Enjoy a slice of fluffy Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake made with cake mix, jello, and mandarin orange slices to bring a pop of summer in every bite!
TASTY ORANGE CREAMSICLE CAKE
If you've been hanging around the site for a while, you know how I feel about poke cakes- I LOVE them with a passion! I've made so many varieties of poke cakes, I've lost count. They're so simple and so easy to customize. If you grew up loving Creamsicle popsicles like I did, you're going to love this cake! Summer just oozes out of the poke cake with every bite. Plus, it's a shortcut recipe, meaning it uses a cake mix instead of having to make the cake from scratch - super easy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I love the touch that the homemade frosting brings, but you can just use premade frosting, then whip it with a hand mixer. This will make it fluffy and expand in volume, making enough frosting for the whole cake. Or you can just use Cool Whip as frosting.
I wouldn't recommend adding any more holes than every 2 inches. If you add more, you'll end up with a cake that oozes jello everywhere and isn't anything but the color of your jello. If you make smaller holes, the jell-o might not as get deep into the cake as you'd want.
No way! If you have a favorite homemade white cake mix recipe that you love, go ahead and use that! One of my favorite cake mix recipes from scratch can be found here.
Certainly! I used white since it really helps that orange jell-o color really shine through. You can trade it out for a french vanilla, or yellow. Although, changing the flavor of the cake base may change the overall flavor of the creamsicle cake.
Yes, this cake is so simple to make and can be made with any jello flavors to create many variations! So simple and versatile.
Leftover poke cake should be stored, covered in a refrigerator for up to a week. You can freeze this cake for up to 3 months by wrapping slices individually or by placing hte whole cake in a freezer safe container.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- white cake mix
- egg whites
- oil
- orange Jell-O mix
- boiling water
- cold water
- unsalted butter
- powdered sugar
- milk
- vanilla extract
- salt
- mandarin orange slices
HOW TO MAKE AN ORANGE CREAMSICLE POKE CAKE
Prepare the white cake mix per the directions on the back of the box. Once it is done baking, place it on the counter and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Take a spoon or utensil with a wooden handle and poke holes into the cake all over about 2 inches apart.
Add the orange jello and boiling water to a large, heatproof bowl and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the cold water to the bowl and whisk to combine.
Pour the jello all over the cake, focusing on the holes the most. Place the cake into the fridge for 2 hours.
Whip the butter with an electric hand mixer in a large bowl until smooth.
Gradually add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing it in fully before adding the next batch until all the powdered sugar is used, the mixture will be thick.
Add the milk, vanilla, and salt to the bowl and slowly stir it in. Once the milk is thoroughly mixed in, crank up the speed of the mixer to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Spread the frosting on top of the cake and add mandarin orange slices for garnish, serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box white cake mix,
- ingredients needed to make cake: egg whites, oil and water
- 3 ounce box orange Jell-O
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup cold water
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- mandarin orange slices, drained very well (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare the 15.25 ounce box white cake mix, per the directions on the back of the box (with ingredients needed to make cake: egg whites, oil and water). Once it is done baking, place it on the counter and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Take a spoon or utensil with a wooden handle and poke holes into the cake all over about 2 inches apart.
- Add the 3 ounce box orange Jell-O and 1 cup boiling water to a large, heatproof bowl and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Add ½ cup cold water to the bowl and whisk to combine.
- Pour the Jell-O all over the cake, focusing on the holes the most. Place the cake into the fridge for 2 hours.
- Whip 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature with an electric hand mixer in a large bowl until smooth.
- Gradually add 3 ½ cups powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing it in fully before adding the next batch until all the powdered sugar is used, the mixture will be thick.
- Add 3 tablespoons milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt to the bowl and slowly stir it in. Once the milk is thoroughly mixed in, crank up the speed of the mixer to medium-high and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cake and add mandarin orange slices, drained very well for garnish. I like to put one mandarin orange for each slice of cake (so 12 in this case.) Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Notes
- You can change the flavor of the Jello if needed.
- You can use a different cake flavor if desired.
- Feel free to use a homemade cake mix instead of a boxed mix.
- You can add other fruit on top if you want to change the flavor profile.
- Don't add too many holes to the poke cake.
- If using canned frosting, whip it to make it easier to spread. Or just use an 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip.
- It keeps in the fridge covered for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 3 months.
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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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