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READY IN 5+ hrs

Gelatin Poke Cake

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Read Reviews (46)

"For a festive touch, garnish this gelatin poke cake with colored sprinkles just before serving." — JELL-O

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 16 servings Change Servings

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any flavor

1/2 cup cold water
1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

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Directions

Prepare and bake cake in 13x9-inch baking pan as directed on package. Remove from oven. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes. Pierce cake with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.
Meanwhile, stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in small bowl at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water; carefully pour over cake. Refrigerate 3 hours.
Frost with whipped topping. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. Cut into 16 slices. Store leftover cake in the refrigerator.

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PREP 30 mins
READY IN 5 hrs 5 mins

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Delicious cake!!! The Jello takes the easy, ordinary cake from the box and makes it extraordinary! The cake is moist, fresh and so yummy with the whipped topping! I've made it for two parties now and all loved it. I make it with strawberry Jello. So good!

—Love2Bake

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Aug 03, 2009

This is a pretty good cake. It's definitely refreshing (which is good for those HOT summer days!). I changed a few things, but otherwise followed this recipe exactly. Like Traci B did, I too used a "funfetti" cake mix (i.e. Betty Crocker rainbow chip). I used sugar-free strawberry gelatin because I was baking for a diabetic friend (my fiance picked up a very small package - (4) 1/2 cup serving size) and it was just the right amount. I frosted my cake with cool whipped frosting (shirleyo) using all "light" or fat-free ingredients. It was the perfect complement to the cake - not too heavy and very similar to plain 'ol Cool-whip (which this recipe calls for anyways). For a finishing touch, I used rainbow sprinkles! The Bday boy (and gal) were very happy :) Thanks for this neat recipe. I will be trying the Zinger version next time!

—Chef Mickey (aka Mickey)

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60 Ratings

Jul 14, 2008

I made this cake yesterday and it is so easy to put together. I thought it could've been a little more flavorful. I used strawberry gelatin and I was really hoping to taste more of the strawberry gelatin but I have to say it is a very moist cake and it does look pretty! I also like the fact that it's a refrigerated box cake so it's nice and cold on a hot summer day. My family enjoyed it. Next time maybe I'll reduce the water a little bit to make the gelatin flavor more concentrated. Thanks for the great and easy recipe!!

—Rosa

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Jan 09, 2008

I love this cake, it's so refreshing and looks so pretty. I have had it with various Jello flavors, my mom made this for us when we were growing up. Red jello and the new pink strawberry Cool Whip would make a beautiful dessert. Kaye

—Kaye Lynn

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Jun 29, 2009

Ahhhhhh, reminds me of my grammy's "jello" cake! She used a yellow cake mix baked as directed. Once cooled, poke holes throughout the cake with the back of a wooden spoon. Make the jello as directed then pour over the cake. (She always used cherry jello). I don't remember if she let the jello set before topping. I don't and it sets just fine in the frig. For the "icing" -she'd make pistachio pudding with 1 package of dream whip added in then make as directed on pudding box. When the pudding was ready, she'd "slather" on top of the cake then refrigerate. This was my 2nd most requested food item (the first being her peach cobbler). I hovered around the frig until time to get it out. LOL I've made a few times for my kids but they don't care much for it. I've used various flavors of jello but prefer cherry / pistachio combo - just like Grammy made.

—justise

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Mar 29, 2011

Love it, so moist. I mix vanilla whipped icing with the cool whip before I frost the cake....makes it easier to spread and tastes delicious.

—BETTYCOOK

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Apr 08, 2013

I made this for my daughters bday party as an alt to the super sweet kids cake. The adults loved it!!! The whole cake went in no time. I used strawberry cake and fruit punch jello. I also used the cool whip topping but also used diced fresh strawberries (lightly coated with lemon juice and sprinkle of sweet n low) then added chopped vanilla wafers at the very end. It was incredible!!!!

—day_rog

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Jun 30, 2009

I make this cake every 4th of July and add strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries on top of the cool whip to make it look like the flag. A huge hit, there are never leftovers!!

—ashleaf

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