Strawberry Poke Cake

I have a bad habit of buying cake mixes when they're $1 and then not using them in a timely manner. I've decided to organize them (and pudding boxes) in my cupboard based on expiration and make sure I pull them out in time.

I've learned that Poke cakes are the best way to use up cake and pudding/jello for a delicious dessert, not to mention it's super easy to make them. I ended up leaving off the cool whip and using strawberry jelly for this one. For a strawberry cake, I recommend adding a little lemon juice to give it a bit of a kick. :)

http://www.littledairyontheprairie.com/strawberry-poke-cake/

Banana Poke Cake

Once again, I had pudding boxes that were nearing expiration, so I "had" to come up with something. This happened to be banana pudding and I really enjoy poke cakes, so I whipped up this pan of yumminess yesterday. It takes about 4 stages to prepare (with lots of cooling and chilling), so make sure, if you're planning to serve it to a group, that you have plenty of time. Also, a trick to extend the life of this cake is to serve the bananas separately, slicing them for each individual bowl more as a garnish. That way, you don't end up with brown bananas in your cake and it can seem fresh for several days. In this particular case, I crushed animal crackers and vanilla wafers. I had to restrain myself from eating the entire pan. :D

http://www.food.com/recipe/banana-pudding-poke-cake-483403

BLUEBERRY LEMON POKE CAKE

I have an addiction to poke cakes--I even have an entire Pinterest Board dedicated to them. They're so easy to make but do usually require a few hours planning for cooling and refrigeration. It's a great way to use up cake, pudding and jello mixes. This one was part of a list of 15 (of course now added to my Pinterest board). I had some fresh frozen blueberries that I thawed out. [Blueberries are one of the most resilient fruits when it comes to freezing and thawing.] I purchased the lemon curd, but next time I'll plan to make it from scratch. Although the cake was delicious and refreshing, it seemed liked it would be the perfect treat after a summer bbq.

http://www.thewholesomedish.com/blueberry-lemon-poke-cake/

Chocolate Nutella Poke Cake

Whenever I feel a need for fresh ideas, I go to Pinterest. I have an entire board dedicated to Poke Cake and tonight I was so glad that I do. This recipe was SUPER easy and SUPER delicious! The hubby thought it was a special occasion he liked it so much, haha. I used a Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge cake mix and chocolate fudge pudding. And.....come on! It's Nutella! You can't go wrong. Also, you can choose to use Cool Whip or not. I think it was just as good without it, but then again, it helps to have some homemade ice cream on hand :)

http://www.adashofsanity.com/2014/07/chocolate-nutella-poke-cake-moist-chocolate-hazelnut-cake/

Pineapple Upside Down Poke Cake

Wow--I've been so busy with our move to our (coveted) 60 acres (from the city) and changing careers, that I haven't been very diligent about my posts. I apologize to those glorious cooks who have recently provided inspiration....I will try to give honorable mention to as many as I can in the coming days.

This weekend we had some friends out for a Sunday afternoon of bbq, smores and ranch exploration. I made potato salad (with mustard, red potatoes and pickles--recipe to follow) and this delicious Pineapple Upside Down Poke Cake with a fresh pineapple the hubby had purchased. [The trickiest part was doing the flip upside down..better luck next time? j/k...it actually went pretty well. And, although we ran out of time and belt-space, most interested in smores, I managed to discover, the hubby and the teenager LOVED it! 24 hours later and it's half gone. ;) It was very easy and I quite enjoyed not having to frost it, saving a step in the dessert process. Thank you Hen Basket for the share (that I had saved on my pinterest under my Poke Cake Board). :)

http://thehensnest.blogspot.com/2013/04/pineapple-upsidedown-caramel-poke-cake.html