Jello Poke Cake

 This quick and easy Jello poke cake is a family favorite for good reason. It’s a vintage dessert from my grandma’s recipe box that is perfect to serve year-round since it’s so effortless to make.

After baking, you’ll have a perfect, moist cake that you poke holes in before pouring Jello on top. A layer of Cool Whip serves as a light, fluffy frosting. The result is a gorgeous poke cake that melts in your mouth. For another easy dessert recipe that uses jello as an ingredient, try our jello pie!

INGREDIENTS

1 box white cake mix + ingredients called for on box

1 3.3 ounce package strawberry jello

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup cold water

8 ounce tub of Cool Whip

fresh strawberries for garnish if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare cake to directions, and after baking poke holes throughout the cake with a fork.

Mix boiling water with Jello and stir until dissolved, then pour in cold water.

Pour Jello over the entire cake, allowing to seep into holes.

Cover with Cool Whip.

You can also add fresh fruit to the top before slicing and serving!

No Bake Eclair Cake

 An éclair cake is simply a chocolate éclair but bigger and better—in cake form. It’s stacked in sweet, creamy, delicious layers of pudding and graham crackers. The chocolate frosting finishes it off, creating a decadent éclair cake that is so easy to make.

My favorite part is you don’t even have to use the oven. It’s a no-bake layered dessert, so I just make the cake the day before, pull it out of the fridge, and it’s ready to serve. For other no-bake treats, try our no bake peanut butter pie and our jello pie and icebox cake recipes. So delicious!

INGREDIENTS

1 box of cinnamon graham crackers

2x 3.4 oz boxes of French Vanilla Instant Pudding

12  oz  of Cool Whip

3 1/2  cups  milk

1  tub dark chocolate frosting

INSTRUCTIONS

Spray a 9×11 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix pudding and milk using a mixer, then fold in Cool Whip using a spoon.

Next, layer graham crackers along the bottom of the pan covering the entire bottom.

Divide the pudding mixture in half and spread the first half on top of the graham cracker layer.

Next, spread the second layer of graham crackers on top of the pudding layer.

Lay a final layer of graham crackers.

Microwave the dark chocolate frosting for 20-30 seconds to make it easier to spread.

Spread the warmed frosting over the top layer of graham crackers evenly, then refrigerate for 24 hours.

Banana Split Cake

 Get ready for this Southern-style no-bake banana split cake recipe! This recipe is all the flavors of a banana split sundae wrapped up into an ice-box cake.

From the banana to the maraschino cherry on top, this is a delicious layered dessert made with ingredients reminiscent of the classic ice cream dessert. Drizzle on a little hot fudge…you can barely tell the difference. Another wonderful, but similar, dessert option is our Hawaiian Wedding Cake.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

1 ¼ cup of soft butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

4 medium bananas

9 ounces of cool whip

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

4 ounces of maraschino cherries

20 ounce can of crushed pineapple well drained

2 cups of graham crackers crushed

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt ½ a cup of butter and mix together with 2 cup graham crackers. Pat this mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9 by 13 pan.

Beat powdered sugar, soft butter, and vanilla for about 5 minutes, until well incorporated.

Spread the mix evenly over the graham cracker crumb crust. Send this to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Drain pineapple and spread over cream mixture.

Arrange bananas over pineapple.

Cover with Cool Whip, sprinkle with pecans.

Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Garnish with sliced cherries before serving.

Carnival Cruise Line Warm Melting Chocolate Cake

 A decadent luxury typically reserved only for those at sea, we’ve got the real Carnival Cruise Line’s Melting Chocolate Cake recipe to make this iconic dessert right at home. Think of it as a mini vacation as you dive into the creamy center of this molten lava cake.

If you’ve ever been on a Carnival cruise, then you’ve likely indulged in the deliciousness of their melting chocolate cake. This dessert is served warm in a mini-ramekin and while the outside looks like a typical chocolate cake, the inside is filled with warm, gooey, melting chocolate.

INGREDIENTS

6 oz dark chocolate

6 oz butter

4 eggs

3 oz sugar

2 oz flour

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in the microwave or on the stove top.

Mix eggs and sugar together, whisking them for a few minutes, then add in the flour.

Add the egg mix to the melted chocolate mix and combine them.

Pour the mix in a greased mold (mini ramekins.)

Place mini ramekins on a baking sheet with a little bit of water. Bake directly in the oven at 390 degrees for 14 minutes (18 if baking with the water bath).

