A simple 4th of July dessert with cream, blueberries, raspberries, and a surprise ingredient to make it extra moist and flavorful. You’ll love how easy this dessert is to make.
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A Patriotic Jello Poke Cake
It’s never too early to start planning (or making!) patriotic desserts for the best holiday of the year– the 4th of July! I thought I’d share a favorite family recipe with you today. We called it Jello cake, but with some extra blueberries and raspberries on top, you’ve got one simple patriotic flag cake.
Tip: Spread out the flag festivities and make one of these cakes for American Flag day, which is on June 14th.
What’s so great about this cake?
- This jello cake is so moist and flavorful.
- The cake tastes best when it’s chilled. That means you can make this a few days in advance.
You can get the full recipe below, but here’s the steps:
Directions
Step 1: Bake your favorite white or yellow cake.
It can be from scratch or a cake mix from the store. No judgement here. We personally like yellow cake mix better, so it’s more moist.
What kind of pan to use?
You definitely can make this recipe in a metal 9×13 pan which is what we use for the famous Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, however, I think it’s more festive when you make it in a clear, glass pan so that the colors of the gelatin will show through. Either option will work, so it’s your choice here!
Step 2: Poke holes.
Yes, your pretty baked cake is no longer going to look pretty. Use the back of a wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake. The more holes, the better! Be sure to leave at least a little space in between each hole.
Step 3: Pour Jello into the holes.
It will most likely seep throughout the cake and it’s okay! Repeat with blue jello if you want red and blue.
Step 4: Cover with whipped topping and make a flag.
You can use fresh whipped cream or Cool whip. Give it a good, even spread.
Make a flag design using blueberries and raspberries or strawberries. If you’re like me, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to get perfectly straight lines. But guess what? It’s still festive and no one will care. Or at least they shouldn’t.
Now you have a festive 4th of July dessert you can take to a BBQ or party.
Tip: You can make this cake up to 2 days early. In fact, the longer it sits the better it gets. Just wait to add the berries until the day of. You don’t want the berry juice to run all over the cake.
And there you have it…a very festive, patriotic Jello Poke Cake. And easy at that!
Show off your skills!
I always love to see your festive creations. If you make this, tag @sofestive on Instagram so I can see festive work!
Here’s the recipe for this simple 4th of July cake:
Ingredients
- 1 yellow or white cake, baked in 9x13 pan
- 1 small box red jello
- 1 small box blue jello
- 2 cups boiling water
- whipped cream
- blueberries
- raspberries or strawberries
Directions
- Bake the cake and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Poke holes into the cake using the back of a wooden spoon.
- Boil water and mix 1 cup with red jello and 1 cup with blue jello, in separate bowls. Stir until completely dissolved.
- Carefully pour over cake layers. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
- Top with cream and berries.
Other Recipes You’ll Love:
Simple and Patriotic Recipes You’ve Got to Try
Looking for more simple 4th of July inspiration? Find some of my favorite Fourth of July ideas on my Pinterest board here and don’t forget the archives here.
Show off your simple celebrations! Tag your photos on Instagram with @sofestive and #celebratesimpler. I can’t wait to see your Flag Cakes!
