Summer Berry Poke Cake is a colorful twist on a classic poke cake, filled with homemade sweet berry sauce, cheesecake filling and whipped cream and fresh berries topping. Red, white, and blue color combo makes it perfect as patriotic dessert for 4th of July, or any summer potluck or party.
For more berry flavored patriotic dessert, check my No Bake Summer Berry Lasagna or Very Berry Dessert Lasagna.
Sweet Berry Poke Cake
Summer is perfect time for berry dessert with plenty of fresh and juicy blueberries, raspberries and strawberries in the season.
Strawberry, raspberry and blueberry filling, white cake mix and irresistible cheesecake and whipped cream topping are delicious and refreshing combo for summer dessert. However, you can make this cake with frozen fruits all year round.
What is A Poke Cake?
Poke cake was very popular dessert in the 1970s. This retro dessert was traditionally made with a boxed white or yellow cake mix, a tub of Cool-Whip and a box of Jell-O.
When the cake is baked, it’s poked, then filled with a Jell-o pudding or fruit flavoured gelatine and topped with plenty of whipped topping. Jell-O poured down the holes, gives it a striped look if you slice through the row of holes.
Ingredients for Triple Berry Poke Cake
- Cake mix-using cake mix makes this recipe much easier to prepare, but homemade berry sauce takes it to another level. Do you have to use white cake mix? No! You can use any flavour you like, but white cake base allows red and blue berry sauce to show and look nice and festive, especially if you need a patriotic dessert for holidays. But any cake mix that you love will work.
- Berries-strawberries, blueberries and raspberries are great combo. You can add red currant, blackberries, or other fruit to your taste. Also you can use fresh or frozen fruits, what ever you have on hand, depending on season.
- Gelatin powder- to thicken the sauce.
- Sugar and some fresh lemon juice.
- Cream cheese and heavy whipping cream- for the filling and topping. Adding cream cheese to the filling makes it much better than plain whipped cream.
How to Store the Cake and Leftovers
Poke cake is the best to make a day ahead before serving to allow soak well and set. You can store it up to a week covered in the fridge.
This Summer Berry Poke Cake is easy to transfer and serve, what makes it perfect for summer picnics and potlucks. It is light, airy and very refreshing. The cake is bursting with berry flavour and tangy cream cheese whipped cream topping is perfect for a warm summer days.
Summer Berry Poke Cake
Prep Time: 1 hour- Total Time: 6 hours
Category: Dessert
Method: no-bake
Cuisine: American
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Description
Summer Berry Poke Cake is a colourful twist on a classic poke cake, filled with homemade sweet berry sauce, cheesecake filling and whipped cream and fresh berries topping. Red, white, and blue colour combo makes it perfect patriotic dessert for 4th of July, or any summer potluck or party.
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 box white cake mix
- ingredients listed on the box
Strawberry and Raspberry Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cup diced strawberries
- 1 1/2 cup raspberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons gelatin powder dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water
Blueberry sauce:
- 2 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons gelatin powder dissolved in 2 Tablespoons water
Cheesecake Filling and Topping:
- 8 oz. cream cheese-room temperature
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- fresh berries for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the cake according to a package directions and bake in 9 x 13-inches dish. When the cake is baked remove from the oven. Using a handle of a wooden spoon, poke the holes about 1 inch apart. Set aside to cool.
- In two small bowls dissolve 2 teaspoons gelatin in 2 Tablespoons water, in each and set aside to bloom.
- To make the red sauce in a medium sauce pan, combine about 1 cup of strawberries and 1 cup of raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the fruits soften, stirring frequently, about 5-8 minutes. Than using a potato masher mesh the berries, add dissolved gelatin and remaining diced strawberries and raspberries and stir over medium heat until gelatin melts completely. Set aside to cool.
- To make the blueberry sauce in a medium sauce pan, combine about 1 ½ cups of blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the berries soften stirring frequently. Than using a potato masher mesh the berries, add dissolved gelatin and remaining blueberries and stir over medium heat until gelatin melts completely. Set aside to cool.
- When the sauces are cooled and slightly thicken using a spoon spread them over the cake. You should fill the holes alternately with red and blue sauce. Using the back of the spoon, try to get as much sauce as possible in the holes, and spread remaining on top. Place the cake in the fridge, to set the sauce completely.
- To make the topping beat softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup powdered sugar, then set aside.
- Beat heavy whipping cream, vanilla and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until firm peaks form. You will get about 4 cups of whipped cream. Divide in half.
- Add 2 cups of beaten heavy cream in the cream cheese mixture and mix until combine. Scrape down with the spatula to incorporate everything well, then spread over the cake.
- Remaining 2 cups of whipped cream transfer in a piping bag with a star tip and make the swirls on top, or simply spread with a spoon over the cream cheese mixture. Store in the fridge.
- Garnish with fresh berries before serving.
Notes
When making berry sauces, after cooling them to a room temperature, if the sauces are still very runny you can place them in the fridge, but stir from time to time. They should be pourable but not too runny while filling the cake, something like unset pudding. If they thicken to much, you can reheat them to get desired consistency.
5 comments
It won’t let me leave a rating but I was going to say 5 stars. I love this berry poke cake. What a genius idea to poke the cake like that. I like that I can use berries that are in season. It looks creamy and delicious. Thanks for sharing this gem! Can’t wait to try it. Shalom
Thanks Roxanne. Happy baking!
This is superb! I have made it over and over and it is always delicious.
Question: I saw that I can make it a day in advance. Would the cake still be ok if I make it 2 days ahead? If you think that the cake might not be as good doing that, can I make the elements ahead and then assemble them the day before eating it?
Nilha,
Keeping it a couple days in refrigerator should not be a problem. It might even taste better with the flavors mixing together. Yummy
This recipe is absolutely amazing and was a huge hit! The idea of making any fruit sauce or whipped toppings always scares me away from recipes, but your recipe was so easy to follow and greatly explained!