A very simple, two ingredient poke cake
Every time my mom would make this simple Jell-O poke cake it made me immensely happy. Or maybe it was the way she let me stab the cake a million times with a dessert fork that made me happy. Either way, this is a happy cake.
And after the past 12 months, we could all use a little happiness. And some therapeutic stabbing.
When I was a kid I was fantastically bad at cooking. I once failed so hard at stove-top popcorn that the pot I had used needed to be thrown out because I had burnt small holes through the bottom of it. It’s still a challenge I have, since I ruined another large pot making popcorn at34.
This cake is perhaps the first successful thing I have baked that actually had a flavor other than raw flour. My first attempt at baking was a series of cupcakes made out of pancake batter — which at 14 was the only thing I had mastered in the kitchen but didn’t really translate that well into anything that wasn’t a pancake.
I didn’t stab those and then quickly try to drown them in liquid Jell-O, but I’msureifIhadtheywould have tasted at least marginally better. Either way, whenIbroughtthemto school the next morning my friends and I huddled together in the cold to eat them before Zero Period.
This is a cake you don’t have to huddle in the cold to eat. You can enjoy it over a leisurely breakfast with coffee, or plop a dollop of whip cream over the top and have it with a cold glass of milk.
I’ve always used red Jell-O, whether it was raspberry or strawberry, but you can use your favorite flavor. It works best if you’re using a white cake box mix, but there arenorules.
Jell-O and chocolate cake mix or maybe orange paired with a yellow cake would also be good.
JELL-O POKE CAKE
INGREDIENTS
• White cake mix
• Box of Jell-O
• Whipped cream (optional)
DIRECTIONS
1
Make cake according to box. Once done, let cool completely. Make Jell-O according to box. Once Jell-O powder has dissolved remove from heat and set aside.
2
Using a fork, poke holes in the cake at equal intervals, doing your best to cover entire surface with little fork holes. 3
Using a large spoon, gently pour cooled Jell-O over the cake, taking care to spoon the liquid into the holes. Let the cake absorb as you go. Use all the liquid. Cover and place in the refrigerator to set.
4
When ready to serve, slice cake and top individual servings with whip cream.