Here's a wonderful Jell-o cake from Delicious Poke Cakes. Yay! It's called Strawberry Shortcake Poke Cake. You take a loaf pan sized pound cake, poke holes in it, then pour over a mixture of pureed strawberries and gelatin. You then chill the cake long enough for the strawberry mixture to set. When ready, serve it up with whipped cream and berries. It's so pretty and makes a perfect Fourth of July dessert.
Jell-O Cake with Pound Cake
I had a good time making this -- or at least once the ingredients were gathered. $5.99 seemed too much for frozen pound cake so I made my own. I couldn't find frozen berries in syrup and had to use a combo of unsweetened berries in sugar, and the only fresh berries were blackberries. And to top it all off, I accidentally threw the one straw we had in the house away and had to poke holes with a wooden spoon.
And what a mess this was coming together. I was convinced this would not work.
More Poke Cake Ideas
But at the end of the day it all turned out just fine. The family said it was almost as good as the cannoli poke cake. Next time I'll probably just buy the pound cake just to see how it works compared to the homemade one. I also think a rainbow version would be neat. You could weigh out ⅓ a box of lemon, ⅓ a box of blue and make ⅓ the recipe for the strawberry puree. Rainbow version is on the bucket list.
Recipe
Strawberry Shortcake Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 16 oz frozen pound cake Or use a homemade loaf
- 1 cup water
- 1 box strawberry gelatin 3 oz box
- 1 cup frozen sliced strawberries in syrup see note about making your own
- ½ tub whipped topping
- 2 cups fresh berries
Instructions
- Remove the lid from frozen pound cake and keep it nearby. Using a straw, poke holes evenly over the cake poking through all the way to the bottom. Note: You can also try using the handle of a wooden spoon, which is what I used. Stripes will be wider, but the strawberry mixture flows better.
- Put a cup of boiling water in a large (4 quart) bowl and stir in the gelatin letting it dissolve.
- Puree strawberries in syrup and add to gelatin.
- Spoon or pour the strawberry mixture over the cake letting it fall down into the holes. This is a slow and gradual process. Do it a little at a time until all your little holes are full. Again, this takes a while so be patient.
- Put the lid back over the cake and chill for at least 5 hours or overnight. Overnight is preferable!
- Peel away the lid. Using scissors, cut away the box from the pound cake. Frost the cake with whipped topping and serve with fresh berries.
Anna says
LinC, thanks so much for the comment. It really came at the right moment, as I am sitting here looking for air fryer chicken recipes and marveling at how slick and professional all the other blogs are. I'm glad you liked the recipe and shared the tip about making sure to chill overnight Also, thanks for the tip about the straw. I used a straw for the cannoli poke cake and it worked perfectly, but I guess for the strawberry cake a wooden spoon is the way to go. I'll make note of that too.
LinC says
This is very tasty! But you really do need to let it sit in the fridge overnight before trying to cut it. I learned that the hard way. I made it with your pound cake and poked the holes with a straw. Next time I'll use the handle of a wooden spoon because it was difficult to get the strawberry mixture to go down the smaller holes. I liked this so much I bought the book. You're my favorite food blogger!
Sonya says
How fun!!!!!!!!!!! I'm curious what you're doing with all of your extra baked goods with the social distancing, as I'd imagine you have more time to bake?