Every slice of this Strawberry Poke Cake with fresh strawberry puree in its middle, instead of the usual gelatin, gets tastier with every bite!

You will only need either a 10-cup Bundt or 10 x 2-inch round baking dish for this easy strawberry poke cake recipe without jello. The cream cheese glaze is decadent and comes together quickly with a few ingredients that include butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

The loropetalum and azaleas are out in full bloom here in sunny Charleston, South Carolina, a sure sign spring has SPRUNG! Springtime in the southern United States equals early crops, and the sweet berry I’m boasting about today is among the earliest of them.

Cake recipes incorporating springtime’s sweetest fruit are abundant. Of course I want THE BEST strawberry cake recipe bursting with the flavors of fresh chopped strawberries! Who wouldn’t?

But…I cheat.

I don’t use Jell-O and leave the cake flour in the pantry, opting instead for boxed cake mix, room temperature cream cheese, and eggs. The cake batter that emerges from beneath the beaters on my electric mixer is dense.

It bakes up into a moist but closely packed crumb which perfectly reinforces the walls of all the holes I plan to poke! To accurately fill the holes, I grab my turkey baster.

The end result is a simple fluffy cake jam packed with real strawberries versus Jello mix!

How to Make Strawberry Poke Cake

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Generously spray a 10-cup volume cake pan (Bundt, round, or other) with baking spray. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Also set aside.

Clean the Fruit

First things first, clean your fruit. I empty all of my berries in a large bowl and add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and give them a good toss so that everybody is wet.

Cider vinegar is outstanding at removing chemical residue and kills some bacteria present in foods. I soak everything including lemons and limes before consuming, and always use the vinegar.

Fill the bowl of vinegar-doused berries with cool water and soak the fruit for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, and use a pairing knife to hull and slice the juicy strawberries. Done!

Make a Fresh Strawberry Puree

In the barrel of your food processor, add 1 1/2-cups of the berries you just cleaned, white sugar, the zest of half a lemon, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Pulse 6 to 8 times or until the fruit is liquid enough to be drawn up into a baster.

Set the puree aside. Save the remaining strawberry slices fruit for garnishing the cake.

Assemble a Batter

In large bowl, add the cake ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on low speed for about 1 minute. Scrape your bowl.

Again, with the electric mixer increase to medium speed and beat 2 minutes more. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the pan on the prepared baking sheet for stability and place into the preheated oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a wooden pick pulls out clean. Cool the cake for 12 to 15 minutes.

POKE!

Using the handle of a wooden spoon in one hand an a wet paper towel in the other, poke staggered holes in the cake at 1/2-inch intervals going almost to bottom. Use the wet paper towel to wipe the handle of your spoon to avoid things gettin’ gooey!

Use a baster to draw the puree. Insert the baster into the poke holes, filling each one and allowing it to settle while you fill another. Set aside any remaining puree to serve alongside the cake.

Cool (in the pan) atop a wire rack for 45 minutes, then refrigerate (in the pan) for at least two hours. The fruit puree must be well-chilled to adequately set.

Remove from the fridge and run the back of a butter knife around the outer and inside edges of your pan to loosen cake. Choose a pretty cake stand or serving platter and turn the pan upside down onto your selection, centering it before gently lifting the pan.

Glaze and Garnish

Those of you who follow me know my affinity for cream cheese frostings, this cream cheese glaze being among them and it couldn’t be easier. Place all of the glaze ingredients in a deep mixing bowl and beat on medium speed with clean beaters until smooth.

If too thick, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you arrive at a desired consistency. I went for a thin glaze as seen in my photos, but I have also done a very thick ‘frosting consistency’ topping that I have piped to resemble the topping on the Nothing Bundt Cakes that are so popular. Do what feels right 🙂

At this point, garnish the top of the cake with any remaining berries you might have from when you started. Whole strawberries also look pretty.

Consider dusting with additional fresh lemon zest or Confectioners’ sugar if you like. There is no wrong answer!