Jello Poke Cake Recipe
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Jello Poke Cake is a recipe we had pretty often as a child because it was so inexpensive and easy to throw together and DELICIOUS. Imagine a moist cake oozing with pudding in the middle. It is heaven.
Between three kids, sewing, babysitting and doing crafts for extra money, and cooking the kind of meals my mother served, Mama was BUSY! She still insisted on a dessert every night though so this was a good and faithful standby, just like her chocolate cobbler. She always let us help with the cooking and we loved to get to poke the holes for this cake. When we were done, it looked more like the victim of a random woodpecker attack but it tasted awesome!
Now on to POKE CAKE!
Recipe Ingredients:
- Cake mix and whatever it calls for
- A box of Jello for pudding and whatever it calls for.
- Also some confectioner’s sugar.
For more the more detail oriented: I am using a box of jiffy cake mix which requires an egg and some water. I am using a small box of Jello chocolate pudding (instant) and the milk that it calls for. If you are making a larger cake (mine is an 8×8), use the large box of pudding. I totally leave out the confectioner’s sugar because I prefer desserts that aren’t too sweet but I am picturing it here and including instructions for it in case y’all wanna include it.
Note: This will work with any cake mix or any cake recipe.
How To Make Poke Cake with Jello
Mix up your cake and bake it according to package directions.
I just put all of the rest of my ingredients for this Pudding Poke Cake Recipe in a Mason jar and give it a good shaking.
Confectioner’s Sugar is Optional
Now this is where most recipes call for confectioner’s sugar. If you are making an 8×8, you add 1/2 cup and if you are making a 9×13 you add a whole cup. Just stir it up with your pudding mix and then add it to the milk and give it a shake. I don’t add it though because I think this cake is just great without the added sweetness. Its totally up to you which way you wanna go!
When the cake comes out of the oven, while its still good and hot, poke holes all in the top of it. Mama says you need to use a wooden spoon handle to do this so the holes are nice and big. Cover the whole cake with holes
Perfect Part Where The Kids Can Help
I know I get on my soap boxes but if you have children, it really would thrill them to be able to help with this part. Kids get so much out of helping you cook. Confidence in themselves, praise from you for a job well done, pride in the finished dish and most importantly, wonderful memories of cooking with you. Don’t ever underestimate how much of an impact something as simple as cooking with your kids can have on their life. Confidence over making a Pudding Poke Cake today just could lead to having the confidence needed to get up in front of congress someday.
While it’s hot, pour half of the pudding over the cake.
Spread that over and let it sink in a bit. Once your cake cools, cover it with the rest of the pudding.
Put in the fridge and get good and cold before serving.
The options for this are limitless. Here are some I thought of and I hope you’ll chime in with your ideas, too!
- Chocolate cake with butterscotch pudding
- White or lemon cake with lemon pudding (mama’s fave)
- Strawberry cake with Cheesecake flavored pudding
- Here’s our Butterfinger Poe Cake too.
Ingredients
- 1 Box Cake mix of your choice
- 1 Box Instant pudding of your choice
- 1/2 Cup Confectioner's sugar (optional) or 1 cup for large cake
Instructions
- Prepare cake according to package directions. While still hot, poke holes all over top with end of wooden spoon. Mix pudding mix and confectioners sugar in a mason jar, add milk and shake or beat with mixer until thickened. Pour half over hot cake. Allow cake to cool. Spread remaining pudding over top and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
You may enjoy these pudding recipes as well:
Easy Homemade Banana Pudding with Meringue Topping
Vanilla Wafer Pudding Recipe With Pineapple
Chocolate Vanilla Wafer Pudding
Baked Rice Pudding Southern Style by Mama Reed
Organized people are just too lazy to look for things.
😂😂😂
Happy birthday, Bill. Hope it was the greatest ever for you.
Christy,
I also just looooove green koolaid! I even searched for it long and hard a few years ago and bought 20 packs of it when I found it. It is great mixed with condensed milk and frozen whipped topping. Tastest like so much more than the ingredients.
The poke cake looks terrific, but nothing can compare with green koolaid!
I forgot…the koolaid mixture is put in a pie shell and chilled. Super tasting, and very inexpensive. Yum.
Happy belated birthday Bill!!!!
Christy,
I told Mama about this cake and she told me about a version she used to make that if you can believe in my almost 29 years on this planet she has never made for me. She used jello instead of the pudding that you pour on while the cake is warm and pudding on top. I am making one in the next couple of weeks and it will be posted on my blog. (which I managed to almost kill last night but that is another story)
Happy Birthday Bill..
You are in good company we had two birthdays this week.
Christy, The kids used to love to help in the kitchen, now all the help they want to give is to eat what is produced..haha. That is what happens when they are boys and they get too old. I love recipes that make smaller quantities of cakes so they don’t linger too long. Always want to try something new and different.
Love the site and all the great recipes and talk.
By the way, Happy Birthday Bill! Hope you have a wonderful day and have many, many more to come! 🙂
This Is similar to something we had growing up.
Mom would sometimes make a yellow cake, poke holes In It and pour a can of crushed pineapple over the holes. Then she take a bowl of cool-whip and put that on top of the entire cake. Let It chill and It was yummy! Vanilla pudding was used Instead of cool-whip at times and It was good as well!
Every so often she would switch It up a bit and make a chocolate cake and use jello(Let It chill until It’s a wee bit firm, but not jiggly firm.) and pour that Into the holes. Cover It with a bowl of cool-whip and let It chill. It was delish! Especially on a hot summer day.
I’m definitely going to use this method as well! You can ask for anything easy to make and that tastes good to boot!
Thanks Christy! 🙂
Hi Christy, that cake looks so good. My Mother use to make a coconut cake similar to this that was so delicious and very easy to make. I could send you the recipe if you want it. I enjoy your website so much.
That looks so good! Now I’m craving cake but I’m at work…guess I’ll have to wait until I get home =(