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    Home » Sweets

    Holiday Jello Cake

    Published: Dec 19, 2019 · Modified: Dec 18, 2022 by heather · This post may contain affiliate links

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    Holiday Jello Cake is a great addition to any holiday meal. Easy to make, delicious and colorful, this poke cake is always a crowd favorite. 

    Tis this season for delicious desserts like Holiday Cookie Bars and Easy Chocolate Cherry Cake. This festive poke cake is perfect to bring to any gathering. 

    Updated 12/19/2019

    Holiday Jello Cake on a plate.

    Jello cakes have been around for along time. I love making them especially for a special occasion. This cherry and lime combination is so fun for the Christmas holiday. The kids love helping me sprinkle the top and of course enjoy eating it!

    Ingredients needed

    White Cake Mix – Using a white cake mix really makes the green and red color pop. If you are in a pinch, yellow cake mix would work too. 

    Cherry JELL-O – This brings the red color to the cake. If you are making this for a different holiday or party, feel free to use the color Jello you need. 

    Lime JELL-O – This is the green color for the cake. 

    Water – You will need cold and boiling water for this recipe. 

    Frozen Whipped Topping – I use CoolWhip for this cake because I think it is nice and light. You could also make your own whipped cream or even use frosting. 

    Holiday Sprinkles

    What is poke cake?

    Just like the name sounds, once the cake bakes, you poke holes and fill with different toppings, in this case JELL-O. 

    How to make JELLO cake

    Scroll to the bottom for full, printable recipe and ingredients.

    • Prepare cake according to the box directions. Let is cool slightly and then poke holes in cake with the back of a wooden spoon. 
    • Prepare red jello in one bowl and green jello in a separate bowl. Pour red jello mixture on every other row of holes and green jello in the remaining holes. Be sure to use all of the jello mixture. 
    • Place the cake in the refrigerator and let chill for 4 hours or over night. 

    Jello cake in baking dish with holes and jello

    • Top cake with whipped topping (I used Cool Whip) and sprinkles. 

    Jello cake with piece cut out

    Recipe tips

    • If you don’t have a wooden spoon, use a fork to prick holes in the cake.
    • If you don’t have or like white cake, substitute yellow cake mix. 
    • Change the Jello flavors for different colors if you are making the cake for a different occasion. 
    • Make sure to let cake chill long enough for Jello to set.

    Holiday Jello Cake with sprinkles

    How to store this cake

    • Store this poke cake in the refrigerator since it contains JELL-O and cream topping. It will last 2-3 days in the refrigerator. 

    More easy cake recipes

    • Chocolate Bundt Cake
    • 7-up Cake
    • Easy Tiramisu Cake
    • Holiday Bundt Cake

    Enjoy! ~Heather

    Piece of cake on plate.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    4.60 from 20 votes

    Holiday Jello Cake

    Holiday Jello Poke Cake 
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: dessert, poke cake, jello cake
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 193kcal

    Ingredients

    • 1 box white cake mix (+ ingredients on box)
    • 1 3 oz box lime jello
    • 1 3 oz box cherry jello
    • 2 cups boiling water
    • 1 cup cold water
    • 1 16 oz frozen whipped topping
    • holiday sprinkles

    Instructions

    • Bake cake according to directions on the box. Bake in a 9x13 baking pan or dish. 
    • Let the cake slightly cool and poke holes in the cake with the back of a wooden spoon. (You can also use a fork if you don't have wooden spoon.)
    • Place red jello mix in one bowl and green jello mix in another bowl. Pour 1 cup boiling water in the red mix and 1 cup of boiling water in the green bowl. Stir until disolved. 
    • Pour 1/2 cup cold water in with red and 1/2 cup cold water in green. 
    • Pour red jello in every other row of holes and pour green in remaining holes. Make sure to pour all of the jello mixture. 
    • Chill the cake for 3-4 hours or over night and then top with whipped topping and sprinkles. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 363mg | Potassium: 32mg | Sugar: 21g | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Follow me @foodlovinfamily or tag #foodlovinfamily!

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    Comments

    1. Carrie

      December 10, 2022 at 12:52 pm

      Could use strawberry and not cherry I don’t like cherry with lime

      Reply
      • heather

        December 12, 2022 at 8:27 pm

        Yes, you can substitute with strawberry or your favorite JELLO flavor.

        Reply
        • Carlene Horton

          December 18, 2022 at 3:20 am

          What does slightly ccok mean? Your instructions say to Add the jello when cake is cooked slightly. Thank you

        • heather

          December 18, 2022 at 3:29 pm

          Sorry it’s supposed to be slightly cool. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool 3-5 minutes.

    2. Lynne

      December 25, 2021 at 2:43 pm

      At the beginning of the instructions, you say let the cake cook slightly
      Or did you mean cool slightly

      Reply
      • heather

        December 26, 2021 at 5:38 pm

        Yes, sorry cool slightly before adding the jello.

        Reply
    3. Jessica

      December 22, 2018 at 10:05 pm

      Does it taste like lime and cherry jello?

      Reply
      • heather

        December 23, 2018 at 8:26 pm

        It does have a cherry and lime flavor. It tastes delicious with the vanilla cake. Hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Sabrina

      November 26, 2018 at 5:41 pm

      5 stars
      This is perfect for the holidays! So moist and delicious!

      Reply
    5. Becky Hardin

      November 26, 2018 at 5:00 pm

      5 stars
      OH I love how pretty this cake looks even without the whipped topping. Adding the whipped topping and sprinkles makes the kid in me smile.

      Reply
    6. Ashley F

      November 26, 2018 at 4:33 pm

      5 stars
      The kids LOVE helping with this one! It’s a hit!

      Reply
    7. Aimee Shugarman

      November 26, 2018 at 1:44 pm

      5 stars
      Such a fun, festive cake recipe! So easy to make too.

      Reply
    8. Alli

      November 26, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      5 stars
      What a fun and festive cake! My kids love this!

      Reply

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