Friday Foodie - Poke Cake

This cake is great for summer. It's easy and cool in all its jello-y goodness. You can, of course, choose and mix and match your favorite flavors. This would be really cool for the 4th of July. You could use a red jello - strawberry, cherry, watermelon, for one layer, and blueberry for the other layer. Ah, patriotism in Jello. How American. I used Meringue Buttercream to frost, but you can use whatever frosting your little ol' heart desires.

Poke Cake

1 18.5 oz. pkg. white cake mix
2 cups boiling water
2 4-serving pkgs. Jello

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare, bake and cool cake mix as directed on pkg. for 2 9 or 8-in. round cake layers. Place cake layers, top sides up, in 2 clean 9 or 8-in cake pans. Pierce cake with large fork at ½ in. intervals.

3. Stir 1 cup of the boiling water into each flavor of Jello in separate bowls 2 min. or until dissolved. Carefully pour 1 cup of Jello over 1 cake layer and then pour the other cup of Jello over the other cake layer. Refrigerate 3 hours.

4. Dip 1 cake pan in warm water 10 seconds. Unmold onto serving plate. Spread with frosting. Unmold second cake layer. Carefully place on first layer. Frost top and sides. Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Meringue Buttercream

2 ¼ cups sugar
9 large egg whites
1 ½ lbs. (6 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 ½ teas. vanilla

1. Put sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are very warm to the touch, about 4 min. Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high speed until fluffy and cooled; about 10 minutes.

2. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter a few tablespoons at a time; beat well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

3. Beat on lowest speed until air bubbles diminish, 3 to 5 min. Use immediately, or refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days. Before using, bring to room temperature; beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until smooth.