When warmer months come around, I love to focus my desserts on something lighter. Fruit is always a better option than their heavier chocolate counterparts for spring and summer. The fruit always adds a beautiful color too. This Cherry Poke Cake recipe is perfect for your spring gatherings. The red color, moist cake and fluffy marshmallow topping make it a great dessert for Easter or your patriotic summer holidays.
Related: Fruit Cocktail Poke Cake Recipe
If you’ve never made a sheet cake before, you’re in for a real treat. Here’s the secret: THEY ARE EASY. You don’t have to layer anything or worry about frosting difficult surfaces. Just bake and spread the frosting. The true beauty of this cake is the vertical stripes it makes from the pokes. That lets the filling seep into the cake, creating those stripes, and making it extra moist.
Just slice in squares, and a little extra whipped topping and then you could mix up what you’d like to add on the top. Finishing with fresh cherries, more cherry pie filling and sliced almonds make for a gorgeous dessert.
Cover any remaining leftovers and keep in your refrigerator until ready to serve again.
How To Make This Cherry Poke Cake Recipe
For The Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine cake mix, eggs, water, oil and almond extract until smooth.
Spread evenly into baking dish, bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Combine gelatin and boiling water and stir about 2 minutes until dissolved, add cold water. Using a wooden skewer or large fork, poke holes into cake about every 1/2 inch.
Carefully pour gelatin over the cake. Place in refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight.
For The Frosting: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, starting with ¼ cup powdered sugar and mix until fluffy. You may need to add more powdered sugar depending on how thick you want the frosting.
Spread over cake. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Store leftovers in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. Serve with fresh cherries, canned cherries or sliced almonds.
Cherry Poke Cake Recipe
Topped with a marshmellow cream frosting, this cherry poke cake recipe is the perfect spring dessert! It's light and delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1 small box (3.4 oz) cherry gelatin (any flavor will work)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Frosting:
- 1 8 oz. tub whipped topping, thawed
- 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
- ¼ - ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Toppings:
- Additional whipped topping
- Fresh Cherries
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Sliced Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 13x9 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine cake mix, eggs, water, oil and almond extract until smooth.
- Spread evenly into baking dish, bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Combine gelatin and boiling water and stir about 2 minutes until dissolved, add cold water.
- Using a wooden skewer or large fork, poke holes into cake about every 1/2 inch.
- Carefully pour gelatin over the cake. Place in refrigerator at least 3 hours or overnight.
- For The Frosting: In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, starting with ¼ cup powdered sugar and mix until fluffy. You may need to add more powdered sugar depending on how thick you want the frosting.
- Spread over cake. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve
Store leftovers in refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. Serve with fresh cherries, canned cherries or sliced almonds
Notes
This recipe is great for a big gathering - like a potluck or BBQ. Just make ahead of time and take along.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 77mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 5g
**Nutrition facts are calculated by a third party actual values may vary.