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Jul 31, 2023

Cheryle Finley: Poke cake a popular gelatin dessert

Cheryle Finley I usually cringed when my friend Gary Stubblefield would post a social media picture for me. Many times it was a picture from “Dirty Dancing” with our faces replacing Baby and Johnny’s.

Cheryle Finley

I usually cringed when my friend Gary Stubblefield would post a social media picture for me. Many times it was a picture from “Dirty Dancing” with our faces replacing Baby and Johnny’s.

He was especially fond of posting food pictures he had found on the internet. The green Jell-O ring with SpaghettiOs swirled throughout and Vienna sausages standing up in the center of the ring really made me cringe and rethink Jell-O.

Like Kleenex, Q-tip, Band-Aid, Crock-Pot and Chapstick, Jell-O is a trademark name we have come to use as a noun and is our reference for gelatin. Gelatin comes in sheets and faster-dissolving powder and is derived from animal collagen. Flavorless and colorless, it shows up in marshmallows, gummy bears and cosmetics.

Back in the ‘50s, refrigerators were still a little pricey, so to be able to chill a gelatin salad was a status symbol of sorts. Families went from rationing to cooking “homemade” meals. Being able to plan ahead and take the steps to prepare a gelatin salad or dessert was a positive reflection on the cook.

Back in the day, cherry gelatin with suspended fruit cocktail was a staple on dinner tables. This took extra care as the gelatin had to set up just enough so the fruit could be stirred in and not sink to the bottom or float to the top.

Then there was the Perfection Salad. Cabbage, celery and red peppers. Lime or orange gelatin with shredded carrots was wildly popular as were various aspics.

But in the ’70s, the tossed green salad with its variety of dressings dethroned the gelatin salad as the most sought-after option.

Today, gelatin salads tend to have less unusual add-ins, which makes them much simpler, and they tend to appear most often around the holidays.

One wildly popular gelatin dessert was the poke cake, and it is worth a revisit. Simple enough and so pretty when sliced and served, it is always a hit with youngsters.

Almost any flavor of gelatin works well, and you can decorate the top with fruit slices for an even prettier presentation.

This recipe was adapted from lilluna.com. The second recipe was shared with me by Sharon Frost over 20 years ago, and I have made it many times over the years. It’s one of my favorite salads, and others always find it tasty.

Enjoy for yourself or share with someone who may have a fond memory of this refreshing salad.

Have a wonderful week, and happy eating.

1 white cake mix and all ingredients to prepare

1 (3-ounce) box Jell-O

1 cup each boiling and cold water

1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping

Prepare cake according to package directions and bake in 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Cool 15 minutes. Poke cake with a fork at 1/2- to 1-inch intervals. Mix Jell-O according to package directions with the boiling and cold water. Gradually spoon liquid over cake until absorbed. Chill 3 to 4 hours. Top with whipped topping just before serving. Yields 15 servings.

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 large can pineapple chunks, drained

1 large or 2 small packages orange gelatin

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 (3-ounce) package instant lemon pudding

1 cup milk

1 cup whipped topping

Dissolve gelatin in 2 cups boiling water. Add frozen concentrate and fruit. Chill until firm. Beat pudding mix and milk; fold in whipped topping. Spread over salad. Yields 4 servings.

Cheryle Finley is a food columnist for The Joplin Globe. Address correspondence to Cheryle Finley, c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.

Cheryle Finley

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