Lemon Jello Poke Cake Recipe with Raspberry Jam

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Say hello to your new favorite lemon cake recipe! Lemon Jello Poke Cake with Raspberry Jam is an easy-to-make jello cake recipe that's simple but decadent.

Soft vanilla cake with lemon jello topped off with easy homemade raspberry jam and whipped cream makes this the best poke cake you will ever taste!

What is Poke Cake?

A poke cake is a single layer cake that you poke holes into after baking. You then fill it with syrup, sauce, or jello, that seeps in and soaks into the cake. This gives every bite of cake extra flavor!

For some poke cake recipes, you can even use condensed milk, pureed fruit, whipped cream, or even pudding. In the case of this poke cake recipe, we fill ours with lemon jello. The flavors of lemon and raspberry in a soft vanilla cake with whipped cream icing on top make for a special treat!

This cake is also fabulous using our homemade strawberry rhubarb jam and strawberry vanilla jam, or even some of our delicious berry compote. That's the best part about a jello cake, you can have some fun and mix up the flavors!

Top it off with frosting or cream, and you have yourself the perfect lemon poke cake! Take it to a party, and this lemon cake recipe is always a hit.

Lemon Poke Cake with Raspberry Jam

Our lemon jello poke cake recipe has 4 glorious layers of flavor to bite into:

1. Soft and moist vanilla cake
2. Lemon jello which soaks through the cake completely
3. Delicious, homemade quick raspberry jam
4. Easy homemade whipped cream

How can you go wrong? Raspberry and lemon really are the best of friends! Plus, using lemon jello as the syrup in this jello poke cake is a super quick and easy flavor hack. The resulting cake is dense and luscious, with so much flavor in every bite!

Lemon Jello Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 1 ½ cups white sugar (10.5 oz.)
• 3 large eggs
• 4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour 
• ⅓ cup cornstarch 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ⅓ cups whole milk, brought to room temperature

Lemon Jello Ingredients

• 1 3 oz. package of lemon Jello
• 1 cup of boiling water

Quick Raspberry Jam Ingredients

• 2 cups of raspberries, frozen
• ½ cup sugar 
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 ½ tablespoons water

Poke Cake Topping

• 1 handful fresh raspberries (optional)
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar

How to Make Jello Cake

1. Grease a rectangular baking tin or small roasting tin, approximately 10"x10", then line with baking paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Beat together 1 cup softened butter and 1 ½ cups white sugar until light and creamy. Don’t skimp on the beating time! Scrape down the bowl from time to time.
4. Add 3 large eggs one at a time and beat well between each.
5. Add 4 tsp. vanilla and beat through.
6. In a separate bowl, sift together 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup cornstarch, ½ tsp. salt, and 3 tsp. baking powder.
7. Using a spatula, gently mix ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter and eggs, then half of 1 ⅓ cups milk, and repeat this process until all incorporated. Make sure not to over-mix at this point, the cake won't be light and fluffy if you do.
8. Pour the batter into the baking tin, smooth out, and place in the oven for 45-50 minutes until golden all over and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes, then poke holes all over about 1 inch apart using a chopstick or knife.
   
10. Mix 1 3 oz. pack of lemon jello and 1 cup boiling water and stir until dissolved. Pour the jello over the entire cake slowly, allowing it to seep into all the holes.

How to Make Homemade Raspberry Jam

1. Place 2 cups raspberries, ½ cup sugar and the juice from ½ a lemon in a saucepan over low heat, stirring every so often.
2. Bring it to a simmer and allow it to keep simmering until the raspberries have broken down and the mixture thickens.
3. Mix together 2 ½ Tbsp. water and 2 ½ Tbsp. cornstarch, then slowly drizzle it into the raspberries while stirring constantly. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes until thick.
4. If you like, strain the raspberry jam to remove the seeds.
5. Break up a handful of fresh raspberries if using, then scatter them over the top of the cake.
6. Spread the raspberry topping over the top of the cake and place in the fridge until completely cooled.
   

How to Make Whipped Cream Icing

1. Add ½ cup whipping cream and 1 ½ Tbsp. icing sugar to a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a mixer, whip the cream and sugar together.
3. Spread over the cake and serve.
   

How long does it take for the Jello to set? 

It will take approximately 2 hours or so for the jello to soak into the cake and cool completely, so plan ahead when making your jello poke cake!

Tips for Making Jello Cake Recipe

• Box cake mix: One of the best parts about making this jello cake recipe is that you can use yellow cake mix in a box instead of mixing your own homemade cake batter. Cake mix recipes make everything easier!
• Raspberry jam: If you would prefer not to make your own jam, you can use store-bought raspberry jam for the topping. But making your own homemade raspberry jam is rewarding! It tastes amazing.
• Whipped cream: f you don't want to make your own whipped cream or need to whip the jello cake recipe up even more quickly, store-bought whipped cream works just fine, too!
• Use another jello flavor: Yellow cake pairs well with all flavors of jello. Try using another flavor of jello if you like, like strawberry or cherry!
• Wipe the knife clean: For the perfect slice, wipe the knife clean each time you cut the cake. This will prevent crumbs from sticking to the cake and icing, and will help you make perfect, beautiful slices.
• Keep refrigerated: The whipped cream topping and fruit filling means this cake should be refrigerated, so keep it in the fridge after baking!

Can I make poke cupcakes? 

Yes! Make cupcakes according to the directions on the cake mix box or follow the directions above.

Follow the directions for poking the holes and fill with jello across 24 cupcakes. Frost with whipped cream. If you like, you can put a little layer of raspberry jam underneath the whipped cream to have it taste just like the cake. Yum!

Can I make chocolate jello cake or strawberry jello cake?

This easy poke recipe can be used with any flavor of cake mix. Pair it with a complementary flavor!

Try chocolate cake with raspberry filling instead of lemon - you can keep the jam topping. That's part of the reason poke cake recipes are so fun!

How about a strawberry lemon jello cake? We can just imagine how delicious that combination of flavors would be! You can use strawberry jello or any flavor of jello you like to make jello poke cake. Or, use strawberry jam in place of raspberry jam with your lemon filling.

How do I store jello poke cake?

How you store your poke cake will depend on whether you're refrigerating or freezing it.

Refrigerate Poke Cake

• Because of the jello, the cake must be refrigerated.
• Tightly cover the cake with cling wrap and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Freeze Poke Cake

• To freeze the poke cake, wrap the cake with plastic wrap.
• You can freeze for up to 3 months.

Best Cake Recipes

• Easy Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Recipe
• Instant Pot Cheesecake Recipe with Raspberry Topping
• Strawberry Ice Cream Shortcake

Have you tried our lemon jello poke cake? Let us know what you think with a comment and rating! We love to hear from you. You can save Lemon Jello Poke Cake 📌 on Pinterest, too!

Photography by Marie Roffey.