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Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

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Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake is the perfect dessert for warm days.  This cool, creamy and delicious orange cake recipe will not last long when you share it at parties or picnics this year.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake - this easy orange creamsicle cake has orange Jello stripes and a fluffy vanilla mousse frosting. Great recipe to share at parties and picnics! #cake #orange #summerdessert #recipe #Jello #jellocake #pudding #creamsicle

What can I say? I couldn’t help myself. I love a good poke cake!!!

This one is my current favorite, but of course, that will change as soon as I make another one.  A few weeks ago one of my cute scrapbooking friends was talking about this Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake, and since she doesn’t live close enough for me to just go eat hers,  I HAD to make one the very next day.

I didn’t have an exact recipe for it, but Jello poke cakes are pretty easy to figure out.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake - orange Jello and vanilla mousse frosting make this easy poke cake a delicious dessert. Easy recipe to make and share at summer parties and picnics. #cake #orange #summerdessert #recipe #Jello #jellocake #puddingfrosting

I love how refreshing a poke cake is on a hot day.  There is seriously something so good about eating cold cake when it is warm outside.  Please tell me I am not alone in my love of eating things like this Chocolate S’mores Pudding Cake and this Lemon Strawberry Poke Cake.

Luckily our oldest son can’t seem to get enough of these cakes.  Either he really likes them, or he is just a teenage boy who eats everything in sight.  He is going to be thrilled when I tell him I have plans for at least 3 more of these easy Jello cakes.

Are you guys ready for more poke cake recipes?  I promise to space them out. Well, unless I just can’t wait to share them with you.  Just have your fat pants ready for the goodness.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake - fluffy vanilla frosting and orange Jello make this the perfect summer dessert. Easy poke cake recipe for picnics and parties! #cake #orange #summerdessert #recipe #Jello #jellocake #puddingfrosting

What is a poke cake?

Well, a poke cake is exactly what it sounds like.  After the cake has finished baking, you use a fork or a wooden spoon handle to POKE holes all over the top of the cake. 

This makes holes in the cake for whatever filling you are pouring on top to soak in better.  

Here are some of the most common things to pour over poke cakes:

  • Jell-O
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Pudding
  • Cream of Coconut
  • Frosting
  • Peanut Butter
  • Pureed fruit

Basically any liquid that you can pour and that will soak into the warm cake is fair game.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake - stripes of orange Jello and a fluffy vanilla mousse frosting makes this orange creamsicle cake perfect for summer parties. Easy recipe to make for picnics. #cake #orange #summerdessert #recipe #jellocake #puddingfrosting

Tips for making an Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake:

Prepare the batter for a 9×13 cake, but substitute orange juice for the liquid.  This helps add a little bit more orange flavor to the cake. You could also add some orange zest too if you really want more orange goodness in it.

Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes, then use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.  Don’t go too crazy with the fork because if you have too many holes, you won’t see the orange stripes as well.

Mix together a box of orange Jell-O and hot water, then pour it slowly over the holes in the cake. Place it in the fridge and let it chill completely.

Whisk together a box of vanilla pudding and milk, then fold in an entire container of Cool Whip. Yes, the white stuff.  If you are completely against it, you could use a stabilized whipped cream instead.

Spread the fluffy pudding mousse on top of the orange creamsicle cake and chill it again.

Run a sharp knife under hot water and dry it off before cutting a slice.  Do this between each cut to keep your squares neat and clean. This is totally optional though.

Right before serving add a fun little orange candy slice to the top of each square. You could also use mandarin orange slices if you like.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake - this easy creamsicle cake has orange Jello stripes and a fluffy pudding frosting. Perfect poke cake recipe for summer picnics and parties! #cake #orange #summerdessert #recipe #jellocake #puddingfrosting

More poke cake recipes that you might enjoy:

The pockets of pudding and fresh fruit on this White Chocolate Berry Pudding Cake will have you reaching for another square in a hurry.

This easy Peanut Butter Fudge Poke Cake is topped with a creamy marshmallow frosting, peanut butter cups, and mini marshmallow mallow bits. It’s so dreamy!

A sweet raspberry marshmallow topping makes this Raspberry Hazelnut Poke Cake perfect for spring parties!

This creamy Chocolate Coconut Cake will get rave reviews from the coconut lovers in your life.  Make a pan and watch it disappear!

This Raspberry Lemon Cake has a sweet raspberry layer under the light lemon mousse topping.  It is a cool and refreshing dessert to bring to picnics and parties.

A layer of fudge and fluffy strawberry topping makes this Strawberry Fudge Poke Cake so pretty and delicious!

Hot fudge and three times the coconut makes this Coconut Fudge Poke Cake disappear in a hurry every single time!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake(original photo from June 2013)

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Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

Yield: 24 pieces of cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 48 minutes

This Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake is the perfect summer dessert.   This cool, creamy and delicious cake will not last long when you share it at parties or picnics this year.

