Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

4.93 from 28 votes

Moist white cake bursting with strawberries and topped with whipped cream. All the flavors of strawberry cheesecake in an easy to make sheet cake!

Course Cake

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings Slices

Calories 230kcal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare the cake according to package directions.
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Evenly spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely.
Poke holes in the top of the cake using a wooden skewer or the back of a wooden spoon.
In a small bowl, combine jello and boiling water. Stir until dissolved.
Then stir in cold water.
Evenly pour over cake.Refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix until smooth. Fold in strawberries.
Pour pudding evenly over cake. Refrigerate for ~1 hour.
Top with Cool Whip. Garnish with additional strawberries if desired.
Store in the refrigerator.

Ingredient Notes

Cake Mix: White cake uses egg whites instead of yolks which allows the color of your filling to shine. I like Pillsbury which has pudding in the mix for an even moister cake. Don't forget the ingredients called for on the box too!

Cool Whip: Thaw overnight in the fridge. You can also quickly thaw on the countertop for around 30 minutes too. Never microwave or it may melt/separate.

Strawberries: If you can't find strawberries in sugar you can use fresh or frozen strawberries sprinkled with white sugar.

Cheesecake Pudding Mix: This adds great flavor. However, if you can't find it vanilla works too. Avoid cook ad serve which won't thicken with cold milk.

Krystle's Tips

Line pan: Line your pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper to easily remove the cake. It makes cleaning your pan easier too.

Use a wooden spoon: Poke holes using a wooden spoon around 1 inch apart. You don't want them too close together or the cake may lose its structure. However, if they're too far apart you won't get filling in every bite.

Add Jello when cake is warm not hot: Add the filling while the cake is warm so it can better soak in. If the cake is too hot the jello may turn rubbery while if the cake is too cold it can get soggy.

Don't overbake: Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Overbaking will lead to a dry crumbly cake.

Be gentle: Fold strawberries gently; over-mixing can make the pudding pinky and watery.