Poke cake is a lot of fun to make! It involves sticking holes into a prepared cake and then filling those holes with a specific sauce or other filling. In this particular recipe, we use Jell-O to introduce brilliant color into both cake layers. This recipe is unique in its preparation, so make sure you pay close attention to the recipe!
Make sure you buy cake mix for white cake. This is where the white color of the American flag will come from. The red and blue come from the Jell-O. Poke cakes traditionally use box cake mixes, but you can undertake the endeavor of making your cake from scratch if you want. Ultimately, what matters are the steps detailed in this recipe.
Remember that Jell-O is not vegetarian-friendly, since it is made from gelatin. Gelatin is derived from animal products. These days, however, there are vegetarian-friendly Jell-O alternatives. If you'll be serving this cake to someone who can't or won't eat meat, opt for vegan Jell-O instead. You should still be able to find red and blue vegan Jell-O.
Don't forget to poke enough holes in the cake! Have your kids help you with this part. They'll enjoy being able to poke lots of holes into their food. Just make sure they don't get too rough with it, as you don't want the cake to completely fall apart!
Patriotic Poke Cake
Ingredients:
2 baked 9-inch round white cake layers, cooled
2 cups boiling water, divided
1 (3 ounce) package Jell-O, any red flavor
1 (3 ounce) package Jell-O Berry Blue flavor
1 (8 ounce) container whipped topping, thawed, divided
Directions:
Place the cake layers, top sides up, in 2 9-inch round cake pans. Pierce the cake with a large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.
Stir 1 cup of the boiling water into red and Berry Blue gelatin in separate bowls for 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Carefully pour red gelatin over one cake layer and Berry Blue gelatin over second cake layer. Refrigerate 3 hours.
Dip one cake pan in warm water 10 seconds; unmold onto serving plate. Spread with about 1 cup of the whipped topping.
Unmold second cake layer; carefully place on first cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining whipped topping.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh fruit, if desired. Store leftover cake in refrigerator.