Red White and Blue Poke Cake

This Red White and Blue Poke Cake is filled with strawberry Jello and topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. It’s an easy summer dessert that’s perfect for the Fourth of July, Memorial Day or any patriotic holidays!

We usually make a red white and blue flag cake for an easy 4th of July dessert every year, but on a whim, we made one for Memorial Day dinner this year. It’s one of our favorite red white and blue desserts. This time, I changed the design so that everyone could have plenty of blueberries and strawberries with every bite of this easy dessert!

This patriotic poke cake isn’t a new idea, but since we make it every year, I thought it was about time to share it with you guys! You’ve probably seen the usual 4th of July flag cake recipe, topped with Cool Whip and blueberries and strawberries, right? Well, the only problem with that American flag cake design is that not everyone gets blueberries. And if you have kids, you know that can be a problem!

So, we finally changed up the design for the fourth of July poke cake this time by adding rows of fresh blueberries and strawberries. This way, there’s plenty of fruit in every bite, and everyone is happy — for one night, anyway!

I love making poke cakes — They’re super easy and fun. Actually, the kiddos have pretty much taken over since they love poking holes in the cake! Try my Strawberry Jello Poke Cake, Lime Jello Poke Cake and more easy dessert recipes in the desserts archives.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this red white and blue poke cake recipe. They should be easy to find in your grocery store.

• Boxed Cake mix — Yellow cake mix or white cake mix. You can make a cake from scratch if you like.
• Eggs
• Vegetable Oil — or butter, but oil helps keep the cake moist
• Water
• Strawberry Jello — or generic strawberry gelatin powder
• Cool Whip — or any white frosting
• Fresh fruit — fresh strawberries and fresh blueberries to make this a red white and blue cake

How to Make a Red White and Blue Poke Cake

For this patriotic poke cake, you bake a cake with help from a box of yellow cake mix. You can bake one from scratch, although I usually use cake mixes for poke cakes to keep things easy. Just follow the package directions for making the cake.

After the cake cools, you use the end of a wooden spoon or wide straw to poke holes in the cake.

Then, you mix Jello powder and hot water in a small bowl until the powder dissolves. Next, mix in cold water.

Pour the liquid Jello mixture into the holes and over the cake. I used strawberry Jello, but you could also use blue gelatin.

Place the cake in the fridge and let it cool for about 2 hours before decorating.

How to Decorate 4th of July Cake

Frost the cake with whipped topping over the entire cake. Then, top it with rows of sliced strawberries and blueberries.

If you make rows of strawberries and blueberries, each slice of cake will have plenty of fruit and patriotic colors on each slice. So, nobody can complain that they didn’t get any blueberries with this cake!

How to Store Patriotic Poke Cake

Refrigerate the poke cake until ready to serve. Store leftover poke cake in an airtight container or cover the cake pan with plastic wrap. The cake will be good for up to a day — the fresh fruit will start to become watery.

Recipe Variations

You can make this patriotic cake with strawberry Jello, cherry Jello, Blueberry Jello or a combination of red Jello and blue Jello flavors.

If you don’t want to add fruit on top of the cake, you can use patriotic sprinkles or a combination of red and blue sprinkles. The cake will last up to 5 days without the fruit on top.

Recipe Tips

Use less water in the Jello when making a poke cake. Do not follow the directions on the package for regular Jello.

Be careful not to poke holes all the way through the cake. The liquid Jello will run out the bottom of the cake.

Allow the cake to cool completely in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before frosting the cake.

If making the patriotic cake ahead of time, add the fresh berries right before serving.

More Red White and Blue Recipes

• Red white and blue bark
• Patriotic candy coated pretzel sticks
• Watermelon feta and blueberry salad
• Strawberry blueberry ice cream parfait

I hope you enjoy this easy red white and blue poke cake recipe as much as we do! It’s perfect for your Independence Day celebration or summer parties.

If you do try this delicious cake recipe, please leave a star rating and/or comment.

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Recipe first published in 2018 and updated in 2023.