Homemade Berry Poke Cake
This berry poke cake made completely from-scratch is perfect for summer entertaining! There’s no boxed cake mixes or Jello packets in this recipe, just delicious homemade flavor and fresh summer berries.
I remember the 4th July when I first had a slice of the classic red, white, and blue poke cake made with yellow cake mix, Jell-O, and cool whip. Did you grow up with this shortcut classic recipe too? Honestly, I loved it! And still do. It’s just so fun, not to mention delicious.
Here’s a completely homemade version to satisfy that retro craving— with a simple vanilla buttermilk sheet cake, a jammy sauce made with fresh berries, and topping of sweetened whipped cream. It’s so delicious and perfect for summer celebrations, potlucks, and holidays! You’ll love it even more than the original, I promise.
“I made this recipe for a 4th of July picnic. Really helpful instructions, and it came out beautifully. I don’t usually bake from scratch. Thanks for inspiring me!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Paula
“As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it! So summer-y, light, and not overly sweet. I used strawberries and blueberries only because those are the ones I like. I loved this cake! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Megan
What is poke cake?
“Poke cake” gets its name from the fact that while the cake is still warm, you poke it all over with the end of a wooden dowel. You then pour a sauce or syrup over the holes and the cake soaks it up as it cools. The holes let the filling soak deep into the cake instead of sitting on top, giving every bite extra flavor and moisture.
This homemade berry poke cake recipe takes more time to make than one with a cake mix or Jell-O, but it’s so worth the effort!
Looking for a fall variation? Try my pumpkin caramel poke cake!
Ingredients you’ll need
Key ingredients
- Fresh berries: Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries are all great options. Use any combination you like, or stick with a single berry if that’s what you have.
- Buttermilk: Adds flavor, and the acidity creates a softer, more tender crumb.
- Salted butter: Nothing beats the flavor of an all-butter homemade cake recipe.
- Heavy cream: Making whipped cream instead of using something store-bought really helps this cake feel special.
How to make berry poke cake
- Prepare cake batter and bake cake. Pour the cake batter into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan and bake at 350°F until golden, about 30 minutes.
- Prepare berry filling while the cake bakes. Mash the berries with some sugar and let them sit briefly to release their juices, then simmer with lemon juice, zest and water until slightly thickened.
- Poke the cake and add filling. While the cake it still warm, poke all over with a dowel or chopsticks. Pour the berry sauce over the top, encouraging the juices down the holes as much as possible (the chunkier pieces of the fruit will sit on top).
- Cool and top with whipped cream. Let cool to room temperature, or chill completely in the fridge, then top with sweetened whipped cream and extra berries if you want.
- Slice and enjoy! Store the cake in the fridge if you’re not serving it right away. Then slice and serve.
And look how pretty it is! It’s so perfect for summer, and your guests are going to absolutely love it.
baking tip:Why alternate adding wet and dry ingredients?
Adding the liquid all at once could saturate the creamed butter and sugar mixture and cause the batter to separate. Adding all of the dry ingredients will cause the batter to be thick and likely result in over mixing, which will yield a tougher cake.
Instead, add them in two or three additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir ingredients after each addition, but only until just combined.
Recipe tips
- Have dairy and eggs at room temperature. They’ll incorporate and whip into the cake batter more evenly, which helps create the best rise and texture.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, don’t worry, you can make your own substitute. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (bottled or freshly squeezed) to a liquid measuring glass. Add enough regular milk (preferably 2% or whole) to measure 1 cup. Let it still for 5 minutes, then give it a quick stir before using.
- Use a wooden dowel, end of a narrow wooden spoon, a chopstick, or even a fork to poke holes in to the cake. Poke holes and add filling before the cake has completely cooled, and before the structure of the cake is completely set.
- Decorate the cake as you like. Growing up, we always made the berries on top look like an American flag, but you can arrange berries however you like. You can also top individual slices with a scoop of berries just before serving.
- Recipe variations. You can use just one specific berry, add lemon zest to the cake and whipped cream, or use another fruit like peaches or cherries.
- Make ahead and storage instructions: Prepare up to 24 hours in advance and store in the fridge before serving (it will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge, but it’s best served sooner for freshness).
