Easy Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake

Poke cake is one of my all-time favorite summer desserts. With a combination of lemon and strawberry flavors, this Easy Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake is sure to become one of your favorites too!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury™.  The opinions and text are all mine.

What’s great about poke cake is you can change out the cake mix and gelatin to get whatever flavors you’re craving. I’ve had some pretty awesome poke cakes in my time, but I have to say the Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake is #1 in my book! Another thing I love about this cake is how simple it is to prepare. It’s so easy that you can get the kids in the kitchen to help!

MAKING THIS EASY STRAWBERRY LEMONADE POKE CAKE

Here in Texas, in the middle of the summer, it’s just too hot to stay outside very long. So, when my kids complain to me that they’re bored, whipping up a poke cake is the perfect activity to keep them busy. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Pillsbury™ Moist Supreme Yellow Premium Cake Mix (oil and 3 eggs too) – You can find it at Kroger, down the baking aisle. It’s my go-to for the best flavor and texture.
• Lemon-flavored Instant Pudding & Pie Filling and Strawberry Gelatin Dessert – Both also down the baking aisle.
• Two lemons and a zester
• Whipped topping
• Strawberries
• A 9×13 baking pan, if you use a glass dish you’ll need to cut baking time to about 25 minutes

Madelyn enjoyed pouring the cake ingredients into the mixing bowl, but her favorite part was poking holes into the cake. Don’t worry, you don’t have to keep it neat and uniform. Poke away, and then the fun part is cutting into the cake and seeing all of the pretty pink color from the strawberry gelatin.

TIPS FOR THE BEST EASY STRAWBERRY LEMONADE POKE CAKE

• It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm, because as it cools the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily.
• Poke cakes are even better if you let them chill in the fridge overnight before serving.
• Use a 9X13 baking pan for this recipe. It’s the optimal size because the cake rises quite a bit and the cake will overflow in a smaller cake pan. If you don’t have that size, you can divide the batter into two square 8″ pans.

I’d love to know if you make this (or any) recipe! Tag @kimscravings on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

Looking for other yummy summer recipes? Head over to the Pillsbury brand page on the Myxx recipes website to find many more! And I have lots of summer recipes here too!

Check out the video, below, to see just how simple this Easy Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake is!

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Easy Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake

Yield: 12 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

An easy, delicious summer dessert!

Author: Kim

Ingredients

• 1 Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Premium Cake Mix
• 1 (3.4 oz) box lemon-flavored Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
• Ingredients to make cake per package directions (1 cup water, 1/2 cup oil, 3 eggs)
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 (3 oz) box strawberry-flavored gelatin dessert
• 1 cup boiling water
• ½ cold water

For the topping:

• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 (8 oz) container whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced or cut into heart shapes
• zest of 1 lemon

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• In a medium-sized bowl, combine cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, oil, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice. Beat on medium – high speed until all ingredients are well blended. Use a spatula to mix the batter from the bottom of the bowl to the top.
• Pour the batter into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake at 350°F for about 25-35 minutes until cake is set. Test cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. (I would check at 25 mins, especially if you're using a glass pan.)
• While the cake is still warm, take the end of a wooden spoon or another round object and poke holes all over the top of your cake. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
• While the cake is cooling, dissolve gelatin in boiling water in a small bowl, stirring constantly.
• Once gelatin is dissolved, pour mixture slowly over entire cake. Let the cake chill in the fridge for about 45 - 60 minutes.
• Once cake has chilled, combine lemon juice and whipped topping. Spread evenly over the top of the cake. Add sliced strawberries and lemon zest over the whipped topping.
• Chill until ready to serve and enjoy!

Notes

• It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm, because as it cools the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily.
• Poke cakes are even better if you let them chill in the fridge overnight before serving.
• Use a 9X13 baking pan for this recipe. It’s the optimal size because the cake rises quite a bit and the cake will overflow in a smaller cake pan. If you don’t have that size, you can divide the batter into two square 8″ pans.

Author: Kim

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serving: 1piece, Calories: 355kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 3.9g, Fat: 12.6g, Saturated Fat: 3.5g, Cholesterol: 65.3mg, Sodium: 480mg, Potassium: 21.2mg, Fiber: 1.1g, Sugar: 31.4g, Vitamin A: 60IU, Vitamin C: 25.8mg, Calcium: 168mg, Iron: 1.2mg

Did you make this recipe?

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