This Jolly Rancher Watermelon Poke Cake is a light white cake soaked with watermelon gelatin, spread with a fluffy pink cream cheese layer and finished with whipped topping and crushed Jolly Ranchers. It's quick to make from a boxed mix, it tastes like your favorite watermelon candy, and it's a perfect make-ahead dessert for summer parties.
Poke cakes are some of the easiest crowd-pleasers you can make, and this one is the sweetest way to celebrate watermelon season. If you love this style of cake, browse all of our easy poke cake recipes for more flavors to try all year long.
What Is a Jolly Rancher Watermelon Poke Cake?
Think of it as a watermelon jello cake with a candy-shop twist. You bake a simple white cake, poke holes all over the top while it's still warm, and pour hot watermelon gelatin over it. The gelatin runs down into the holes and sets into bright pink ribbons, so every bite is moist and full of sweet watermelon flavor.
What makes this Jolly Rancher cake different from a plain gelatin poke cake is the topping. A couple of tablespoons of the dry gelatin powder get beaten into cream cheese for a tangy, pink, cheesecake-like layer, then the whole cake is covered with whipped topping. A sprinkle of crushed watermelon Jolly Ranchers right before serving adds a little crunch and that unmistakable candy flavor. It's one of the easiest Jolly Rancher desserts you can make, and it looks as good as it tastes.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- White cake mix. A boxed white cake mix keeps this recipe quick and gives you a pale crumb that shows off the pink gelatin streaks. Prepare it with the eggs, oil and water listed on the box. Older boxes were 18.25 ounces, and today's smaller 13- to 16-ounce boxes work just as well. A vanilla or French vanilla mix is fine too.
- Watermelon gelatin. Watermelon Jell-O is the easiest to find, and one 3-ounce box is all you need. Before adding the boiling water, scoop out 2 tablespoons of the dry powder for the cream cheese layer. If you can't find watermelon, strawberry or cherry gelatin will still give you a pretty pink cake.
- Watermelon Jolly Ranchers. These hard candies are the finishing touch. You can buy bags of watermelon Jolly Ranchers or pick the watermelon ones out of an original flavors bag. To crush them, unwrap the candies, seal them in a zip-top bag, cover it with a kitchen towel and tap with a rolling pin or meat mallet until they're in small, gravel-sized pieces. A few quick pulses in a food processor works too.
- Cream cheese. Use full-fat block cream cheese and let it soften on the counter for about an hour so it beats up smooth with no lumps. Reduced-fat (Neufchatel) works, but the layer will be a little softer.
- Powdered sugar and milk. Powdered sugar sweetens the cream cheese without making it gritty, and a splash of milk loosens it so it spreads easily. Any milk you have on hand is fine.
- Whipped topping. An 8-ounce tub of frozen whipped topping, such as Cool Whip, thawed in the fridge, holds its shape for days. You can swap in sweetened whipped cream (1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar), but plan to serve the cake within a day.
Helpful Tips
Poke while the cake is warm. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, then poke holes about an inch apart with a fork or the round handle of a wooden spoon. A warm cake soaks up the gelatin better, and the wider holes from a spoon handle give you bigger pink pockets. Bake it in a 9x13 glass baking dish so you can serve it right from the pan.
Dissolve the gelatin completely. Whisk the gelatin into the boiling water for a full 2 minutes, until you can't see any grains. Undissolved powder settles on top of the cake as rubbery spots instead of soaking in.
Spoon, don't dump. Spoon the gelatin slowly over the cake, aiming for the holes, so it soaks in evenly instead of pooling in the corners. Then chill the cake for about 30 minutes, until it's cool to the touch, before adding the cream cheese layer so it doesn't melt.
Save the powder for the frosting. The 2 tablespoons of dry gelatin you set aside tint the cream cheese pink and give it a candy-like watermelon flavor. Beat it with the cream cheese first, then add the powdered sugar and milk. A hand mixer makes it smooth and fluffy in a couple of minutes.
