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A sweet treat in the summer, this patriotic poke cake with dazzling red and blue stripes is a fun one to make with the kids. —Elisabeth Schulz, Blossvale, New York How to make candy stars >
Originally published as Red, White & Blueberry Poke Cake in Taste of Home June/July 2012, p73
Making GelatinWhen making gelatin, stir the powder and hot liquid with a slotted spoon. This keeps clumps of powder from sticking to the sides of the dish. —Jeanette S., Erie, Pennsylvania
When making gelatin, stir the powder and hot liquid with a slotted spoon. This keeps clumps of powder from sticking to the sides of the dish. —Jeanette S., Erie, Pennsylvania
Sweet White Wine
Enjoy this recipe with a sweet white wine such as Moscato or a sweet Riesling.
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Reviewed on Jul. 06, 2012 by nkadlec
First the cake tasted great, but was highly disappointed after putting so much time and effort into the cake for it to remain stuck in the pan. I allowed the cake to stay inverted until it fell free from the pan on its own however it crumbled apart and was ruined. I followed the directions in the June/July issue which varies from online. I've decided when I bake it next time I will let the cake cool then remove it from the pan to line the pan with parchment paper before pouring Jell-O onto the cake. I really wish that I had tested this recipe last week so that I could have presented it when I needed it. Also I think I?ll skip the fresh fruit syrup and use the fruit to garnish the top of the cake.
Reviewed on Jul. 05, 2012 by vewebber58
The cake was good....moist, and I like using real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. I'm not sure I'd go to the trouble of using real fruit again, as we couldn't really taste it very well. Would probably just use Jello.
Reviewed on Jul. 04, 2012 by vewebber58
I'll with hold judgement right now on how the cake tastes, as I made it and it's in the refrigerator chilling for later today, but I was disappointed in how thin the layers are. If I make it again, I'll use 8" cake pans. Other than that, the layers held together for me and though it was a little more trouble making the fruit syrup, it wasn't that time consuming. I did mash the fruit gently with a potato masher, then strained it all through a fine sieve and stirred it to get as much liquid through as possible.....it worked great. There was a little too much whipped cream, some was left over, but my daughter frosted the cake and I think she could have used more whipped cream in the middle. No problem...we just put the extra in a container and stuck it in the fridge. We'll decorate it with some blueberries and strawberries before serving it. I hope it tasted good...it was a little more trouble than a regular poke and pour cake, but maybe it will be worth it.
Reviewed on Jul. 04, 2012 by Beth2muchsweets
I had no problem with it to moist it was perfect for that. The whip cream frosting would be nice but it was so hot so next time I will use a frosting.
Reviewed on Jul. 04, 2012 by lisadough
I am an experienced baker, and have made many poke cakes in the past, but I have to say this is probably one of the worst poke cake recipes I have ever made! WAY too much trouble to make fruit "syrup"- I should have just followed the regular poke cake recipe for jello. Cake completely fell apart coming out of the pan- it was against my better judgement to leave it in the pan while the jello was "jelling"- which it never did. I expect more from "Taste of Home" and am usually very pleased with the recipes I find here, but this is a major disappointment. Now i have a mess to serve to my guests this afternoon!
Reviewed on Jun. 29, 2012 by matteliz@swbell.net
This cake is delicious, but partly because I made the cake from scratch instead of using a boxed mix. I also liked the cooked fruit mixed with the Jello--it gave it a nice authentic fruity taste. However, whipping cream tends to run and slide, and the finished product is nothing as beautiful as what the Taste of Home food stylist created for the photo shoot! That being said, it was a hit with adults and kids alike at a dinner party tonight.
Reviewed on Jun. 29, 2012 by KScales
Due to some of the comments here, we have reviewed and retested this recipe again. To minimize the cake layers from being too moist, we've reduced the amount of gelatin mixtures by 25% from what was originally printed in the magazine.We also found 9-in. cake pans performed better and we've clarified the method a bit to instruct users to make larger holes and gradually pour the gelatin. And refrigerating the layers overnight is best.This changes have been reflected on the recipe here. We apologize for any inconvenience.Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Due to some of the comments here, we have reviewed and retested this recipe again. To minimize the cake layers from being too moist, we've reduced the amount of gelatin mixtures by 25% from what was originally printed in the magazine.
We also found 9-in. cake pans performed better and we've clarified the method a bit to instruct users to make larger holes and gradually pour the gelatin. And refrigerating the layers overnight is best.
This changes have been reflected on the recipe here. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Reviewed on Jun. 28, 2012 by dennisji
love the look of this cake....doing it again for the 4th of July but using a buttercream frosting I think so it will hold up in the heat a little better. To help with the 'too moist' issue...don't pour all the gelatin on ...just enough to go into the holes...or even try to just put it into the holes. I also didn't find the blueberry gelatin the first time I made it and used lemon with the blueberries...VERY YUMMY!
Reviewed on Jun. 26, 2012 by bethavan
Made this for a group picnic on Memorial Day. It received rave reviews!
Reviewed on Jun. 25, 2012 by funfections
This is the best poke cake. I've made it twice this month. The flavor of the gelatin is enhanced by the fruit. The whipping cream icing is so much better than just using store bought whip cream.
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