Red, White & Blueberry Poke Cake

Name: Red, White & Blueberry Poke Cake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 12 servings.
Ingredients: 1 package white cake mix (regular size); 1-1/4 cups water; 2 large eggs, room temperature; 1/4 cup canola oil; STRAWBERRY GELATIN:; 1 cup fresh strawberries; 2/3 cup sugar; 1/4 cup water; 2-1/4 teaspoons strawberry gelatin; BLUEBERRY GELATIN:; 3/4 cup fresh blueberries; 1/2 cup water; 4-1/2 teaspoons sugar; 4-1/2 teaspoons berry blue gelatin; FROSTING AND FILLING:; 2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream; 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

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

Ingredients

1 package white cake mix (regular size)
1-1/4 cups water
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
STRAWBERRY GELATIN:
1 cup fresh strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2-1/4 teaspoons strawberry gelatin
BLUEBERRY GELATIN:
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup water
4-1/2 teaspoons sugar
4-1/2 teaspoons berry blue gelatin
FROSTING AND FILLING:
2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of two 9-in. round baking pans with parchment or waxed paper; coat paper with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, water, eggs and oil; beat on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium 2 minutes.
Transfer to prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pans on wire racks.
For strawberry gelatin, in a small saucepan, combine strawberries, sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or until berries are soft. Strain into a small bowl, pressing berries lightly; discard pulp. Add gelatin to syrup, stirring to dissolve completely. Cool to room temperature. Repeat steps to make blueberry gelatin.
Using a wooden skewer, pierce tops of cakes to within 1 inch of edge; twist skewer gently to make slightly larger holes. Gradually pour cooled strawberry mixture over 1 cake, being careful to fill each hole. Repeat with blueberry mixture and remaining cake. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form.
Run a knife around sides of pans to loosen cakes. Remove strawberry cake from pan; remove paper. Place cake on a serving plate. Spread with 1 cup whipped cream.
Remove blueberry cake from pan; remove paper. Place cake over whipped cream layer. Frost top and sides with remaining cream. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 slice: 477 calories, 28g fat (13g saturated fat), 100mg cholesterol, 328mg sodium, 55g carbohydrate (38g sugars, 0 fiber), 4g protein.

Originally published as Strawberry Poke Cake in Taste of Home June/July 2012

Reviews

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Average Rating:

bigval1214

Jul 3, 2016

Five star rating all the way ! Just made this cake and it turned out beautifully as well as delicious. The only deviations I made were adding additional powdered sugar to the frosting and keeping the pressed berries that the recipe states to discard. I spread the pressed strawberries and blueberries on their respective layers the next day after refrigeration overnight with the cake layers then frosted. Also, I would note that the recipe states to beat the heaving whipping cream until soft peaks form. I don't do my frosting this way, it tends to be too runny. Definitely beat til stiff peaks form and you'll have less likelihood of the layers sliding. Happy Fourth !
Hollyaprille

Jul 3, 2015

This is the best cake. We make it every year for Independence Day. We use Angel Food cake instead and layer that. It's great
Kristenait

May 13, 2015

loved the poke cake recipe my family enjoyed I used raspberries instead just as delicious
Krislos

Jul 7, 2014

A standard poke cake, with a twist. The addition of the fresh strawberries and blueberries add a nice touch. Also, well worth it to make your own whip cream icing so you can make it as sweet or not sweet as you like. To keep your cake layers from slipping(and this goes for any layer cake) simply insert a wooden skewer cut to size through the middle of both cakes.
Chickermunker2

Jul 4, 2014

This shall henceforth be known as my Fail Cake. I was going to lactose free so used almond milk in the cake and Lactose-Free Frosting instead of Whipping Cream. The blueberry syrup was too thin and the strawberry syrup was too thick and neither filled the holes; the bottom edge of the cake was soggy; and no matter how thick I made the frosting it slid off of the jello-skinned cake. Oh well, it was a nice try.
Bakeandbakemore

Jun 28, 2014

I have used a 13x9 pan, poke and pour the blue gelatin, chill, then poke and pour the red. Top with whipped cream, no worries about sliding layers.
SteffyGirl

Jun 18, 2014

This was awesome!! I made this for the kids for a 4th of July cook out and I couldn't keep the adults out of it! Now I have to make 2 for this year.
Libbylou0227

Sep 12, 2013

I made this for our 4th of July last year and still remember it 15 mo later... cool and refreshing... really terrific!
annette.barney

Jul 23, 2013

I made this for our 4th of July barbeque. It was a huge hit. Several people said it was the best cake they had ever had. It was delicious!
Moonbeam81

Jul 5, 2013

I made this for a 4th of July BBQ and it pleased a couple of hard to please children. It tasted great and the syrups are well worth the effort. I made it with the heavy cream and had no issues with the cake falling down or sliding. Just gotta make sure to beat the cream and sugar enough :)