Strawberry Poke Cake

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, Updated Nov 22, 2025

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Strawberry Poke Cake is a retro dessert classic – light vanilla cake soaked with strawberry jello and topped with fluffy whipped cream. It’s easy to make, impossible to resist, and perfect for summer gatherings, potlucks, or whenever you’re craving something sweet and super light!

A slice of vanilla cake topped with white frosting, strawberry sauce, and fresh strawberries sits on a white plate against a light blue background.

Poke cakes started popping up in the ’70s and quickly became THE go-to at potlucks and church events across America. The process is very easy: bake a sheet cake, poke some holes in it, pour in your favorite fruity Jell-O over the top and let the cake to soak it all up.

The end result? A moist, light and fun dessert that’s still a hit today—especially when you top it off with whipped cream and fresh berries. Strawberry poke cake is the classic, crowd-pleasing version – fruity, bright, and just sweet enough. (Love retro bakes? Try this equally delicious Heaven on Earth Cake recipe).

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here’s What You Will Need
How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake
Using a White Cake Mix
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Serving Suggestions
Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Super easy and perfect for beginners
Made with simple pantry ingredients
Light and moist – and full of nostalgic charm
Perfect for summer parties, BBQs, and birthdays
Customizable – try it with other Jell-O flavors and different fruit or berries

Overhead view of sliced cake squares topped with halved fresh strawberries and sprinkled with crushed dried strawberries on white frosting.

Here’s What You Will Need

For my fluffy vanilla sheet cake you will need large eggs, sugar, lemon juice and zest, buttermilk, oil, vanilla, flour, cornstarch and baking powder. You can also simply use a boxed cake mix to keep prep minimal.
Strawberry Jell-O – keeps the cake moist and fruity.
Boiling water – dissolves the Jell-O for easy pouring.
Whipped cream topping for an airy cloud-like finishing touch. I use freshly whipped cream but you can go for ready topping like Cool Whip or boxed vanilla frosting.
Fresh strawberries – optional, but beautiful as a garnish.
Freeze-dried strawberries for a natural fresh strawberry flavor.

Top-down view of labeled baking ingredients on a blue surface, including buttermilk, lemon, eggs, flour, sugar, oil, baking powder, cornstarch, and vanilla extract, arranged in bowls and containers.

How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake

Make the cake

Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Mist a 9×13 inch sheet cake pan with cake release and line parchment paper. Combine buttermilk, vegetable oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a small bowl and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder and cornstarch into a separate bowl. Sifting will aerate and combine the ingredients making our cake fluffy and light as air!
Place sugar and lemon zest in in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Rub the sugar and zest using your fingertips to release the aromatic citrus oil. Add room-temp eggs and whisk for several minutes until they have tripled in volume.
Add the buttermilk mixture and beat it in. Gradually fold in the sifted dry ingredient, using a spatula to to cut through the center, scoop around the side, and fold the batter over the top. Gently rotate the bowl as you fold and repeat until just combined. Do not to overmix — use a light touch to keep all that lovely air in the batter!
Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden, risen and feels springy to the touch. A cake tester inserted in the center should come out clean. Leave the cake in the pan and cool for 20 minutes.

Four-step collage showing cake batter being made: mixing wet ingredients, blending with a hand mixer, stirring the batter with a spatula, and spreading it evenly in a baking pan with a blue spatula.

Prepare the Jello and pour on cake

Place strawberry jello in a small measuring jug, add boiling water and stir well to dissolve. Reserve a small amount of the jelly mixture in a separate bowl.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes over the cake, spaced about an inch apart. Immediately pour remaining jello mixture over the cake, letting it soak through.

Frost cake and serve

Whisk cold heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the reserved jell-o and beat until just shy of stiff peaks – adding a bit of jelly helps stabilize the whipped cream frosting.

Four images show steps of making a cake: mixing red fruit jam, poking holes in a baked cake, spreading jam over the cake, and finally smoothing white frosting on top with a spatula.

Spread the frosting over the cooled cake and chill. Decorate with sliced fresh strawberries just before serving.

A tray of sliced vanilla cake with white frosting, topped with halved fresh strawberries and red sprinkles, sits on newspaper. A hand is lifting one piece, revealing a layer of strawberry jam inside.

Using a White Cake Mix

Don’t want to bake a cake from scratch? Use a boxed cake mix! Just follow the instructions on the package. This usually means whisking the dry ingredients together. Then, add the wet ingredients like water or milk, oil, and eggs or egg whites.

Mix everything together with an electric mixer until batter is smooth. Pour into a prepared pan and bake. Check if it’s done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready!

Storing and Freezing Instructions

Store covered in the refrigerator for up 2-3 days. A sheet pan with a lid is a fab option for baking and storing. The cake be made a couple of days in advance — it actually benefits from a bit chilling time to let the flavors meld. Add the frosting and fresh fruit just before serving.
Freezing instructions: Freeze the cake (after adding the Jell-O but before frosting) wrapped tightly in layers of plastic wrap and fiuk for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bring to room temperature then frost and decorate.

Serving Suggestions

Serve chilled for the best texture and flavor – this cake is cool and refreshing, perfect for summer gatherings.
Add a drizzle of strawberry sauce over the top of the cake, garnish with white chocolate curls, crushed freeze-dried strawberries, or sprinkles.
Pair with lemonade, iced tea, or sparkling wine for the ultimate summer vibe.

A close-up of sliced vanilla cake topped with white frosting, halved fresh strawberries, and red sprinkles, set on a piece of printed parchment paper. The cake appears fluffy and moist with strawberry filling inside.

Did you make my Strawberry Poke Cake recipe? I’d love to know what you think! Please leave a rating and comment below — it really helps others find the recipe and makes my day! Don’t forget to tag me @supergolden88 on Instagram and @supergoldenbakes on TikTok — I love seeing your bakes come to life 🍓🍰

Strawberry Poke Cake

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here’s What You Will Need