This Sparkling Cider Strawberry Poke Cake is a moist vanilla cake made with sparkling cider, soaked with strawberry jello and topped with Cool Whip and fresh strawberries. It is a quick and easy dessert to ring in the New Year, celebrate Valentine’s Day, or wow your friends and family anytime.
I wanted a special dessert for our family for New Year’s. While I was at the grocery store getting sparkling cider to ring in the new year, I thought, instead of a champagne poke cake, why not make a sparkling cider poke cake? I picked up a few bottles of Martinellis sparkling cider, since it is inexpensive and the kids love to have a toast on New Year’s Eve.
Poke cakes are the greatest thing ever. They are so simple to make and so versatile; you can make them with almost any flavor. It was a big hit in our home, and we had plenty left over for New Year’s Day.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: about 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 40 minutes, plus 2 hours cooling and chilling time
- 🍽️ Servings: 24 pieces
- ⚡ Calories: 140kcal per piece
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light, fizzy apple cider cake with sweet strawberry jello and creamy whipped topping
- ✋ Difficulty: Very easy, it starts with a cake mix
Quick Answer
Make a vanilla cake mix following the box directions, but use sparkling cider in place of the water, and bake at 350°F. Let the cake cool for 2 hours, poke holes all over the top with a straw, and pour strawberry jello (dissolved in 1 cup boiling water plus 1/2 cup cold water) over the holes. Refrigerate, then frost with Cool Whip and top with sliced strawberries and sparkles.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make Sparkling Cider Strawberry Poke Cake
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas & Suggestions
- Sparkling Cider Poke Cake FAQs
- Bake and Share More Valentine Treats
- Other Recommended Poke Cake Recipes
- Sparkling Cider Strawberry Poke Cake
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Sparkling cider instead of water. It adds a light apple flavor and a festive touch without changing how the cake mix bakes.
- Cooling for 2 hours first. A fully cooled cake holds its shape when you poke it and soaks up the jello evenly instead of turning soggy.
- Poking with a straw. The holes are wide enough to fill with jello, which sets into those pretty pink streaks.
- Boiling then cold water for the jello. The boiling water dissolves the gelatin; the cold water cools it so it soaks in before it sets.
- Chilling before frosting. Setting the jello in the refrigerator keeps the whipped topping from sliding.
- Cool Whip as the frosting. The cake is so moist it only needs a light, fluffy topping, which also saves time and money.
- A box mix base. It keeps the recipe simple and reliable for a busy holiday.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Made for celebrating. A kid friendly way to toast the New Year, and pink enough for Valentine’s Day.
- So moist you only need Cool Whip on top.
- Easy on the budget. A cake mix, a box of jello and a bottle of sparkling cider.
- Feeds a crowd. One pan makes 24 pieces, with leftovers for the next day.
- Make ahead friendly. It needs time to cool and chill anyway.
- Part of a poke cake family: try my Milky Way poke cake and red velvet Oreo poke cake too.
Key Ingredients
A short shopping list for a showstopper dessert. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Vanilla cake mix. Plus the eggs and vegetable oil the box calls for.
- Sparkling cider. Used in place of the water in the box directions. I used the regular apple flavor.
- Strawberry jello. One 3 ounce box, dissolved in boiling water and cooled with cold water.
- Cool Whip. The light, fluffy frosting.
- Fresh strawberries. Sliced or whole for the top.
- Sparkles. I added shimmery cake sprinkles from Wilton for a festive finish.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
- Any flavor of jello: raspberry, cherry or lime all work; match the berries on top.
- Champagne poke cake: for an adults only party, swap the cider for champagne or sparkling wine.
- Chocolate dipped berries: dip the strawberries in melted chocolate before adding them on top.
- Cider soaked berries: soak sliced strawberries in a little sparkling cider before topping the cake.
- Holiday colors: red, white and blue for the Fourth, like my patriotic jello poke cake and red, white and blue bundt cake.
How to Make Sparkling Cider Strawberry Poke Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the cake mix as directed on the box, with the eggs and oil it calls for, but use sparkling cider in place of the water.
- Bake the cake according to the box directions, then let it cool for 2 hours.
- Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a straw.
- Make the jello: dissolve the strawberry jello in 1 cup of boiling water, then add 1/2 cup of cold water. Pour it over the holes in the cake and refrigerate.
- Frost the chilled cake with Cool Whip and top it with sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of sparkles.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Let the cake cool completely. It is the only drawback, but the 2 hour wait is worth it.
- Poke holes all the way across so every piece gets some jello.
- Pour slowly so the jello soaks into the holes instead of pooling on top.
- Chill until the jello sets before you add the whipped topping.
- Slice the strawberries just before serving so they stay bright and fresh.
- Storage: keep it covered in the refrigerator; leftovers are great the next day.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve it at midnight on New Year’s Eve with a sparkling cider toast for the kids and a tray of romantic mocktail drinks for the grown ups. Add Christmas crack and peppermint cheesecakes for a holiday dessert table.
For Valentine’s Day, pair it with Valentine’s Day mini brownie bites, Valentine’s Day sugar cookies, strawberry scones and strawberry cheesecake in a jar. For birthdays, try my Lucky Charms layer cake, four layer tiramisu cake, strawberry mousse cupcakes and blackberry lavender bundt cake, or browse all my cakes.
Sparkling Cider Poke Cake FAQs
Yes. You can use any flavor of jello you want. Raspberry, cherry and lime are all fun, and you can match the fruit on top.
A fully cooled cake holds its shape when you poke the holes and soaks up the jello evenly. A warm cake can turn soggy.
Yes, for an adults only celebration. Sparkling cider keeps it kid friendly, which is why I use it for our family’s New Year’s toast.
Yes. Bake, poke and add the jello the day before, keep it covered in the refrigerator, and add the Cool Whip and strawberries before serving.
Cover the pan and keep it in the refrigerator. We had plenty left over for New Year’s Day.
Homemade sweetened whipped cream works well. Whip it to stiff peaks so it holds up on the cake.
Bake and Share More Valentine Treats
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite times to bake and share. If you love having everything in one place, I created the Bake • Share • Love Valentine eBook, which includes 14 Valentine-inspired recipes you can save or print and bake anytime. It also comes with printable Valentine gift tags, making it easy to turn homemade treats into meaningful gifts.
Sparkling Cider Strawberry Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Vanilla Cake Mix
- Eggs according to box directions
- Vegetable Oil according to box directions
- Sparkling Cider substitute for the water in the cake box directions.
- Cool Whip
- 3 oz box of Strawberry Jello (1 cup boiling water, 1/2 cup of cold water)
- Sparkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix your cake mix as directed on the box but substitute the Sparkling Cider for suggested Water.
- Make cake according to directions. Let cool for 2 hours.
- Take a straw and poke holes in top of cake.
- Make the jello by boiling 1 cup of water and adding strawberry jello until dissolved. Add the cold water. Pour over holes in cake. Refrigerate. Add cool whip topping and sliced strawberries if desired.
Cynthia L says
This will be a dessert that will be on my menu this summer. I can’t wait for local strawberries to make this. I love poke cakes!
Sue Brinley says
HI, I’m enjoying your recipes! 🙂
I would like to remind you that when you place something in your oven you are baking that item & not cooking. I see this so often & even the chef on tv say that same thing “cook the item.” They’ve been to culinary school & don’t know the difference between the two? Amazing, yet sad.
Thank you for sharing your love with us & your wonderful recipes!
Fondly,
Sue