Poke Cake

My daughter in law recently made a poke cake similar to this one. I hadn't had one in quite a while and forgot just how great they are. I think the first time I made this cake was over 25 years ago! I had made this a few times since but really not in quite a long while. When I tasted my daughter in laws cake I realized that I missed having it and would just HAVE to make one again myself! Her cake was not frosted on top but was covered with different fruits. You can really do lots of things with these cakes and also change up the flavors. This is another easy and delicious recipe. I love the frosting also. Just so simple with pudding mix and Cool Whip. You can also subsitute the Cool Whip with fresh whipped cream. I think this is also a great fourth of July cake....just use either red or blue jello or both!!!

1 package (18.25 oz) white or yellow cake mix (you can also use your favorite scratch cake)

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 (3 oz) package fruit flavored gelatin mix (I used lime)

1 cup boiling water

1 cup ice water

1 (3.5 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix

1 cup of milk

1 tub of Cook Whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 9" round cake pans by lining bottoms with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper so it adheres to bottom of pan. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan once the jello has settled into the cake. Do not skip this step.

Combine cake mix, eggs, water and vegetable oil and blend well. Beat at medium speed 4 minutes with electric mixer.

Pour batter into the prepared pans and bake approximately 30 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil 1 cup of water and add gelatin. Stir this until all gelatin is dissolved (about 2 minutes) and then add 1 cup of ice water. Mix well. With a fork, poke holes along entire top of each cake, making sure cake is still warm. Pour gelatin over cake. I didn't use the full cup, just slightly under. Chill cakes for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove cake from pans right before frosting.

To frost cake: Beat on medium high speed, 1 cup of milk and pudding mix. Beat until thickened (about 2 minutes), then fold in Cool Whip. Frost cake as desired. This makes quite a bit of frosting. Keep cake refrigerated.