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In the summertime making fruity desserts is one of my favorite things to do. When I tasted this strawberries and cream poke cake I knew I would be making this OFTEN!
It is also a very simple recipe to put together for a get-together or the next BBQ. Who doesn’t love a simple and delicious strawberry dessert?! The combination of the poking of the cake and the strawberry jello is what sets this recipe apart.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake, you will need the following ingredients:
- Ingredients for boxed white cake mix
- Water
- Strawberry flavored Jell-O
- Cool-Whip
- Cream cheese
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Fresh strawberries
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake
- Make cake as directed on the back of the box for a 9×13″ pan.
- Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and “poke” the cake with a large fork (I space my pokes about 1/2″ apart and do it until the entire surface of the cake is covered).
- Mix together the boiling water and Jell-o until the Jell-o is completely dissolved. Pour in the cold water and mix well then pour over the cake.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for three hours.
- Combine the Cool-Whip, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth (I have found that it’s easiest to use an electric mixer, but you don’t have to). Spread on top of cake.
- Top with strawberries and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Storage Suggestions
If you manage to have any leftover cake, these can store well if prepped appropriately. Once the cake has cooled completely, here is how you can store it:
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer: You can freeze completely cooled, un-frosted cake. First, wrap it either in plastic wrap or Press & Seal wrap. Plastic wrap tends to be a little difficult, and require multiple layers. However, we usually always have plastic wrap on hand. Make sure to label your frozen cake with the date made. Frozen cake can last in the freezer for up to 3 months
Enjoy More Delicious Poke Cake Recipes
Some days there’s nothing we want more than a slice of chocolate cake. Check out our comprehensive list of cake recipes here.
- Boston Cream Poke Cake
- White Raspberry Poke Cake
- Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Poke Cake
- Strawberry Coconut Poke Cake
Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake Recipe
White cake with strawberry jello, whipped cream cheese frosting, and strawberries on top, our Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake!
Serving Servings
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix, 15.25 ounces
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 3 ounce box strawberry flavored Jell-o
- ½ cup cold water
Frosting
- 8 ounces Cool-Whip non-dairy whipped topping
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 1 pound strawberries, diced
Instructions
- Make cake as directed on the back of the box for a 9×13" pan.
- Let the cake cool for 20 minutes and "poke" the cake with a large fork (I space my pokes about 1/2" apart and do it until the entire surface of the cake is covered).
- Mix together the boiling water and Jell-o until the Jell-o is completely dissolved. Pour in the cold water and mix well then pour over the cake.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for three hours.
- Combine the Cool-Whip, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth (I have found that it's easiest to use an electric mixer, but you don't have to). Spread on top of cake.
- Top with strawberries and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
Make sure your jello is mixed up well to ensure the cake sets well and isn’t mushy.
It is best to make this cake the day it’s needed or if you have to make it the day before, hold off on putting it all together. Do the jello and frosting the day of.
Nutrition
Calories: 223 kcal · Carbohydrates: 43 g · Protein: 3 g · Fat: 4 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 0.1 g · Cholesterol: 11 mg · Sodium: 306 mg · Potassium: 122 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 27 g · Vitamin A: 114 IU · Vitamin C: 18 mg · Calcium: 120 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Just made this.. YUM!! Followed the directions exactly, the frosting was OH MY GOODNESS DELICIOUS!!! WOW! Thanks!
If you love strawberries there’s nothing like early summer. Strawberry picking is a great activity for family or friends of all ages. There are too many great strawberry recipes out there and fresh fruit is always the best!
Sounds so delish!
Making this for my Mom on her birthday… I know she’s gonna love it! Thank you!
Made this over the 4th of July weekend – yummy!!! I couldn’t find strawberry jello so I used cherry instead and that worked just fine.
This was a delicious cake and the only change that I made was that instead of cold water, I used the juice from a package of frozen strawberries, which gave it more of a strawberry taste. I like the addition of the cream cheese to the frosting, as other recipes just use Cool Whip, and this frosting really adds another dimension of flavor to the cake. I will make this again, and thank you for the recipe.
Delicious. Love the frosting.Thanks
What would be a good non-dairy substitute for the cream cheese? Thanks! Sounds delicious!!
