Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake
This fun, Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake is full of festive flavor and you’ll love the beautiful layered holiday colors all topped with sprinkles!
A HOLIDAY-INSPIRED POKE CAKE
If you’re in the mood for a new holiday cake recipe, this is a super simple one for you to try! This Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake doesn’t get any more festive looking and it sure doesn’t get much easier to make. With a luscious red velvet flavor, a creamy pudding layer, and a light and fluffy whipped topping, everyone will love this festive poke cake when you serve it during the Christmas season!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s):
I used gel food coloring because this is the most vibrant. I used Americolor in leaf green. Start with a few drops of food coloring and see what shade you get before adding more. I
Instead of the vanilla pudding, this would also be yummy with cheesecake pudding or white chocolate pudding.
Sure! Instead of the whipped topping, try a cream cheese frosting. Or make your own favorite homemade frosting.
This Christmas cake must be kept refrigerated because of the whipped topping. Cover it and it’ll keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- red velvet cake mix – generally I Iike to get Duncan Hines cake mix but it’s not always in stock at my local store. Go with any brand you enjoy.
- eggs, oil and water – you will be using the amounts that are on the box of the cake you are using – sometimes the amounts vary slightly between brands.
- instant vanilla pudding mix – it must be INSTANT. I cannot stress this enough. There is another type of pudding on the shelves that is called “Cook and Serve”. That pudding literally has to be cooked on the stove to thicken. If you get that one, it will never set up in this cake and it’ll be a mess so please look at the packaging carefully.
- milk – I used whole milk but you could use 2%.
- whipped topping – the brand name for it is Cool Whip but you can certainly use the store brand. You just have to make sure it is thawed since you buy it frozen. I just leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- green food coloring and Christmas sprinkles – I talk more about the color of gel food coloring I used above in the FAQ sections.
HOW TO MAKE A CHRISTMAS JELL-O POKE CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the cake mix and bake per the directions on the back of the box. When the cake comes out of the oven, take a wooden utensil handle or something similar and poke holes all over the cake, about 1 inch apart.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth. Pour pudding over the cake. Take care to pour it right into the holes as much as possible. Spread it all out, and using the back of the spoon, gently push the pudding down into the holes. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to fully set.
In a medium bowl, stir together the whipped topping and food coloring until you reach your desired shade. Spread the whipped topping on top of the cake and place it in the fridge again for 2 hours or longer to set. When ready to serve, add the sprinkles.
Slice and serve.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box red velvet cake mix
- ingredients needed to make the cake: eggs, oil and water
- 2 (3.4 ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding mix
- 4 cups milk
- 8 ounce tub whipped topping
- green gel food coloring
- red and white Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare the cake mix and bake per the directions on the back of the box.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, take a wooden utensil handle or something similar and poke holes all over the cake, about 1 inch apart.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk until smooth.
- Pour pudding over the cake. Take care to pour it right into the holes as much as possible. Spread it all out, and using the back of the spoon, gently push the pudding down into the holes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours to set. Once cake is cooled, work on the topping.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the whipped topping and food coloring until you reach your desired shade.
- Spread the whipped topping on top of the cake and place it in the fridge again for 2 hours or longer to set.
- When ready to serve, add the sprinkles.
- Slice and serve.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
