Loaded with fresh strawberry jam and a strawberry cream cheese frosting, this easy to make Strawberry Poke Cake will be your new go-to dessert for potlucks and gatherings. And you don’t even need a box of Jello!
Try Your hand at a Strawberry Poke Cake
There’s a good chance you’ve heard of strawberry poke cake, the kind that commonly uses boxed gelatin, store-bought cake mix and Cool Whip. While I’m all for saving time in the kitchen, I’m not crazy about the long ingredient lists on boxed mixes.
So I made some changes to the original recipe and created a strawberry jam cake which is something much better and fresher tasting than the traditional strawberry jello poke cake. In this recipe, the flavor of jello is replaced with not-too-sweet, homemade strawberry jam that’s spread over a soft buttermilk cake.
Once baked, the cake gets poked with holes, (like in a caramel heath bar cake) the strawberry filling goes into the holes and infuses its flavor throughout the entire cake. And because of the jam-filled holes, the cake is soft and moist on the inside.
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Then, to make it even better, add a fresh whipped strawberry frosting with cream cheese. A cream cheese frosting works great for this type of cake, it compliments the flavors of the strawberries, is sturdier than a whipped topping and has some fresh strawberries for flavor along with a beautiful color.
Featured reader review
“My kids enjoyed this cake very much. I did halve the sugar for the cake and it was still sweet enough. The only other change was that I made whipped cream frosting with your suggestion of dried strawberries and that tasted awesome with the cake. Loved the strawberry jam made from scratch. The leftovers from that will be used for pancakes. My only critique was the cake kind of dense, I think there were too many eggs or something. I’ll make it again.”
Miss
Since this is strawberry season in North Carolina, I’ll be busy using the sweet berries in everything from soft strawberry cinnamon rolls to a fresh strawberry spinach salad. But when I’m feeding a crowd, this is the dessert I always make.
This easy strawberry cake is a great choice for a summer bbq. It’s not too heavy so it will go great with fall-off-the-bone ribs or juicy smash burgers.
Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe ingredients
For the full ingredient list, see the Recipe Card below. Other than the basics, here’s a few things to make sure you have on hand.
Strawberries – whether or not strawberries are in season, you should be able to find fresh berries. If not, it’s fine to substitute frozen. Just be sure to thaw them before using.
Lemon juice and zest – these add a bright, tangy flavor
Buttermilk – if you don’t have any on hand, add a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk
Cornstarch – to thicken the strawberry filling fro the jam
How to make Strawberry Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Step 1: start with dry ingredients
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl.
Step 2: make the cake batter
Step 3: bake
Bake for about 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be light golden brown.
Step 4: make some jam
While the cake is baking make the strawberry filling, or this can be made well in advance. If you want to skip this step, use a good quality jam like Bonne Maman.
Pro Tip: To make sure your thickener is lump-free, first add the cornstarch to a bowl. Then slowly drizzle in the water while constantly whisking the mixture to remove any lumps.
Step 5: poke some holes
After the cake is done baking let it cool for about five minutes on a wire rack. Then use the end of a wooden spoon to poke large holes all over the cake, about an inch apart.
I prefer using the handle of a wooden spoon, as it is just the right width to allow the strawberry filling to absorb. If you don’t have a wooden spoon you could use anything around ¼ – ½ inch in diameter, like a straw, or the end of a chop stick.
Working while the cake and jam are still warm, spread the jam over the top of the cake so it sinks into the holes. Allow it to cool completely on the counter. Then chill in the fridge for an hour so the jam can set.
Step 6: create the frosting
For the strawberry cream cheese frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until it’s smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy.
Step 7: make it pink
Chop about ½ cup of fresh strawberries and mash them with a potato masher, immersion blender or food processor. You’ll want a smooth consistency for the whipped cream cheese topping.
If you don’t want to use fresh strawberries for the frosting, you can use 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries and still have a delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. Grind them up until they are almost powder and then add to the frosting. They’ll add a great strawberry taste along with the same pink color. This will give you a thicker frosting which might be better if you are going to serve this outdoors.
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Strawberry Jam Cake with Strawberry Frosting
Ingredients
CAKE
- 3 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup buttermilk full fat, room temp
- 3 eggs room temp
- 3 egg yolks room temp
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
JAM
- 1 lb strawberries chopped
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
FROSTING
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp
- 8 tablespoons butter room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons mashed strawberries
Instructions
- CAKE:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt.
- In a second bowl whisk the oil with the buttermilk, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix by hand just until the flour is combined. Pour it into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean and the cake should be light golden brown.
- JAM:
- While the cake is baking, make the strawberry filling. Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer until it thickens, about 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl whisk the water with cornstarch and add to strawberries. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes so that the cornstarch can be absorbed. Remove from heat and mash the strawberries so that you have a fairly smooth mixture. You don’t want to have large chunks.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes on a wire rack. Then take the handle of a wooden spoon and poke large holes throughout the cake. While the cake and jam are both warm, spread the jam over the top, letting it go down into the holes. Let it cool completely on the counter and then refrigerate for about an hour so the jam can set.
- FROSTING:
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together with a hand mixer until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy.
- Chop about ½ cup of fresh strawberries and mash with a potato masher, immersion blender or food processor. You want them to be pretty smooth. Once mashed, you should have 2 tablespoons of strawberries. Add them to the frosting and mix. Spread frosting on cake and refrigerate until set.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- If using a boxed cake mix, choose a vanilla cake mix.
- You can use jam for this recipe, just warm it slightly in the microwave before spreading on the cake.
- You can you 1 cup of freeze dried strawberries in the frosting instead of fresh, just grind them and add to the frosting.
Nutrition
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Veronica says
Can dried buttermilk be used?
If so, does more liquid need to be added to the recipe?
The recipe sounds amazing! 👍! Thanks!
Barbara Curry says
Follow the directions on the package of dried buttermilk so that you have 1 cup of liquid.
Miss says
My kids enjoyed this cake very much. I did halve the sugar for the cake and it was still sweet enough. The only other change was that I made whipped cream frosting with your suggestion of dried strawberries and that tasted awesome with the cake. Loved the strawberry jam made from scratch. The leftovers from that will be used for pancakes. My only critique was the cake kind of dense, I think there were too many eggs or something. I’ll make it again.
Barbara Curry says
Strawberry jam makes everything better!
Lisa g. says
If I use pre-made strawberry jam from Smuckers then how many cups do I need. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Barbara Curry says
It doesn;t have to be exact. You will need at least a cup and probably closer to 1 1/2 cups.
Anne Marie says
Can you freeze this cake uniced?
Barbara Curry says
You can freeze it frosted or unfrosted. I would go ahead and poke the holes and add the jam before freezing if you want to wait to frost until later. But it will be perfect if you freeze the entire frosted cake.
Carol says
Delicious! I’m going to try the recipe with apricot jam.
Barbara Curry says
Apricot sounds great!