Strawberry Poke Cake

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This cake makes me happy. It reminds me of my childhood and of time spent with my Mother. My Mom was a single parent and would sometimes work as many as 3 jobs to keep our family afloat. She wasn't much of a cook... but, it wasn't that she didn't have the ability to be a good cook because she certainly did. It was just that she just had so little time and energy left that spending it in the kitchen was the last thing she wanted to do.


My Mom had a handful of dishes that she made often and that were really delicious. This cake is one of them. It's super simple. Something she likely came across in a "Woman's Day" or "Family Circle" magazine.... or maybe on the back of a Jell-O box. Kids and adults both love it and it's great for entertaining during the hot, lazy and casual get togethers of summer. I grew up having this cake several times each summer... anytime Mom was asked to bring dessert to a party with friends and family this was it.


I made the cake this week for the first time since my youngest child was born. He's 7 now... so it had been a very long time. Long enough that my two older children don't recall having it before. They loved it as did the friends we had over for dinner that night. I smiled all the while I made it and served it and ate it with our guests. For that little while I felt connected again with my Mom. She's been gone for several years now and it's these little pearls she's left with me that reconnect us all the time. Very happy memories... that I spent time relating to my children while they enjoyed their cake the other night.


I hope you'll give this deliciously easy cake a try with your family... maybe you can create some new memories like we did :)

Strawberry Poke Cake
by: KraftFoods

Ingredients:
1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

Method:

PREPARE cake batter and bake as directed on package for 13x9-inch baking pan. Cool cake in pan 15 min. Pierce cake with large fork at 1/2-inch intervals.

STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix in small bowl 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water; carefully pour over cake. Refrigerate 3 hours.

FROST cake with whipped topping. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Kitchen Notes: I like to use double the amount of whipped topping because we like a thick layer.

Makes 16 servings