Family Recipe Friday - Granny's Jello Poke Cake

Granny’s Jello Poke Cake

My Granny was a cook extraordinaire! But every once in a while she went “slumming” [her words… not mine!] and used fast, easy recipes that didn’t require any skill whatsoever. This is one of those recipes.

She didn’t make this often… but when she did, she never failed to serve it without prefacing the serve with, “I didn’t feel like baking, so I made this,”.

Most often, Granny made this recipe using a cake mix. Which really didn’t require much effort. But for the most part, she made it from scratch, as the recipe below is. Simple items that you probably have right this minute in your cupboard!

Ingredients

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup shortening [or butter]

3 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk

2 cups plain flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2-packages jello [small] of your favorite flavor

1 cup hot water

1 large tub of Cool Whip

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Prepare 9 x 13 cake pan by greasing and flouring.

Cream together sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla.

Sift well flour, baking powder and salt.

Gradually add dry ingredients and milk to creamed ingredients. Mix slowly until batter is smooth.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45-55 minutes [depending upon your oven]. Check for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.

Allow cake to cool completely before next step.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, press the handle into the cake at various points all over the cake. [I usually do rows of three holes across, and about 6-7 along the length – or 18-24 holes.]

Place the jello powdered mix in a small glass bowl. Add the hot water [make sure it is hot enough to dissolve the jello!] Pour the jello mixture over the top of the cake, making sure to pour into each of the holes.

Place cake, uncovered, in the refrigerator. This will allow the jello to get firm.

Before serving, “frost” the cake with the Cool Whip.

Depending upon the flavor of jello used, you might want to add slices of the fruit that the jello is flavored as. [You might add strawberries to strawberry jello, cherries to cherry jello, orange slices to orange jello, lime  slices to lime jello, etc.] Refrigerate left over cake. You can cover this, but it isn’t necessary, as it will remain super moist.