I juste love the recipe
I made this for my papa’s 78th birthday party yesterday..except I added pieces of Lindt chocolates strawberries & creme bar on top…let me just say it was a HIT! Thanks for the recipe.. This is now a family favorite. 🙂
This is one of my all-time favorite desserts! I love the chilled sweet-creamy-fruity combination!
This cake was excellent! I Made for my father’s birthday..everyone loved it! Thank you!
One of my favorite cakes EVER!!! Thanks so much for sharing!! Gonna make for Mom’s birthday 😉
I’ve done this pudding instead of the jello and it is very good also.
Found this recipe on Pinterest…finally, a poke cake that doesn’t just have cool whip as the “frosting”. We’re having this for dessert tonight! Thanks for sharing!
But it does….
Hoping it will turn out all right when I use my whipping cream recipe instead of the Cool Whip.
I know your question is a couple years old, but I just made this recipe last night and noticed your post afterward. I made a dairy free version by using So Delicious CocoWhip in place of the Cool Whip and also Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. Turned out delicious!
I look forward to trying this recipe. Also wanted to say, what an awesome idea to create a blog for all of you sisters to keep in touch. That is so cool. I am the youngest of 5 and I try to stay in touch with my siblings. Every year its a new years resolutions to call my siblings once a week…I try. 😛 Not always good at it but I try 😛 Anyway just thought it was cool that you guys are trying to stay close. 🙂 Thank you for the inspiration. 🙂
I’m sooooo excited about trying this cake for my family tonight!!! I’m sure it will be DELISH! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe before and it turned out amazing!! But I have a question…is it best to bring the Cool Whip to room temperature too for the frosting?
I make something like this and chop the stawberries and sugar and pour them and the poked cake. Does the jello add that much to the cake?
The jello adds tons of flavor and moistness to the cake. We love this cake!
You need to thaw the Cool Whip so it’s not frozen. Just keep it in the fridge overnight to thaw or set it out for an hour or so.
i see cake mix and cool whip and resign immediately. can’t you use natural ingredients?
Can’t you keep your negativity to yourself? Instead of complaining about it, you could always make your own vanilla cake and whipped cream from scratch and continue with the recipe. You know. Make it “natural” on your own.
You can totally make your own cake mix and whip your own cream if desired.
Making this right now for a dessert we will be having tomorrow…can’t wait to taste it!
Will this sit well in the fridge overnight? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Made this for my 4th of July party. Light and refreshing is how my husband described it. He never eats cake………guess what?? He ate the last piece tonight.! I added blueberries so my cake was red, white and blue. This is a keeper………..will make again before summer’s end.
I hate cool whip, too. Did the Whipped cream work ?
Can you make this cake the night before you’re going to serve it, or will it get mushy?
You could make the cake portion of the recipe. Then add the jello and topping the next day. The frosting will make it a little mushy by the next day. But we still love eating the leftovers on day 2.
This cake is excellent !! I suggest that you use the egg white recipe on the cake box because I made it with the whole egg and egg white and the egg white recipe was so fluffy and moist the frosting recipe is great not to sweet just great 😃😃❤️❤️
Growing up in rural Iowa in the 80s, this recipe, which we called just plain ol’ “Jell-O Cake”, was a staple at summer events. 🙂
Yes and I saw one recipe that had the jello poke cake plus on top of cake was a layer of pudding and then a frosting of cool whip.
I’m putting mine together right now and was thrilled to hear ab the cream cheese and powdered sugar with the cool whip. Someone said it takes the cake to a new level!🍓
I just made this recipe, I saw it on Facebook reel ,so I made for my husband masonic lodge meeting tonight , looked great, thank you for sharing it,thank you for everyone reply with different info
This is definitely a family favorite every summer AND every Mother’s Day too 🍓🍰😋
I make this cake every 4th of july
Can I use this cake for a tier cake ?
We haven’t tried making a tier cake with this – it may fall apart because of all the moisture in it
Is is ok to add the jello mix to the cake if it’s still warm?
We have added the jello mix to a warm cake when in a pinch, but we recommend letting it cool where possible