Cranberry poke cake is easy to make, tastes great, and looks stunning. There is sweet and tart flavor in every bite. It is a great dessert for the holidays, but will be enjoyed not matter the occasion.
Preheat the oven to 325℉ and spray a deep 9x13 cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the two cake mixes, eggs, oil, milk, and water. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until no lumps appear. It will seem thin, but this is what you want.
Pour into your prepared cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake (deeper than just the top bit of cake) comes out clean. Let cool for about 20 minutes.
With the handle of a wooden spoon, or with a similarly shaped object, poke holes in the cake. There should be a hole about every inch and be careful to not go all the way through the cake. Just go a little over halfway down.
Stir the jello powder into the boiling water until dissolved.
Slowly pour the jello over the top of the cake, first covering the holes and then any surface of the cake left after that.
Cover the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until the jello is set.
Put the cranberry sauce in a medium mixing bowl and use a fork or other utensil to break it up until no large chunks remain and it resembles a homemade style cranberry sauce.
Add the cool whip to the bowl with the cranberry sauce and fold it together until fully combined.
Frost the top of the cake with the mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve and store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
Store the cake covered in the fridge, for up to 5 days. Freeze without frosting in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Frost when ready to serve.
If you like more frosting, double the frosting recipe.
If you can't find cranberry Jell-O, raspberry is a good substitute.
Don't try to speed up the bake time by increasing the temperature. A thick cake like this does better lower and slower.
If you don’t want to make such a thick cake, you can use just one cake mix and cut the ingredients that go in the mix in half. Bake at 350℉ and start checking the cake around 20-30 minutes.