Ingredients

  • 1 white cake mix
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1 (6 ounce) box of orange Jell-O
  • 2 cups boiling water
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant vanilla pudding
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
  • orange candy slices

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Mix the cake mix according to the back of the box, but substitute orange juice in place of the water called for.
  3. Bake for the time required on the back of the box. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
  4. Use a fork to poke holes over the top of the cake.
  5. Dissolve the orange Jell-O in boiling water. Pour the Jell-O over the top of the cake, making sure it goes in the holes. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
  6. Whisk together the vanilla pudding mix and milk. Fold in the Cool Whip.
  7. Spread over the top of the cooled cake. Cut into 24 pieces. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
  8. Garnish with pieces of the orange candy right before serving.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 38Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Jocelyn @ Inside BruCrew Life
Cuisine: American / Category: Fudge and Candy

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake - orange Jello stripes and a fluffy pudding frosting make this poke cake a delicious summer dessert. Make this easy cake recipe for picnics and parties! #cake #orange #summerdessert #recipe #jellocake #puddding #creamsiclecake

*The post for this Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake was originally published June 19, 2013. The post and photos have been updated and republished on February 21, 2019.

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  • The cake looks so good and I cannot wait to make it! I love your recipes and you have so many great ideas. Thanks!

    Reply

  • I have yet to make a poke cake! I’m seeing them everywhere right now too! I guess I’m gonna have to try it out!!! Great tip btw-I’m going to use it!

    Reply

  • I may be he last person on earth to have tried to make a poke cake! What am I waiting for! I love the creamsicle flavor Jocelyn! Perfect for summer!

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  • I was wondering if I can substitute real whipped cream for the cool whip….my husband loves orange cake but hates cool whip. Thank you

    Reply

  • This cake is excellent. To make it taste even better, instead of using a white cake mix use the Orange cake mix. I make this often for the girls I work with,

    Reply

  • Eclectic is code for real life, right? I probably shouldn’t admit how many things I serve in a heap on a plate. I’m not even sure this cake would make it to a plate. I love the swirl action you achieved on the top. Very psychedelic. Can’t wait to try it.

    Reply

  • I love creamsicles or when I was growing up they called them Dreamsicles. I just wrote and article about them in a magazine. I wish I’d seen this post, I would have linked it to this cake. I can’t wait to try this and your other poke cakes. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  • I don’t understand what it means to “fold”
    I looked up the terminology. You’re not mixing the pudding and cool whip?

    Reply

    • Yes, after you mix the pudding and milk, you will gently fold the Cool Whip into the pudding. Folding is using a spatula to to turn the mixture without stirring. The main reason to fold is to preserve the air bubbles contained in the whipped item. I hope that helps 🙂

      Reply

  • I made the Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake for a gathering on the Fourth of July. It was a hit! It was so refreshing on such a hot day.

    Reply

  • They have a Key Lime Cake right now through Mid-April. I made this cake last year using it with Lime Jello and it is divine! I have one in the oven right now! I bought 5 boxes this year since it is seasonal. We have until October to eat them. That is NOO problem! ☺

    Reply

  • I am making the orangecreamsicle cake, my question is…I only have a large box of sugar free vanilla instant pudding (Jell-o). It calls for 3 cups of milk to make it into pudding. You recipe says only 1 cup of milk. What I need to know is did you use a small box or large box of (Jell-o) pudding?

    Reply

    • Hi, Karen. In the recipe, it does say 3.4 after the pudding. I added the oz after it to make it clear what size box I added. You could just use half the pudding mix in the box you have.

      Reply

      • Thank you, I realized you put 3.4 on the recipe, but the large size box of sugar free vanilla pudding Jell-o brand says it is 1.5 oz. I do not have regular pudding to know what the oz. It has in it. So that was the reason I was asking in the first place. You would know if the box you used was the small one or the larger one.:-)

        Reply

  • it’s about time i crawled out of my blogger cave!!
    so honored you called ME “friend”…
    love you!! you make the world such a better, happier place!

    Reply

  • I needed a last minute Orange Creamsicle cupcake recipe for a friend’s Vintage Magic Kingdom birthday party. I tried another recipe but they just weren’t orange tasting! So I decided to try this as cupcakes and it worked quite well. I followed the recipe but made cupcakes instead and kept an eye on them when I put them in the oven since I didn’t have a bake time for them. It made nearly 24 cupcakes I think and I used foil liners to keep them looking pretty and keep any liquids in. These were a hit, especially the frosting!

    Reply

  • Oooh, i Can’t wait to try this one. Have you had the caramel apple poke cake? It was fantastic, I served it war with vanilla ice cream.

    Reply

  • I made this cake for my co-worker’s birthday and glad to say it was a big hit! I was told it was very refreshing and light. People liked the frosting the most. I did look at 3 stores for the orange crush ice cream topper (because it sounds so yummy) and couldn’t find it so used the food coloring. It doesn’t look as good as your picture though. I need to practice my swirling skills more, lol.

    Reply

    • Yay for it being a hit with your work. That frosting is so good!!! I think the Orange Crush topping might have been discontinued because I can’t find it anymore either.

      Reply

  • I just made this cake last night for my work luncheon. Fingers crossed I’m sure everyone will love it! Looks absolutely devine!

    Reply

    • I think that topping has been discontinued now. You can leave it off as it doesn’t affect the cake. You could also tint a little bit of the pudding topping orange and swirl that on top if you like. I hope you enjoy the cake!

      Reply

  • Made this today and my family and I love it! The cake is perfectly moist, the frosting is amazing! Will definitely be making this again!

    Reply
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