• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Creative Manner
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
      • Cold Appetizers
      • Delicious Dips
      • Warm Appetizers
    • Breads and Muffins
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Cookie and Brownie Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Drink and Cocktail Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Main Dish Recipes
      • Beef Dinner Recipes
      • Chicken Dinner Recipes
      • Pork Dinner Recipes
    • Sauce Recipes
    • Side Dishes
  • Tips and Tools
  • Outside The Kitchen
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Email Signup
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Outside The Kitchen
  • Tips And Tools
×

Halloween Poke Cake

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned on this site.
Jump to Recipe
An image with a slice of cake on a plate and the words Halloween poke cake under the image.

Turn a boxed cake mix into this easy to make Halloween jello poke cake recipe. That is topped with orange colored cool whip and Halloween sprinkles. This moist jello poke cake makes a great Halloween treat.

How can you go wrong with a freshly baked cake that has holes filled with sweet jello? Then topped with cool whip and sprinkles, it's every kid's dream treat even the big kids.

Overhead image of Halloween poke cake with a slice on a plate.

There is nothing scary about this Halloween poke cake recipe. It's easy to make using a few simple ingredients that you might even have on hand. A white boxed cake is baked and then poked with holes that are filled with orange jello.

Cool whip is colored orange to make it a fun Halloween treat for all ages. Don't forget the Halloween inspired sprinkles of your choice to finish this dessert recipe off.

I found the inspiration for this poke cake from our strawberry jello poke cake recipe. I wanted something fun for dessert this Halloween so why not make it Halloween colors with sprinkles? The orange color from the cool whip and jello that fills the cake really brings a bright fun vibe to this dessert.

How To Make This Recipe

And overhead image of the ingredients needed to make a Halloween poke cake.

This recipe is easy to make using only a few simple ingredients. Start with a white box cake mix. I make the cake as it calls for on the back of the box except I replace the water with milk. I find that the milk helps to make this poke cake moist.

Once the cake has fully baked and cooled use the handle end of a wooden spoon to make holes in the cake. When making the holes in the cake don't go all the way to the bottom of the cake. Or else the jello will fill the bottom of the cake pan and not the holes in the cake.

An image of a box cake that has holes poked in it.

Once the water is hot, add in the jello and mix until it is dissolved. In the video I mixed the jello in a bowl, I normally do it in a liquid measuring cup. I find it's easier to fill the holes in the cake with jello this way.

Place the jello filled cake into the refrigerator until the jello sets up. After that top it with orange colored cool whip. I added three drops of food coloring to the cool whip to make this orange color. You can add more food coloring for a deeper orange if you like. Don't forget to sprinkle those Halloween sprinkles on top of the cool whip.

Variations and Tips

There aren't a lot of variations for this Halloween poke cake recipe. You could change the orange jello to lime jello. And the orange food coloring to green. The milk can be changed out for water for those that may be allergic. Sprinkles are not a must-have for this dessert so they could be easily left off.

One of the best tips for this recipe is not to poke the holes all the way to the bottom of the cake. The jello will fill the cake pan bottom and not the holes that were poked into the cake. I did end up poking one of the holes too deep so there was a little bit of jello on the bottom of the cake.

It's also best to make sure the cake is cooled completely before poking the holes into it.

A slice of orange jello poke cake with orange cool whip with Halloween sprinkles on it.

Place the jello poke cake into the refrigerator to allow the jello to fully set up before topping it. I leave mine in the refrigerator for about an hour before adding the cool whip topping and sprinkles.

Questions Answered

Does this Halloween poke cake need to be refrigerated?

Because this cake recipe is topped with cool whip and also has jello in it. It is best that it is kept refrigerated, it should last up to 5 days stored in the refrigerator.

How to thaw cool whip for jello poke cake?

My preferred way to thaw cool whip is to take it out of the freezer a day or two before needing to use it. Then I place it in the refrigerator.

