Description
This festive Christmas Poke Cake is a delightful and colorful dessert combining a classic white cake with vibrant red and green jello pokes, layered with creamy vanilla pudding and whipped topping. Perfect for holiday celebrations, this easy-to-make treat brings fun textures and flavors together to brighten any dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1 (15 oz) box white cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
Jello Mixtures
- 1 (6 oz) box strawberry jello
- 1 (6 oz) box lime jello
- 2 cups boiling water
Topping
- 1 (3.4 oz) box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Red and green sprinkles or decorations
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F or follow the temperature instructions on the cake mix box. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish well with butter or nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
- Make and Bake Cake: In a mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix and ingredients called for on the box according to instructions. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake as directed on the packaging, usually about 30 minutes.
- Cool and Poke Holes: Remove the baked cake from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. Then, use a fork or the handle end of a wooden spoon to poke holes about 1 inch apart evenly across the surface of the cake. Allow the cake to cool further while preparing the jello.
- Prepare Jello: In two separate bowls, dissolve the strawberry jello in 1 cup boiling water and the lime jello in another 1 cup boiling water, stirring each until fully dissolved.
- Pour Jello into Cake: Alternately pour the red (strawberry) and green (lime) jello over the cake in rows, making sure the liquid seeps into the holes. You might not use all the jello mixture. Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for about 15 minutes.
- Make the Topping: Whisk the instant vanilla pudding mix with 1 cup milk until it begins to thicken, then gently fold in the thawed whipped topping until combined and smooth.
- Assemble and Chill: Spread the pudding and whipped topping mixture evenly over the chilled jello poke cake. Return the cake to the fridge and chill for at least 2 hours to set completely.
- Serve: Before serving, sprinkle red and green decorations or sprinkles on top for a festive look. Slice and enjoy this colorful holiday dessert!
Notes
- Use a sturdy utensil like a wooden spoon for poking to create deep holes without tearing the cake apart.
- Don’t pour all the jello at once; make sure it seeps into the holes without flooding the cake surface.
- Thaw the whipped topping completely before folding it into the pudding mix for a smooth texture.
- Keep the cake refrigerated until serving to ensure the jello and pudding layers stay firm.
- For extra flavor, you can add fresh strawberries or lime zest on top as decoration.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
