4Th Of July Cake Patriotic Poke Cake

Get ready to wow your guests with this show-stopping 4th of July Cake! Every bite is the perfect blend of tartness and sweetness. With its vibrant red, white, and blue colors on the inside and the outside, this cake is a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds.

Ingredients for this July 4th Cake

Who wants to be slaving away in the kitchen on a holiday? Not me! That’s why this easy dessert is made with a box cake mix rather than a cake from scratch. Yep, I admit it. And it’s delicious!

Cake Ingredients:

I add a bonus ingredient to make the cake rich and moist.

White cake mix (dry, not prepared) Water Sour cream Vegetable oil Eggs Blue gelatin powder (berry blue or blue raspberry Jell-O) Red gelatin powder (strawberry or raspberry Jell-O)

Frosting Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Sugar Whipped Cream Topping (Cool Whip)

Suggestions for Decorating

Unleash your creativity and make this delicious cake your own with a variety of stunning decorating options!

Adding the Colors to this Poke Cake

Adding colors to a simple vanilla cake elevated it into a beautiful work of art! Don’t be intimidated, as creating this artistic effect is easier than you might think. Here’s what to do:

First, wait until the cake is completely cooled after baking. Then, in a medium bowl, mix together blue Jell-O powder with a cup of boiling water, then stir in a half cup of cold water. It needs to be still in liquid form to insert into the cake, so don’t allow it to set up ahead of time. We like the blue raspberry flavor or any blue Jell-O you like. Repeat that step with red Jell-O powder. Again, any red colored Jell-O will work to make a red, white and blue poke cake. If you have medicine dispensers in your medicine cabinet, you can pour it into the dispenser to keep the colors from bleeding into each other. See image below. Condiment squeeze bottles also do the trick. Be sure to make nice holes in the spots you want the color to go. I used the handle end of a butter knife to make the holes in the cake, then I alternated the red and blue colors. If you want to make bigger holes, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon.

4th of July Cake Serving Tips

Be sure to make this cake well in advance of when you want to serve it, the longer it refrigerates, the better it will taste. I like to make it up the night before I plan to serve it so all the flavors have a chance to settle. Cover the cake with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out in the fridge. Serve this cake COLD. It makes it more refreshing for a hot day. The frosting can be made in advance as well. Keep it refrigerated, but don’t frost the cake until the day you are ready to serve it. Add toppings to the cake just prior to serving. Fresh fruit and sprinkles tend to bleed into the frosting over time.

Switch It Up For Different Holidays

You can easily switch the colors to make this work for different holidays- like grape and lime or orange jello for halloween. Cherry or Lime would work great together for Christmas. Purple and Pink or Yellow of Easter. Red and Pink for Valentine’s Day. This Fresh Strawberry Cake is delicious for a Mother’s Day brunch or baby shower. The sky is the limit!

Make Layered Jell-O Cups with the Extra Ingredients

For a bonus treat, I took things up a notch by using 6-ounce packages of Jell-O, instead of the 3-ounce packages, allowing me to create charming and festive Jell-O cups for our 4th of July celebration. Making these adorable cups is as easy as can be! Simply add the extra Jell-O to a glass cup and allow it to set. Then top with whipped cream (Cool Whip). Elevate the visual appeal by sprinkling on extra fresh berries, sprinkles, or even Pop Rocks for an element of surprise.

More 4th of July Desserts

Why stop at just one yummy dessert? In addition to this 4th of July Cake, you can create an entire buffet of patriotic treats and keep the party going all day and into the night.