Lemon Strawberry Cake Recipe
Recipe creator Patterson Watkins isn’t a fan of the old cliché that a recipe is passed down from generation to generation, but when it comes to this poke cake, she says she has to give credit where credit is due. “My grandmother inspired this recipe,” she says. “She would make these lemon cakes using a boxed lemon cake mix and a pudding mix, creating a semi-homemade treat.”
Old-school jelly poke cakes have been around since the 1970s, when they were featured prominently in Jell-O commercials, but Watkins puts a contemporary spin on this deliciously retro recipe. She also took inspiration from a social media hack that involved adding Kool-Aid to lemonade to give it a little extra flavor, and figured a similar idea could work with a cake, too. Instead of using Kool-Aid, she opted for jelly because poke cakes provide great flavor distribution, the jelly ribbons provide a slight textural contrast, and the two-tone look makes them super photogenic.
Read more: 13 Store-Bought Ice Cream Bars, Ranked From Worst to Best
Gather the ingredients for Strawberry Lemonade Poke Cake
The cake batter starts with a box of lemon cake mix, to which you’ll add instant vanilla pudding, lemonade, vegetable oil, and eggs. The filling is made with a box of strawberry Jell-O and more lemonade, while you’ll need buttercream frosting, fresh strawberries, and a lemon for garnish.
Step 1: Turn on the oven
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Step 2: Prepare a pan
Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking spray.
Step 3: Mix the cake and pudding mixes
To make the cake batter, place the cake mix and vanilla pudding mix in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 4: Stir in lemonade, eggs and oil
Add the lemonade, oil and eggs to the bowl and whisk to combine the batter.
Step 5: Pour the batter into the mold
Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
Step 6: Bake and cool the cake
Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.
Step 7: Heat the lemonade
Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry filling: place the lemonade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Step 8: Incorporate the jelly
Once the mixture is simmering, remove it from the heat and add the jelly. Stir until the jelly is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Set aside until the mixture has reached room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Step 9: Poke holes in the cooled cake
Once the cake has cooled, use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon to poke about 24 holes in the cake.
Step 10: Fill the holes with jelly
Pour the Jell-O mixture into the holes.
Step 11: Cool the cake
Place the mold in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight for best results.
Step 12: Remove the cake from the pan
Once cooled, remove the cake from the refrigerator. Carefully remove it from the pan and place it on a rack or large plate.
Step 13: Frost the cake
Spoon the buttercream frosting over the cake and spread it evenly over the surface.
Step 14: Decorate and serve
Garnish the cake with the strawberries and lemon slices before serving.
Lemon Strawberry Cake Recipe
What other cake mixes and Jell-O flavors can you use for a Poke Cake?
Strawberries and lemonade are a classic combo, but feel free to swap out the cake mix for another flavor. Use vanilla cake batter for a strawberries and cream cake, or chocolate for a chocolate-covered strawberry cake. Strawberries and funfetti would definitely be festive, and you could double down on the pink touch by opting for a strawberry cake mix.
You can also vary the flavor of the jelly. Lemon cake pairs well with other berry flavors like raspberry or blueberry (or the “blue berry” jelly flavor, which combines the two). You can also opt for lemon jelly or another citrus flavor, like orange or lime. Consider a coconut cake with pineapple chunks or a chocolate cake with black cherries, orange, or apricot. If you’re feeling festive, you can even make a pumpkin cake with cranberry jelly and serve it as a fun alternative to Thanksgiving pie.
Can you turn this Poke Cake into cupcakes?
If you want to turn this puff pastry recipe into poke cupcakes, it’s totally doable and won’t require too much extra work. You make the batter exactly the same way, but pour it into a muffin tin instead of a cake pan (don’t forget the paper cupcake liners!). Check the cake mix box for the baking time, but be aware that you may need to add an extra five or ten minutes due to the extra pudding and eggs in the mix. Once the cupcakes are done, let them cool completely.
When the cupcakes are ready, poke two or three holes in each one, then fill them with jelly. The cupcakes will also need to be refrigerated until the jelly sets, but since they are smaller than a cake, five or six hours should be enough. Once cooled, frost them and decorate them as desired. You can use a small lemon slice and half a berry per cupcake, or you can do something simpler, like sprinkling them with yellow and pink sprinkles or sugar.
Read the original article on Mashed.
