Strawberry Poke Cake

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Strawberry Poke Cake with condensed milk, strawberry jello, and strawberry pie filling is the perfect box cake recipe for summer that’s super creamy and delicious.

Strawberry Poke Cake with Jello

This poke cake with jello is so creamy, cool, and moist, due to the ah-mazing white-chocolate sauce, pie filling and whipped cream combination.

Made with strawberry pie filling, white chocolate chips, and a box of white cake mix, this poke cake with condensed milk recipe takes poke cake to an entirely new level!

And in case you are wondering why a poke cake is called a poke cake, it’s due to poking holes down into the cake.

This allows the white chocolate/strawberry jello filling to OOOOOZE down into the holes. 

This poke cake is so easy to create, no matter your cooking confidence level. It’s a gorgeous dessert similar to our Sunshine Cake.

Ingredients needed for strawberry poke cake with jello

• Sweetened condensed milk: Don’t confuse this ingredient with evaporated milk! This can often happen because both of these canned milks sit side-by-side on the shelf at the grocer.  Sweetened condensed milk is super thick and super sweet, typically used when making desserts and specialty baked goods. 

• Fresh strawberries.  If your fresh strawberries are a bit on the over-ripened side, you’ll want to dice them, using a paring knife.  I think the diced strawberries look much prettier sprinkled over the top of the cake than sliced strawberries do.
  
• Boxed white cake mix: We love Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker.

• White chocolate chips: I typically use Ghiradelli brand white chocolate chips because they always melt so well.

• Strawberry pie filling: In our area, the premiere strawberry pie filling at our local grocers is Wilderness pie filling. 

• Strawberry flavored gelatin: I prefer Jello brand of gelatin but don’t always have it on hand; use your favorite brand. I often use the sugar-free Jello gelatin and have had great success with it in this recipe.

• Whipping cream, granulated sugar, vanilla: These three ingredients make a yummy whipped topping that is truly the icing on the cake. When in a hurry, substitute extra-creamy Cool Whip!

How to make Strawberry Poke Cake

This recipe turns a white cake into a very large dessert. Be sure you use a 9-inch by 13-inch pan that measures that on the INSIDE of the pan.

Prepare your white box cake as listed on the box.

Using the tip of a wooden spoon or spatula handle, poke holes all over the cake.

You want the holes to be just larger than a fat pencil or straw.

If all else fails, you can your finger to poke the cooled cake.

Meanwhile, in a medium glass microwave-safe bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and the white chocolate chips.

Heat in the microwave in 30 second intervals on full power until the chocolate is fully melted.

Whisk after each 30 second interval until the mixture is smooth and shiny.

In a separate bowl, place the very warm water, stirring in the strawberry jello.

Whisk it well so that the jello dissolves completely.

Add the warm white chocolate mixture to the jello, stirring to combine.

Pour the prepared white-chocolate strawberry mixture over the top of the cake.

Use a rubber spatula to spread it evenly into the holes first, then around the edges of the cake.

When you spread the white chocolate/strawberry jello mixture over the cake, gently press it down into the holes you’ve poked before spreading it out to the edges.

This way you get a lot of that pretty pink (and delicious) mixture down inside the cake.

Evenly top the cake with both cans of strawberry pie filling, spreading it gently towards the edges of the pan.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream with the granulated sugar and vanilla extract just until stiff peaks form.

Spread the prepared whipped cream mixture evenly over the top of the strawberry pie filling.

Top the whipped cream layer with the diced fresh strawberries, sprinkling them evenly over the top of the cake.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 12-15 hours before serving to allow. This will all the layers to co-mingle and get super chilled.

If I have time, I really like the cake to chill a full 24 hours before serving.

What if I don’t have a white cake mix on hand for this recipe?

A White Cake mix is best for this recipe, but in a pinch you can use a yellow cake mix.

Or even a chocolate cake mix.

Now that I think about it, that a chocolate cake mix would be delish.

Make it ahead

This cake definitely needs to chill for at least 12-15 hours in the fridge before serving.

This will make the cake extra tender.

If it chills for a longer amount of time, even better!  I love being able to make this cake ahead of time.

How long can this cake sit out after being removed from refrigeration?

This cake can sit out on the counter inside an air conditioned house for 30 minutes without doing any harm. 

If you serve this as a picnic or outdoor gathering, keep a cooler handy so you can tuck it away pretty quickly. 

Warm temperatures will make the whipped cream soften, weep, and shrink if kept out too long.

What’s the best way to cut and serve this cake?

When slicing the jello poke cake, wipe your knife after each cut you make to help your pieces look prettier.

It’s fun to be able to see all the pretty layering of this dessert when you serve it!

Wiping the frosting and cake ingredients from the knife allows you make a clean, even cut each time.

More Favorite Sweet Treat Recipes to Love

Oozing with fresh strawberry goodness, this box mix Easy Strawberry Pound Cake delivers a moist and tender cake that is fruity, sweet, and stunning.

• Farm House Strawberry Crumble 
• Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake
• Strawberry Lemon-Lava Angel Cakes