Makeover Monday: Skinny Strawberry Poke Cake

I have another yummy, lightened up treat for you today!  Much like my blueberry cheesecake bars from last week, this strawberry poke cake features tempting seasonal fruit, and is great eaten out of the refrigerator for a refreshing hot-weather treat.  And I made a few changes to make it less of a guilty pleasure.  Let's just call it a pleasure.

When I say that this cake features strawberries, I really mean that it is bursting with strawberries.  I started with a strawberry cake mix, added strawberry gelatin, and even topped it with strawberries.  Strawberry lovers, rejoice!  This great cake is easy, delicious, and low cal!  If you have never had poke cake, you need to make this.  To make it, you poke holes in a baked cake, pour prepared gelatin over it, and top it with pudding and whipped cream.  It is super moist and refreshing, and very easy!

So what makes this cake low cal?  Nothing special!  When I made the cake mix, I used applesauce instead of oil.  This always makes a delicious, moist cake.  To keep it rolling, I used sugar-free strawberry gelatin, sugar-free fat-free cheesecake flavored pudding, light whipped topping, and Splenda instead of sugar in my strawberry topping.

With all these reduced calorie substitutions, one might think that that this cake would be lacking in flavor, or taste weird.  And one would be wrong.  I made this cake for my family.  Sugar-free is not in my family's vocabulary.  I didn't tell anyone that I had made any changes to this cake, and it was a total hit.  

Nobody had any idea it was a reduced calories recipe.  The only bad thing about this cake is that, like all good things, it had to come to an end.  So next time you find yourself craving a piece of sweet, moist, and delicious cake, try out this amazing strawberry poke cake.  You won't be disappointed!


Strawberry Poke Cake
Ingredients:
1 strawberry cake mix, and ingredients needed to prepare (I used Duncan Hines)
1 box sugar-free strawberry gelatin mix
1 package instant fat free, sugar free pudding, cheesecake or vanilla flavored
1 tub of lite whipped topping
1 quart strawberries
1/3 cup Splenda
Directions:
Bake cake mix according to box directions, using applesauce instead of oil. 
While cake is baking, wash and slice strawberries.  Stir in Splenda.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
When cake is finished baking, allow to cool for 15 minutes.
While cake cools, prepare gelatin according to directions.  Poke holes in cake with large fork.
Pour gelatin over cake evenly, then refrigerate.
Prepare the pudding according to directions and spread on top of cake.  Finish by spreading small container of cool whip on top.  Top with prepared strawberries.

Recipe adapted from Duncan Hines

*Note: This recipe is also very adaptable.  Try using a lemon cake mix with lemon gelatin, or use white cake and any flavor of gelatin you want.  Go nuts!