Lemon Poke Cake

Combining tender vanilla cake, tart raspberry spread, lemon Jell-o and whipped cream topping, my Lemon Poke Cake is a marvel of flavors!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Jello Poke Cake, Lemon cake, lemon poke cake, poke cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 55

Cooling time 2

Total Time 3 15

Servings

Calories 500kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

Stand Mixer or hand mixer
Mixing bowls
Spatula
10"x10" baking tin any shape, other sizes will work if similar
Saucepan

Ingredients

Ingredients For the cake

1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
1½ cups white sugar
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2⅔ cups all purpose flour
⅓ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1⅓ cups whole milk room temp

Lemon Jello Mix

3 oz lemon Jello 1 powder pack
1 cup water boiling

Quick Raspberry Jam

2 cups raspberries frozen
½ cup sugar
½ lemon juiced
2½ Tablespoon cornstarch
2½ Tablespoon water

Jello Cake Topping

1 handful raspberries optional
½ cup whipping cream
1½ Tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions

Making the Cake

Grease your baking tin of choice, then line it with baking paper, if using. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using electric beaters, combine 1 cup softened butter and 1½ cups white sugar. Beat until light and creamy. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
1 cup butter, 1½ cups white sugar
Adding the eggs one at a time, crack in the eggs while still mixing. Add in the vanilla and mix until fully beaten through.
3 large eggs, 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
In a separate bowl, sift together the 2⅔ cups of flour, the ⅓ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon alt, and 3 teaspoons of baking powder, and whisk it all evenly together.
2⅔ cups all purpose flour, ⅓ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons baking powder
Using a spatula instead of the mixer, gently mix ⅓ of the dry ingredient mixture into the butter and eggs, as well as half of the milk. Fold until incorporated, then repeat until all ingredients are combined.
1⅓ cups whole milk
Pour the batter into your prepared baking tin, smooth it out, and place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown all over and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes. Once cooled, poke holes all over, about 1 inch apart, using a chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon.
Mix the lemon jell-o packet with 1 cup of boiling water and stir until dissolved. Very slowly pour the jello over the entire cake, allowing it to seep into all the holes.
3 oz lemon Jello, 1 cup water

Make the Raspberry Jam

Place the frozen raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat, stirring now and then until thawed and dissolved.
2 cups raspberries, ½ cup sugar, ½ lemon
Bring the mix to a simmer, then let simmer until the raspberries have broken down into a thick liquid and the mixture has thickened.
Mix together the cold water and cornstarch, and slowly drizzle it into the raspberries while stirring constantly. Let simmer another 5 minutes.
2½ Tablespoon cornstarch, 2½ Tablespoon water
(optional) If you prefer no seeds, pour the jam through a strainer to remove them.
Add any optional fresh berries to the top of the cake, then spread the raspberry jam over top the entire cake and smooth down with a knife.
1 handful raspberries
Cover the cake tin in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until completely cooled.

Make the Whipped Cream

Combine the heavy cream and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. On high speed, whip up the cream and sugar until it forms stiff peaks.
½ cup whipping cream, 1½ Tablespoons powdered sugar
Spread the whipped cream over the cooled cake and smooth down.
Place any additional decoration you'd like on the cake (such as piped-on whipped cream stars or extra fresh berries), then slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

You can use pre-made ingredients for almost everything, if you want! Box mix cake, store-bought jam and canned whipped cream will still taste amazing, and come together super fast.

For extra lemon flavor, you can add lemon zest to the whipped cream or swap out the raspberry jam for lemon curd.

Change up the flavor by using strawberry or cherry jell-o, or use blueberry preserves for a blueberry lemon poke cake.

Make a decadent topping by adding thin slices of candied lemon peel or candied lemon slices!

If you're using a decorative pan that requires the cake to be flipped over, poke the holes in the bottom of the cake, pour in the jell-o, let it cool, and then flip it and add the jam and frosting.

You need to let this cake cool for about 2-3 hours so the jell-o has a chance to firm up.

Nutrition