The Ornery Old Lady's Recipe Book: Poke Cake

Strawberry poke cake by Betty Crocker

Hey folks, its yer ole pal Ghost Town Grover here. The Ornery Old Lady and her son are comin' to meet that fancy Structural Engineer feller here at the hotel on Wednesday. Until they're livin' here, I've been makin' a habit of hitchin' a ride on one of them eighteen-wheeler horseless covered wagons to visit 'em down in Denver.

Ornery is kinda dense sometimes. See, you'd reckon since she's knowed her son fer 29 years, she'd know he likes his cake pretty straightforward. Still, she went and asked him if he'd rather have a plain ole raspberry poke cake without no frosting or berries, or if he wanted to wait till she could go to the store and buy some Cool Whip and berries. 

Well, Sonny looked at Ma like maybe she left her brain out in the sun and told her to make the plain poke cake without no Cool Whip or fruit or none of that fancy stuff.

I'm gonna turn the reins over to Ornery now so's she can tell you all about poke cakes.

Visit the Artist

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Hello, dear visitors!

I'm the Ornery Old Lady. You can call me Cie or you can call me Ornery, but don't call me late for dinner--or dessert.

Poke Cakes are one of my favorite fall-back recipes. All you need is a cake mix and the necessary items to make it: eggs or egg substitute, water or milk (nut milk or coconut milk is fine), and oil, butter, or margarine. You will also need a four-serving box of flavored gelatin.

Make the cake following the recipe on the box. There's a little trick I like to use to make my cakes turn out moist. Use one more egg than called for on the box. Use melted butter or margarine instead of cooking oil. I just put the stick of butter or margarine in a big mug and melt it for 1 1/2 minutes at 50% power. Use milk (or nut milk) instead of water for extra richness and flavor. 

If you or someone in your family is allergic to eggs, Ener-G egg substitute works wonderfully. I keep a box on hand just in case I run out of eggs. I'm hoping to get a couple of hens once we're established in the Grover Hotel. Then we'll have at least a couple of fresh eggs a day!

Once the cake is baked, heat a cup of water to boiling. I find that two minutes in a 1000-watt microwave is adequate. Poke holes in the cake using the handle of a mixing spoon. I usually poke 24 holes (4 columns of 8) in a 13 x 9 cake.

When the water has boiled, pour it over the gelatin. Whisk for 1 to 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Pour over the top of the cake.

Let the cake cool for an hour. Frost and decorate if desired, or, if you're a plain cake kind of person like my son, just cut and eat.

I've always had to work in teeny-tiny apartment kitchens. I'm looking forward to working in this big, open kitchen. The stove is actually fairly new. We're planning to have a vent installed over it rather than having to open the kitchen window in -20-degree weather to let out the smoke when cooking hamburgers indoors.

Although my new kitchen is going to inspire me to try my hand at new and different recipes, I still intend to keep cake mixes and flavored gelatin on hand for those times when no-one feels like doing a whole lot of work but folks are craving dessert. 
Have fun trying different flavor combinations with your poke cakes! This easy favorite dessert is loved by everyone from kids to ornery old folks!

Check out Grover's General Store at the end of the post for cake mixes, flavored gelatin, and kitchen gadgets. I hope to get a set of nice glass cake pans in the not too distant future!

~Cie~