Earthquake Cake

 This Earthquake Cake is gooey, chocolatey, and full of tasty surprises with every bite. From the big dollops of cream cheese to the crunchy pecans and coconut flakes layered in with chocolate cake mix, this cake takes you by surprise—in a good way!

If you are a lover of all things chocolate, you need to try our Chocolate Lasagna and this Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, which is a moist chocolate cake recipe, with a unique ingredient.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flaked

1 1/2 cups pecans chopped

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 box Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

1 1/8 cups water (or 1 cup + 2 tbsp)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

8 oz cream cheese softened

1/2 cup butter melted

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

If desired, toast coconut in skillet on stove top over low heat, stirring often or broil in oven, 2-3 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix, water, eggs, and oil. Mix on low until well combined. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese, melted butter, and vanilla. Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Grease the bottom only of a 9×13 baking pan. Evenly spread the coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips on the bottom of the pan.

Pour cake mix over the top; spread evenly.

Drop dollops of cream cheese mixture throughout cake and use a skewer or butter knife to swirl slightly into cake mix.

Bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes.

Let the cake cool slightly before cutting. It will be gooey inside.

Texas Sheet Cake

 If you are looking for a tasty and easy way to do dessert for the masses, then Texas Sheet Cake is the way to go. The best part about this recipe is that the top of the cake is lightly poked with a fork so that the chocolate icing soaks into it, making it perfectly fudgy and moist.

If you are looking for more easy dessert ideas, check out some of our favorites which include our Better Than Sex Cake, No Bake Eclair Cake and our Jello Pie.

INGREDIENTS

For the cake

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/4 tsp salt

4 tbsp cocoa

2 sticks butter

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 eggs whisked together

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

For the icing

1 3/4 stick butter

4 tbsp cocoa

6 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Lightly spray an 18×13 baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.Preheat your oven to 350°.

In a large mixing bowl combine your flour, sugar, and salt.

In a large sauce pan over medium-low heat melt your butter. Add your cocoapowder and whisk together.

Add boiling water and whisk it into the mixture.

4. In a separate small bowl combine your buttermilk, eggs, baking soda andvanilla and whisk together. Stir buttermilk mixture into chocolate mixture andwhisk together. Mix with dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt).

Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350° degrees for 20 minutes.Remove from the oven and poke with forks (so that the yummy frosting goesdown into the cake just a little bit and makes it even that much better).

While your cake is baking start your frosting by melting your butter in a largesaucepan over med-low heat. Add your cocoa and whisk together. Turn offheat. Add your milk, vanilla and powdered sugar (sift it in while whiskinginstead of just dumping all of it in at once). Stir until no lumps remain.

Pour your frosting over your cake and let cool for about 10-15 minutes beforeserving.

Gender Reveal Cupcakes

 Of all the ways to unveil the gender of a baby, you can’t get any cuter than gender reveal cupcakes! These clever cupcakes start with a white cake that’s secretly filled with pink or blue filling to let you know the baby’s gender. When you take a bite, you and your loved ones know if your new baby is a boy or a girl!

The anticipation may be killer, but upon the first bite, the room is filled with joy and tears. For tons more inspiration, check out our gender reveal party ideas.

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

2.5 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp blue and pink sprinkles

Ingredients for Icing:

2 1/4 sticks butter 18 Tbsp

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp salt

4 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Pour in the eggs and mix well.

Mix in dry ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with milk.

Fold in the pretty blue and pink sprinkles. Mix all ingredients until well combined.

Place cupcake liners in the 12-cup cupcake pan.

Bake for 25 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if the cake part is baked through. When the cupcakes come out of the oven, let them cool completely.

To make the icing:

Beat the butter, salt, and powdered sugar on low until it’s all combined. Add vanilla extract and beat on medium-high speed until creamy. About 3 minutes. Beat in milk on medium-high speed for 1 minute, or until fluffy.

Place 1/2 cup of the plain icing in a small bowl. Stir in a small amount of blue or pink gel food coloring until the icing is the desired color.

Keep your cupcakes in the pan and cut a small hole on the top of the cupcake, right in the center. This will be filled with blue or pink icing. I used a Wilton 1A icing tip to punch a hole.

Fill the hole with the icing and place the portion of the cutout cupcake back over the top.

Pipe plain icing on top and decorate with sprinkles before serving.