cake layer a different color.)
Instructions
Bake and fill the poke cake
- Prepare cake pans by lining with parchment paper, greasing and lightly flouring.
- Mix the cake mix following the directions on the box.
- Divide the cake batter into two bowls.
- Color one bowl of batter yellow and the other pink with the gel food coloring.
- Pour the cake batter in the two prepared pans.
- Bake the cake following the directions on the box.
- Cool the cake completely on a wire cooling rack. Set aside.
- Dissolve both boxes of blue JELLO in 2 ½ cups of boiling water and cool.
- Poke holes all over the top of both cakes. (SEE NOTES)
- Carefully pour the JELLO into each hole on both cakes. Cover the cake pans with plastic wrap.
- Chill 4 hours at least or overnight.
- Remove the first layer of cake from the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Place cake on a plate or cake stand.
Make the frosting
- Scoop the vanilla frosting into a bowl.
- Whisk one cup of cool whip into the frosting until combined.
Frost the cake
- Spread some of the cool whip frosting over the top of the bottom layer of the cake to frost most of the center of the cake.
- Remove the parchment paper and place the second layer of the cake on top of the bottom cake layer. (SEE Step 8 and 9 above in the post for detailed instructions)
- Frost the sides of the entire cake.
- Use remaining frosting to frost the top of the cake.
- Chill before serving.
- Makes 12 servings.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Why use parchment paper? In my experience parchment paper is required to help keep the JELLO from leaking out the bottom of the cake layers.
- What size cake pans: I used eight inch round cake pans. If you use nine inch round pans the cake layers will be thinner.
- What brand cake mix to use?: Use your favorite white cake mix.
- How to get the right JELLO colors: I made a yellow cake layer and a pink cake layer. By using blue JELLO the colors of the JELLO naturally combine and changed to green (yellow cake layer) and purple (pink cake layer) when poured into the holes poked into the cake.
- How to poke the holes in a poke cake: I find the handle of a wooden spoon to be too wide that is why I use a chopstick. The smaller hole created by a chopstick helps the cake absorb the liquid JELLO as you pour it into each hole. If you don't have a chopstick try to find something smaller than a wooden spoon handle to use.
Nutrition
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Gina
I love Jell-O poke cakes and this looks so pretty for Easter! It definitely will be part of our dinner that day!
Arlene Mobley
Gina
Thank you!
Diana Rambles
Super cool!
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen
What a beautiful poke cake and so perfect for Easter!
Arlene Mobley
Christin
Thank you so much!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
What a fun idea! I bet the kids love it! Would you believe I have never had a poke cake before? I need to try making one!
Arlene Mobley
Michelle
You have to try one! The kids love them! Thanks for stopping by!
Hirra Pervaiz
So colorful and amazing recipe 🙂
Arlene Mobley
Hirra
Thank you so much!
Joy @ Joy Love Food
This is colorful and sounds yummy! My kids would go nuts for it, pinning to try.
Arlene Mobley
Thank you Joy!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake
I've never had jello poke cake before, it looks awesome!
Arlene Mobley
Michelle
Thank you. You must try one.