Christmas Poke Cake
A Christmas poke cake is a light, colorful dessert made with boxed white cake mix, cherry and lime Jello, and Cool Whip.
It takes about 20 minutes of hands-on time and feeds 16, so it’s ideal for parties, cookie swaps, and Christmas dinner.
Every slice is striped with red and green, and the whipped topping keeps it fluffy instead of heavy. This holiday poke cake chills ahead of time, which frees up your oven and your schedule on the big day.
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How do you make a Christmas poke cake?
- Bake the cake, poke holes across the top (without going all the way through), and fill them with red and green gelatin or pudding.
- Chill until set, then top with Cool Whip and decorate with crushed candy canes, sprinkles, or festive marshmallows.
- Chill the cake for at least 2 hours (or overnight) so the filling sets and the flavors blend perfectly.
It’s called a poke cake because you literally “poke” holes all over the baked cake before filling them with gelatin, pudding, or sauce. The filling seeps into the holes, creating colorful stripes and pockets of flavor in every bite.
Yes! You can prepare it a day in advance and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
White or vanilla cake mix shows off the red and green colors beautifully, but you can use any flavor you love.
Let the cake cool for about 10–15 minutes before poking. If it’s too hot, the cake may tear or crumble, but if it’s completely cold, the filling won’t soak in as well. Slightly warm is perfect.
Don’t overfill the holes — a little filling goes a long way. Make sure to let the cake chill long enough for the filling to set, and always store it covered in the refrigerator. Using whipped topping instead of heavy frosting also helps keep the texture light and fluffy.
Chill it at least 3 to 4 hours so the Jello fully sets. Overnight is even better and makes slicing cleaner.
Yes. Prepare instant pudding as directed and spoon it into the holes while it’s still thin. Jello gives the brightest red and green stripes.
If you loved this festive holiday poke cake, you’ll want to check out these other sweet and easy recipes too!
- Don’t forget to try our easy cake recipes such as a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting or an old fashioned chocolate cake.
- Be sure to try these Poke Cake Recipes that will satisfy every sweet tooth!
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Christmas Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz white cake mix Plus ingredients called for on back of the box
- 1 tbsp Christmas sprinkles
- 3 oz box cherry gelatin
- 3 oz box lime gelatin
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 cup cold water
- 8 oz cool whip container thawed
- Christmas peeps
- Christmas Sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the cake mix according to the box directions and stir in the 1 tablespoon of Christmas sprinkles.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish.
- Pour in the cake mix and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the jello.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 cup boiling water with cherry jello and stir until dissolved.
- Whisk in ½ cup cold water to the cherry gelatin and set aside.
- In a separate bowl repeat the above with the lime jello and set aside.
- Using the end of a wooden spoon or a large straw poke holes all over the cake.
- Spoon the jello in the holes, I like to alternate red in one hole, green in another until they are all filled.
- Refrigerate the cake covered for 3-4 hours to set.
- Frost the cake with the whipped topping.
- Decorate the cake with more sprinkles and Christmas peeps.
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