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Red and green Christmas Poke Cake is the perfect festive dessert for all of your holiday parties! Lime and cherry jello flavor a white cake topped with whipped cream and festive holiday sprinkles.

close up of a piece of Christmas poke cake topped with whipped cream and red and green sprinkles

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I’ve lost count of how many poke cakes we’ve shared over the years (you can find all of our best poke cakes here) but one thing is certain-I’ll never get tired of them!

What is a poke cake?

A poke cake is an easy recipe that starts with a boxed cake mix. After preparing the cake you poke holes in the top of the cake and pour a flavored liquid traditional poke cake uses jello) over the top. The liquid then soaks into the cake making it just burst with flavor!

Why I love this recipe

This cake is absolutely fail-proof and required just a few simple ingredients. It is the perfect dessert to take to a holiday party or potluck.

It also tastes great if you make it a day or two in advance to let the flavors blend so you can make it up on Christmas eve to enjoy stress-free on Christmas day!

Ingredients

white cake mix and ingredients on the box needed to prepare
cherry or strawberry jello
lime jello
cool whip
red and green sprinkles

cake in white dish with two boxes of jello nearby

handle of wooden spoon poking holes in a cake

Step by step

Bake the cake according to the box directions. Allow the baked cake to cool completely.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon, skewer, or straw to poke holes all over the cake.
Mix the jello with 1 cup of hot water in two separate bowls or measuring cups. Stir to dissolve. Add 1/2 cup cold water to each and stir.

cake with holes poked in the top and two glass measuring cups with red and green dissolved gelatin

cake with holes poked in the top and red and green jello poured over it

Pour or spoon the jello mixtures over the cake. Make sure you get jello into all of those holes!
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the flavor to soak in and set up in the cake.
Top the cake with whipped topping and sprinkles. Keep refrigerated and serve cold.

rubber spatula spreading whipped cream over Christmas poke cake

hand holding red and green sprinkles with poke cake in background

Christmas poke cake with three pieces removed

Tips for best results

Jello mix comes in a larger 3-ounce box and a smaller 0.3-ounce box…be sure to buy the larger 3 ounce box for the most flavor
If the cake crumbs stick to the wooden spoon simply wipe them off every few “pokes.”
To achieve the marbled look on the inside of the cake pour the red gelatin and green gelatin into different parts of the cake, try not to overlap.

Variations

top with crushed candy canes instead of sprinkles
use a red velvet cake mix instead of white cake (you won’t see the inside color as much but it will still taste delicious!)
use a cream cheese frosting instead of whipped cream

piece of Christmas jello poke cake on white plate in front of the remaining cake

Storage

Keep this cake in the refrigerator covered tightly for up to 5 days.

You can freeze the poke cake for up to one month. To freeze, wrap tightly after adding the jello but before adding the frosting. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then add the whipped cream and sprinkles.

If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!