Add the candy last. Crushed Jolly Ranchers pull moisture from the whipped topping and turn sticky and syrupy within a few hours. Sprinkle them on just before serving so they stay crunchy and bright. Spread both creamy layers with an offset spatula for a smooth, even top.
Variations
- Other Jolly Rancher flavors. Match the gelatin to another candy flavor: cherry gelatin with cherry Jolly Ranchers, grape with grape, or blue raspberry with blue raspberry. Green apple Jolly Ranchers pair nicely with lime gelatin.
- Lime "rind" layer. Make it look like a watermelon slice by tinting the whipped topping light green with a drop of food coloring, or stir 1 tablespoon of dry lime gelatin into the whipped topping. Our Lemon Lime Poke Cake is a great pick if you love that citrus flavor.
- Mini chocolate chip "seeds." Scatter mini chocolate chips over the top along with the crushed candy so each square looks like a little slice of watermelon.
- Rainbow candy cake. Crush a handful of mixed Jolly Rancher flavors for a colorful topping. It's fun for birthday parties and pairs well with a bowl of Rainbow Jello.
- Strawberry watermelon. Swap half the gelatin for strawberry and top each piece with a fresh strawberry. If you love berries, our Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe is another summer favorite.
Serving Ideas
This watermelon poke cake is made for warm-weather gatherings. Bring it to a backyard cookout alongside burgers, Slow Cooker Baked Beans and a big bowl of Cold Italian Pasta Salad. It travels well in its baking dish, so it's also perfect for potlucks and Fourth of July parties.
For pool parties and summer birthdays, cut the cake into squares and top each one with a small wedge of fresh watermelon. Serve it with a pitcher of our Fizzy Watermelon Mocktail for a fun watermelon theme that kids and adults both love.
Storing & Freezing
Because of the cream cheese and whipped topping, keep this cake in the refrigerator. Cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and it will stay fresh for up to 4 days. It's a great make-ahead dessert: assemble it the day before your party and add the crushed Jolly Ranchers and watermelon wedges just before serving.
You can freeze this poke cake for up to 2 months. Freeze individual squares (without candy or fresh fruit) on a baking sheet until firm, then wrap each one in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The cake stays moist, though the whipped topping may be slightly softer after thawing. Don't freeze it with the crushed candy on top, since it turns sticky as it thaws.
More Poke Cake Recipes
If you loved this recipe, here are a few more poke cakes you might enjoy:
- Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake
- Summer Peach Pie Poke Cake
- Pineapple Poke Cake
- Boozy Pineapple Pina Colada Poke Cake
- Fruity Tropical Poke Cake
Recipe
Jolly Rancher Watermelon Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 18.25 ounce package white cake mix, prepared to package instructions plus the eggs, oil and water listed on the box (today's smaller 13- to 16-ounce boxes work too)
- 1 3-ounce box watermelon gelatin mix such as Jell-O, divided (reserve 2 tablespoons powder for the cream cheese layer)
- ¾ cup water boiling
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened (225 g each)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping such as Cool Whip, thawed
- 6 watermelon Jolly Rancher hard candies unwrapped and crushed, for garnish (optional)
- 12 small watermelon wedges for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to the cake mix package and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Prepare the cake batter as the package directs, pour it into the dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 26 minutes. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes.
- Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake about 1 inch apart, using a fork or the round handle of a wooden spoon.
- Pour the gelatin powder into a medium bowl. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of the dry powder and set it aside for the cream cheese layer. Pour the boiling water over the remaining powder and whisk for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved.
- Slowly spoon the hot gelatin over the cake, aiming for the holes. Refrigerate the cake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until it is cool to the touch.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the reserved 2 tablespoons of gelatin powder until smooth and pink. Add the powdered sugar and milk and beat until fluffy. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled cake.
- Spread the thawed whipped topping over the cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until set.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the crushed Jolly Ranchers over the top. Cut into 12 squares and top each with a small watermelon wedge, if using.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
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