This Halloween poke cake recipe is sure to be a hit this Halloween season. ~ Jen

  • Halloween Punch For Kids
  • Easy Halloween Cupcakes ~ With A Cream Cheese Filling
  • Strawberry Jello Fruit Salad With Cool Whip
An image with a slice of cake on a plate and the words Halloween poke cake under the image.

A slice of Halloween poke cake on a plate with cool whip and spinkles
Print

Halloween Poke Cake

Halloween poke cake is made with a boxed cake mix that is poked with holes and then filled with orange jello. Topped with orange colored cool whip and Halloween sprinkles.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Easy Halloween Poke Cake, Halloween Jello Poke Cake, Halloween Poke Cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 298 kcal
Author Jennifer

Ingredients

For The Cake

  • 15 Ounce White Cake Mix
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup Milk

For The Jello Layer

  • 3 Ounces Orange Jello
  • 1 Cup Boiling Water

For The Topping Layer

  • 8 Ounces Cool Whip thawed
  • 3 Drops Orange Food Coloring
  • Halloween Sprinkles

Instructions

For The Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350℉, spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

  2. In a large mixing bowl combine the white cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and milk. Mix together until all ingredients are combined.

  3. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish, place into oven for 30 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  4. Let cool for 30 minutes, then poke holes into the cake using a wooden spoon.

For The Jello Layer

  1. In a mixing bowl add the orange jello, pour the boiling water over the jello. Stir until the jello is dissolved.

  2. Carefully pour the jello over the cake evenly.

  3. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until jello sets up.

For The Topping Layer

  1. Add the thawed cool whip into a mixing bowl. Add drops of orange food coloring mix until all the cool whip is orange.

  2. Spread the orange cool whip on top of the jello poke cake. Sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles and enjoy.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

I did use a glass baking dish for the cake so the baking time my vary depending on the baking pan. 

The nutritional value may vary depending on the ingredients used. 

Thank you for visiting My Creative Manner. We hope that you enjoy this and many more of our recipes. My Creative Manner is not responsible for the outcome of any of our recipes found on our website. Or that may be linked from or to other websites. The desired outcome of these recipes may not be achieved due to several factors, including ingredients, equipment, errors/typos, or the reader's individual cooking skills.

Nutrition Facts
Halloween Poke Cake
Serving Size
 
12 Servings
Amount per Serving
Calories
298
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
 
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
6
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Cholesterol
 
52
mg
17
%
Sodium
 
319
mg
14
%
Potassium
 
91
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
 
41
g
14
%
Fiber
 
0.5
g
2
%
Sugar
 
25
g
28
%
Protein
 
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
 
134
IU
3
%
Calcium
 
131
mg
13
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

« Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip
Easy Cranberry Banana Bread »
  • Share
  • Tweet

Reader Interactions

Home » Dessert Recipes » Halloween Poke Cake

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Jennifer - My Creative Manner
Welcome to My Creative Manner, I’m so happy to have you here! My name is Jennifer but my friends and family call me Jen. I’m from Michigan where my high school sweetheart and I are raising our three wonderful kids. Life can get busy but our goal is family first, so meals together are a must in our home.
Find out more about me

Follow Us Here

Stay updated!

Get a free list of Instant Pot terms when you sign up to receive our emails.

Categories

Most Popular

Overhead shot of deviled strawberries that have graham cracker crumbs and a drizzle of chocolate syrup on them.

Deviled Strawberries

Overhead shot of Instant Pot bbq beef that is on a hamburger bun with fries next to it.

Instant Pot BBQ Beef

An overhead shot of pizza dip on a slice of bread and more in a dish.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

A plate with mini pancake bites and maple syrup.

Pancake Bites Recipe

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned on this site.

I earn commissions from qualifying purchases as an Amazon associate

All images on this site belong to My Creative Manner

Copyright © 2017- 2023 My Creative Manner

Green Woods Formulations, LLC

Welcome to My Creative Manner
Get a free list of Instant Pot terms when you sign up to receive our emails.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.