With dazzling pops of red and blue cake tucked under a layer of colorful whipped topping and sprinkles, this Red, White & Blue Patriotic Poke Cake is an easy patriotic dessert that will be the star of the 4th of July!

Guys! Another holiday, another poke cake. If you haven't notice, I am sort of obsessed with poke cakes. They feed a crowd, can be made in about a bazillion different flavor combos and can be prepared a day or two in advance. Is that no-fuss food or what?! This red, white and blue version is the 7th variety of this almost fail-proof dessert and is just in time for all of your patriotic parties!

Red, White & Blue Cake

As you may have guessed, every good poke cake starts with a cake. The cake is the delicious sponge for the colorful Jell-0 🙂

This particular variation of a poke cake starts with a regular ol' white cake mix from a box. Feel free to bake your favorite cake from scratch. Either way, once the cake is completely cool, use the handle of a wooden spoon or a straw to poke holes allllllll over the surface of the cake.

Then, mix up a box of blue Jell-o and a box of red Jell-o. Remember to use ½ cup less cold water when preparing the Jell-o for a poke cake.

Now, use about ⅔ of each color of Jell-o to pour over the surface of the cake. (I made homemade Jell-o cups with the rest of the Jell-o.) For this poke cake, because I wanted distinct areas of blue and red, I used a spoon to direct the Jell-o. Remember to focus on getting the liquid into the holes - that creates the bloom of color in the white cake.

It may look a little ragged and wet, but magic happens in the refrigerator, so trust me here. Refrigerate the cake for at least a few hours or even overnight. This allows the Jell-o to jell or set up within the cake. The liquid Jell-o firms up and makes quite possibly the softest, most delectable cake of all time. Yep. Obsessed 😉

Anyway, now it's time to spread whipped topping over the surface of the chilled cake. You can also use homemade whipped cream if you are so inclined.

This is where you can get creative with your Red, White & Blue Poke Cake ... that whipped topping is a blank canvas. Add maraschino cherries, strawberries and blueberries, patriotic sprinkles or go wild like me and add swirls of food coloring and red, white & blue jimmies!

I was feeling a fireworks vibe with the swirls of color and those colorful sprinkles ...

I just love seeing the pop of bright blue and red when I cut a piece of this patriotic cake!

Kinda cool, right?!

Here is the step by step recipe so you can make your own Red, White & Blue Cake for the 4th of July!

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Hip, hip, hooray for more Patriotic Party Food!

• Red, White & Blue Jell-o Ice Cubes
• Cherry Berry Patriotic Pudding Pies
• Shortbread Sparklers (Chocolate Drizzled Shortbread)