How To Make Cheesecake Strawberry Poke Cake

Incredibly light and flavorful and PERFECT for summer, Cheesecake Strawberry Poke Cake is a white cake filled with strawberry Jell-O with a layer of creamy cheesecake pudding – all topped with velvety whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

What is a Poke Cake? 

A “poke or Jell-O cake” is a cake that you poke holes into after baking and fill with sweet liquid like Jell-O or pudding to add extra goodness and moistness to your cake. It creates the perfect mix of moist cake and creamy topping.

Sounds crazy, I know….crazy FUN! I guarantee your kids will love to help you in the kitchen with this strawberry poke cake recipe.

Poke cakes have been very popular for decades for many reasons:

• Super easy to prepare
• Contain delicious fruit (who doesn’t love strawberries)
• Practically a guaranteed crowd pleaser
• Topped with everyone’s favorite whipped cream 😉

Just like the first time I first tried a Berry Chantilly Cake, my life changed the first time I ate a poke cake. I took a bite of that fruity, creamy, sweet, delicious ultra-moist cake, and it was over.

I love strawberries and have never met a strawberry recipe I didn’t love. Most strawberry poke cake recipes include the cake, jello, fruit, and whipped cream. I decided to take it up a notch by adding a layer of cheesecake pudding and….fuggedaboutit! 😂

For this recipe, the creamy pudding layer takes this cake from “wow” and sends that fresh strawberry flavor into the stratosphere!

If you poke cake recipes, make sure to check out my:

• Banana Pudding Poke Cake
• Death By Chocolate Poke Cake
• Red White And Blue Poke Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you need in order to whip up this ultra delicious dessert!

• White Cake Mix – I used a boxed cake mix to save time. A yellow, chocolate, or vanilla cake mix will work well too, depending on what kind of Jell-O and fruit you’re using.
• Oil
• Eggs
• Water 
• Strawberry Jello – any flavor will work but you might want to change up the fruit pairing as well.
• Frozen, sliced strawberries
• Instant pudding – cheesecake flavor
• Milk
• Cool Whip – buy prepared whipped topping to save time or make your own if you prefer.
• Strawberries for garnish

NOTE: For more strawberry shortcake poke cake recipe details, please check out the handy printable recipe card at the bottom of this post!

How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake

I’m breaking down this super simple recipe into step-by-step instructions so you can have your strawberry Jell-O poke cake ready to serve before you know it!

Step 1 – Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Pan

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 13×9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Step 2 – Make Cake

Prepare cake mix in a medium bowl as directed on the box. Pour cake batter into the pan and bake until the toothpick comes out clean – about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Step 3 – Prepare Cake For Adding Jell-O

Poke holes in the cake. (I would use the handle of a wooden spoon for this step.)

Prepare the strawberry gelatin as directed on the box then pour over the cooled cake. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Step 4 – Make Pudding

Prepare pudding as directed and add in strawberries. Pour the cheesecake layer over the cake. Chill for 1 hour.

Step 5 – Add Whipped Cream and Garnish

Add Cool Whip on top of the cake and cool for an additional hour. Garnish with fresh strawberries and serve! Then enjoy watching the look on their faces when they taste this cake and discover how incredible it is!

Enjoy your delicious poke cake!

Strawberry Jello Poke Cake Recipe Tips

• You can use your own homemade cake recipe, but using a cake mix is a huge time-saver. A white cake mix is best for this recipe.
• The cheesecake pudding layer is optional in this strawberry poke cake. It adds such a delicious break from the norm that I highly recommend it (FYI, I will NOT be making strawberry poke cake without this layer again – it’s THAT good!).
• You can make your own homemade whipped cream or save time by using Cool Whip.
• For an ultra-tender cake, let it sit for at least 2 hours before serving. If you are short on time, you could serve it after about 1 hour of chilling. 
• Keep the dessert refrigerated as the frosting will soften if kept at room temperature for too long and could turn into liquidy mush.
• While frozen strawberries will work just fine in this recipe, I personally much prefer the texture that fresh strawberries lend to this dessert.

Possible Variations For Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

Here are some fun ideas for adding variety to…

Change the flavor – Be creative and see what different flavor profiles you can come up with. Why not try this cake with lemon, peach, raspberry or cherry jello!!!

Change the size or shape of this dessert – Think outside the box and use a fun cake pan, not the standard 9 x 13-inch baking sheet. Try a cake pan in a fun shape, such as a heart or a flower!

Make Strawberry Crunch Poke Cake – simply top this delicious recipe with graham cracker crumbs – yum!

Storage and Freezing Instructions

This cake will need to be kept in the refrigerator. The Cool Whip topping and fruit are the main reasons to keep it cool unless serving.

Poke cake will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days in an airtight container. After that it will get soggy.

Freezing Directions

There are a couple different ways you can freeze a poke cake for later use.

Method 1: Prepare the cake as directed and let cool completely but do NOT add the frosting to the top.

Method 2: Freeze the cake with the frosting. You may need to do this in case of a lot of leftovers. Make sure the cake has been in the fridge so the frosting isn’t too soft before preparing to freeze.

With either method you use, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap making sure cake is completely wrapped. Next, wrap it in aluminum foil or place in a freezer bag.

The poke cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost completely before slicing or adding the whipped topping frosting.

More Delicious Dessert Ideas

• Heavenly, Scrumptious No-Bake Chocolate Lasagna
• Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
• No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Parfait
• Rice Pudding Porridge with Dried Blueberries
• Easy and Delicious Slow Cooker Peach Crisp

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