Raspberry Poke Cake
Poke Cakes are just about the easiest, tastiest, moistest, and most colorful cakes on the planet, and this Raspberry Poke Cake is loaded with fabulous fruity flavor! Perfect for the family or sharing at an event, you make this cake in a 9×13 pan, so there’s plenty to share!
I love poke cakes, and this Raspberry Poke Cake is my new favorite. I love the color, and the burst of raspberry flavor is second to none! No one can resist this fabulous cake. It’s not too sweet, and it stays moist for days. Plus, you make it in a 9×13 baking pan, so it’s easy to grab and take to events or just to the back patio to enjoy dessert with the family.
Raspberry Poke Cake
Poke cakes are amazing. I love that they’re made with mostly shelf-stable ingredients. Aside from some dairy and fresh fruit to garnish the cake, I can keep everything on hand to whip up a quick cake whenever I need a great dessert.
These cakes are also fun to make, and they’re easy. You bake the cake, poke some holes into it, add the raspberry Jell-O, and pop it into the fridge to set up. That’s it!
Why I love this recipe
- This Raspberry Poke Cake uses shelf-stable and inexpensive ingredients.
- It’s fun and easy to make and tastes delicious!
- You can get the kids to help – they love poking the cake to make the holes!
Gather these ingredients
- Vanilla cake mix – Plus the ingredients listed on the box to make the cake.
- Raspberry Jell-O – A 3-ounce box.
- Vanilla instant pudding – A 3.4-ounce box.
- Milk
- Heavy whipping cream – Chilled.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract – Real or artificial vanilla extract is fine.
- Fresh raspberries
How to make Raspberry Poke Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350-F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set this aside.
- Make the cake mix according to the package directions and pour it into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely; about an hour.
- Make holes in the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. You want about 80 holes (8 holes across, 10 holes down.)
- Mix the Jell-O with boiling water in a small bowl. Pour this over the top of the cake slowly, allowing the Jell-O to seep into the holes.
- Whisk the vanilla pudding with the milk in a large bowl until it thickens.
- Whip the chilled heavy whipping cream with an electric mixer in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whip for another 20 seconds. Add the whipped cream mixture to the vanilla pudding mixture and gently mix the two together with a spatula.
- Mash ¾ cups of the raspberries with a fork and add them to the pudding-whipped cream mixture. Gently stir to combine.
- Spread the whipped cream-pudding topping over the top of the cake in an even layer. Garnish the top with the remaining raspberries and chill the cake in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Enjoy!
What frosting goes with Raspberry Poke Cake?
You can use any frosting you like, but I love infusing raspberry flavor into the frosting, and the berries add such a nice pink color to the top of the cake. My suggested frosting combines both vanilla pudding and whipped cream, so it’s extra creamy, and it holds up better than just regular whipped cream, which tends to deflate and get runny after a few hours.
Tips & substitutions
- You can change the flavor from raspberry to strawberry, peach, cherry, and more, all by switching out the Jell-O flavor and changing the fresh fruit on the top to match.
- You can use sugar-free Jell-O and vanilla pudding mixes in this poke cake recipe.
- Don’t poke too many holes in your cake! The holes should not run into each other.
- Cut the cake into squares before serving.
Serving suggestions
This is such a fun, colorful and festive cake! I love serving it at holiday BBQs like July 4th picnics and summer parties. It is fabulous all on its own with a refreshing glass of lemonade, or serve it for dessert after a meal of Jalapeno Popper Burgers, Maple Chicken Kabobs, or a comfort food classic like Tuna Noodle Casserole.
Storage
Store leftover cake in the baking dish in the fridge for 3-4 days. Cover it with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
Check out these awesome cake recipes while you’re here
Get the Recipe:
Raspberry Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box box vanilla cake mix, 9×13 cake plus ingredients to make the cake
- 1 3 oz box raspberry jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 3.4 oz box vanilla instant pudding
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries, divided
Equipment
- 9x13 pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9×13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Makek the cake:
- Combine the box of cake mix with ingredients (make according to package directions).
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan smooth into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake completely, for about 1 hour.
- Poke and fill cake:
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes over each inch of the cake. Make about 80 holes (8 across by 10 rows). Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the jello with the boiling water. Pour jello over the cake, allowing the jello to run down into the holes of the cake.
- In a large bowl, whisk the vanilla pudding with the milk just until it begins to thicken.
- Pour the cold heavy whipping cream into a cold medium mixing bowl and whip the cream on high speed until medium to stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Make sure it is thick.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip another 20 second. Add to the pudding and gently mix.
- Mash ¾ cup of raspberries with a fork and add to the pudding/whipped cream mixture. Gently stir.
- Spread evenly over the chilled cake.
- Garnish the cake with remaining raspberries. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
