4 Poke Cakes You Need in Your Life

In search of an easy-to-assemble cake recipe that's also filled (literally) with rich flavor? Look no further than the poke cake. This old-school dessert first became popular in the 1970s as an attempt by Jell-O to up the sales of its products. (Read more about the history of the poke cake.) The process is simple: First bake a sheet cake (the traditional cake color was white), poke holes in it, and pour the Jell-O flavor of choice over it to create a colorful, crowd-pleasing dessert. As shown by our overview of 50 years of Southern recipes, the 1970s inspired many unique but delicious culinary creations. Today, poke cakes are seeing a resurgence of popularity. Choose Jell-O as your filling, or try sweetened condensed milk, pureed fruit, flavored syrup, and more. If you're short on time, you can swap the made-from-scratch cake with a box mix for an equally as delicious product. Poke cakes are ideal for serving a crowd, so try these different recipes for treating guests at occasions all year round.