- For clean slices, use a sharp knife and wipe it clean in between each cut.
More summer berry desserts
- Summer Berry Trifle
- Lemon Berry Tart
- Berry Crumb Bars
- Summer Berry Pie (aka Triple Berry Pie)
- Berry Cobbler
Berry Poke Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 ¼ cup (270 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (170 grams) buttermilk , room temperature
Berry filling:
- ½ cup (80 grams) finely chopped strawberries
- ½ cup (60 grams) raspberries
- ½ cup (75 grams) blueberries
- ½ (60 grams) blackberries
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 lemon , zested and juiced
- ¼ cup (56 grams) water
- Pinch of salt
Whipped cream topping:
- 2 cups (454 grams) heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Additional berries , for decoration/serving
Instructions
To make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by vanilla. Beat for another 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Scrape the bowl down as needed.
- Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk. Mix on low speed after each addition until just until combined.
- Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden at the edges and center bounces back when touched gently, 30-35 minutes.
To make the berry filling:
- While the cake is baking, make the fruit filling. Add the berries and sugar to a small saucepan and smash with a fork or vegetable masher to break up the berries and combine them with the sugar. Let it sit for about 20 minutes to allow the berries to release all of their natural juices.
- Add lemon zest, lemon juice, water, and salt to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5-8 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
- Use a wooden dowel or the end of a utensil about 1-2 cm wide to poke holes about 1 inch apart all over the warm cake, all the way to the bottom of the pan. Spoon berry filling over the cake, encouraging it down the holes as much as possible.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to completely in the fridge, about 1 hour.
To make the topping:
- With a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or hand-held mixer, beat the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla to medium peaks. Spread over the top of the cake. Top with additional berries as desired.
- Serve immediately or you can prepare this up to 1 day ahead. Store cake in the fridge, leftovers will keep for several days.
Video
Notes
- You need a total of 2 cups berries for this cake. You can use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries as shown, or use a different combination to equal 2 cups.
- You can use fresh or frozen berries.
This recipe was originally published June 2017.
The idea of skipping both cake mix and Jell-O really appeals to me—those shortcuts often leave an artificial taste, and your jammy fruit filling sounds like a much better way to get that poke-cake texture. I’m curious if the whipped cream holds up over a day or two in the fridge, since summer leftovers are inevitable.
I made this cake and used a jar of mulberry syrup I had made previously. it was delicious!!
What a great idea, thanks for the feedback!
I made this recipe for a 4th of July picnic. Really helpful instructions, and it came out beautifully. I don’t usually bake from scratch. Thanks for inspiring me!
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it! So summer-y, light, and not overly sweet. I used strawberries and blueberries only because those are the ones I like. I loved this cake!
My mom made a 2 layer strawberry poke cake for my 6 year old son. He absolutely loved the strawberry cream poke cake! At age 12 he asked me to make it for his birthday. So I made a white 2 layer cake. A container of frozen strawberries in sugar liquid was crushed and each layer of the cake was poked with a skinny straw. The crushed strawberries went into the holes great. I never liked Cool Whip so made stabilized whip cream to frost the cake. He was in heaven for his 13th birthday. The whole family loved it. When he was to married, for the rehearsal dinner I made The life of Jeffrey in cakes. This cake was included. That cake was first to be finished next my caramel turtle cake….
The recipe calls for extra buttermilk for brushing, but I can’t seem to find where that step is in the assembling of the cake? Am I just missing it?
Hi Danielle! I have no idea how that instruction got there, I’m so sorry. You do not need any extra buttermilk for brushing. I’ve fixed the mistake, thanks for alerting me to it! 🙂
Making the recipe tomorrow and I just have a little question.
When the cake is done and have been in the refregeator for 2 hours with the berries ect, do I then wait to put the topping on just before or Can it last for hours without the cream to get “borring”?
❤️
You can cover the cake with whipped cream before chilling if you’d like!
Could you stack two layers on top of each other?
Hi
Do you thaw the frozen berries before using.
No need to thaw!
An excellent recipe, very light and fresh, just a bunch of vitamins
What a beautiful cake!! Those berries are absolutely stunning and everything about this post makes me sooo happy it’s summer!