Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jello Cake (Easy Recipe)

This old-fashioned strawberry jello cake (also called a jello poke cake) has a light and fluffy texture that’s bursting with strawberry flavor. It’s the perfect summer dessert for a BBQ, family picnic, 4th of July, or Memorial Day celebration. 

There are certain desserts that when you eat them remind you of the season. Pumpkin bread? Bring on fall. Ginger cookies? Hello Christmas. And strawberry jello cake? It reminds me of a warm summer day.

Why You’ll Love This Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jello Cake Recipe

Easy to Make. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting a couple of hours for the Jello to set. Seriously! It’s one of those unique, easy dessert recipes that you can put together while you’re doing other things.

It makes the perfect treat for a picnic, backyard BBQ, or summer family gatherings. You can put this recipe together in less than 10 minutes (minus baking and chilling time). It’s mostly a hands-off recipe that is always a crowd-pleaser. 

Versatile Recipe. Dress it up with fun fruit toppings or swap out the jello flavors for a unique twist every time—this recipe is so versatile and easy that once you make it, will live in your recipe books forever. 

SO flavorful. The Jello in the cake makes the strawberry flavor pop. This is not a bland or subtle cake. Plus, top with real strawberries and blueberries for an additional pop of fruit flavor.

Amazing light and moist cake. I know everyone’s favorite word, right? But it is the best way to describe this cake. The jello helps make this a light, fluffy cake that holds its moisture for days. 

Jump to Recipe

Ingredients 

• White boxed cake mix 
• Box of strawberry Jello 
• Unsweetened Applesauce
• Eggs
• Water 
• Heavy Whipping Cream (for frosting)
• Powdered Sugar (for frosting)

Ingredient Notes 

Boxed Cake Mix: To make this simple (and the original recipe), use a boxed cake mix. However, if you have a homemade cake recipe you love (either white or yellow cake), feel free to use that instead.

Applesauce: If using a box of white cake, use the instruction to prepare and bake the cake. Usually, this means adding eggs, vegetable oil, and water. In my recipe, I swapped out the vegetable oil for unsweetened applesauce and this had no effect on the flavor or texture of the cake. (I’ve had success with this substitution in the past with everything EXCEPT brownies. Applesauce in brownies does not taste the same… sorry, world.) 

Variations & Substitutions

Cool Whip: Don’t want to make your own frosting? Swap the homemade version for Cool Whip.

​Vegetable Oil: If you don’t have unsweetened applesauce, follow the instructions on the boxed cake mix and use vegetable oil.

The flavor of jello: This recipe uses strawberry jello, but you could swap it out for any flavor of Jello you like. That’s the beauty of this recipe! 

Get creative with the toppings:  Like I said earlier, strawberry jello cake reminds me of summer, and more specifically, the fourth of July. Growing up, my dad would make a red, white, and blue poke cake that was decorated with fresh strawberries and blueberries and laid out like the American flag. This 4th of July jello cake was a family favorite summertime dessert in our house. 

Jump to Recipe

What is Old-Fashioned Jello Cake?

The jello cake first came on the baking scene in the 1970s. The company, Jell-O, wanted a boost in sales and developed a magazine advertisement promoting an easy dessert combining popular foods: cake, Jell-O, and Cool Whip. And the jello cake was born.

My dad got this jello cake recipe from his mom who most likely saw the magazine advertisement back in the 1970s (or got the recipe from a lady at a church picnic who definitely saw the advertisement 😉 ). 

Why is it also called Jello Poke Cake?

While jello cake gets its name from the addition of Jello, it is also known as poke cake due to the method of incorporating the flavor. To infuse the flavor of the jello, you grab a large fork, chopstick, or the handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the top of the cake. This ensures the flavor of the jello is spread out evenly throughout the entire cake. The bigger the holes, the more the flavor permeates the interior of the cake vs. just the top and the bottom.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Strawberry Jello Cake

Strawberry jello cake is extremely easy to make. As the 70’s advertisement said, it has simple ingredients: a box of white cake mix (or if you’d like you can use your favorite homemade vanilla or white cake recipe), a box of strawberry jello, and whipped cream.

Traditionally, Jello cake is topped with Cool Whip, but this version is made with homemade whipped cream (as I like the flavor of fresh cream better than Cool Whip). 

Step 1: Prepare the cake batter in a large bowl, using the instructions on the back of the box (swapping out the vegetable oil for unsweetened applesauce). Pour batter into a 13×9 cake pan and bake at the temperature and time stated on the box. Set aside to cool. 

Step 2: While your cake is cooling, prepare the strawberry jello. Add 1 cup boiling water to the packet, and mix until combined. Add 1 cup cold water and stir. Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a large fork, knife, or wooden stick. Pour the strawberry jello liquid all over the top of the baked cake. Let cool in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. 

Step 3: Frost the cake. If using Cool Whip, you can frost it as soon as it’s cool. If using fresh, homemade whipped cream, add 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to a mixer. Mix on high for 3-4 minutes until soft peaks form. Add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Mix until stiff peaks or the whipped cream doesn’t slide into the bowl. Add a medium layer of whipped cream to the top of the cooled cake. 

Pro Tip: This cake tastes great with your coffee in the morning for breakfast. Trust me. 

Want more jello-inspired desserts? Check out this Lemon Poke Cake or this Coffee Jello recipe made with condensed milk. 

​Yield:

This strawberry jello poke cake recipe yields one 13×9 delicious cake. 

Storage Options:

This cake must be kept in the refrigerator at all times. Cover in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and it will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. 

While this may have been super popular back in the 1970s, these jello poke cake recipes seem less popular today, but are just as delicious as ever. Have some fun mixing and matching flavors and toppings. This cake is bound to be a topic of conversation at your next event.

Looking for more summer recipes?

Chocolate Trifle with Raspberries

Gluten Free Key Lime Pie

Strawberry Crumbles

Last Updated on June 10, 2023 by Kari Bakes