Jello Cake Recipe

Jello cake is a vintage recipe that is a perfect dessert for family gatherings, sure to put a smile on everyone’s face. A delicious cake that is so easy to make!

If you enjoy this recipe, try my Strawberry Tres Leches Cake next!

I love an easy dessert recipe. I especially love homemade cake like my viral French Strawberry Cake recipe. But sometimes I get nostalgic for recipes from my childhood. Boxed cake mix made appearances as delicious poke cakes at our family gatherings. And my Mom loved making Cool Whip Frosting – which is simply instant pudding and cold milk mixed with a container of Cool Whip.

My Jello Cake Recipe is like sunshine on a plate, or a cake version of a classic Creamsicle. I made a yellow cake mix with orange Jello and frosted it with vanilla Cool Whip frosting. Then I garnished each slice with a mandarin orange slice. I personally inhaled two slices of this cake while photographing. It’s so good!

More cake recipes

• Strawberry Spoon Cake
• Guinness Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Bourbon Glazed Kentucky Butter Cake

Ingredients for jell-o cake recipe

• Box Cake Mix – Choose your favorite, go-to boxed cake mix for this recipe. Yellow cake mix seemed best for orange Jello with vanilla whipped topping. But feel free to mix and match flavors.
• Eggs – My cake mix called for three large eggs. But be sure and check the back of the box for what your brand of cake mix calls for.
• Oil – Use vegetable oil which is neutral and has no flavor.
• Water – For this recipe, you need two cups of water, not three. One cup of cold water for the cake mix. And one cup of boiling water for the Jello.
• Jell-O – Use a 3-oz box of Jello for this recipe. My recipe uses orange Jello but use any of the Jell-o flavors you would like.
• Vanilla Pudding – Use a 3.4-oz box of instant pudding to mix with the Cool Whip.
• Cool Whip – Use an 8-oz tub of Cool Whip. You could choose to frost this cake with just Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. But I really like the extra flavor the Cool Whip Frosting adds.
• Milk – One cup of cold milk is mixed into the instant pudding first before mixing in the Cool Whip.
• Mandarin Oranges – Canned mandarin oranges garnish each piece of cake. You can use any canned or fresh fruit to match the flavor of the Jello you use.
• Vanilla Extract – A little vanilla adds even more delicious vanilla flavor to the frosting.

Instructions

Prepare the cake according the instructions on the back of the box. My brand uses oil, eggs and water. Once the cake has cooled, use a metal chop stick or handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cooled cake. Mix together the one cup of boiling water and box of Jello mix. Slowly pour the liquid Jello mixture evenly over the top of the baked cake. Allow the cake to cool. Use a whisk and a large mixing bowl to whip together the instant pudding mix, milk and Cool Whip. Spread it evenly on top of the whole cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least one hour. Slice the cake and top with mandarin orange slices.

Pro tips

I researched vintage recipes and popular recipes on Google before making my own Jello Cake Recipe. I can tell you for certain that you only need one cup of water mixed with the Jello! Some recipes call for two cups of water (one cup boiling water and one cup cold water). That is too much liquid to pour over top of one boxed cake mix.

You can make lots of variations of a Jello Cake Recipe (or poke cake). Let your imagination run wild. You can even make pudding to pour over the cake instead of Jello. Strawberry Jello Cake Recipe topped with fresh strawberries is another obvious favorite. Keep scrolling to the bottom of this post for links to more poke cake recipes.

Serving suggestions

A classic Jello cake or poke cake is perfect for taking along to a picnic, potluck, family gathering or other special occasion. And here’s a great cake container for both baking and toting your cake with you! Here’s some of my favorite recipes for taking to a potluck –

• Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwiches
• Confetti Ham Salad
• Jarlsberg Cheese Dip
• Deviled Eggs with Relish
• Cheesy Potatoes

Storage directions

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing the prepared cake.

Kitchen tips

• This cake uses a 9×13 inch cake pan. I like this one that comes with a plastic lid
• I use these metal chopsticks for poking holes in the cake
• Electric hand mixer for whipping together the cake mix batter
• Metal whisk for mixing the Cool Whip frosting
• Offset spatula for spreading the frosting on the cake

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More delicious poke cake recipes

• Banana Pudding Poke Cake
• Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
• Strawberry Pudding Poke Cake