Spiked Poke Cake

Happy Friday!
I have been wanting to share this recipe & why not celebrate the weekend with cake...

I have realized in the last year or so that I LOVE to bake! I've been trying new things.  Scratch cake...have not tried to tackle that quite yet. But experimenting with box cake has been fun!  Then I went & discovered Knox gelatin....mind blown! I figured this has to be the perfect addition to the Poke Cake!  My first attempt at poke cake was good.  I had just wished the cupcake hadn't gotten so soggy.  I had used my usual 1 C. hot water & 1 C. chilled vodka with my jello.  It was good, but I knew I could do better. Then Thanksgiving at my in-laws, we had Knox Blocks.  YES!  That is what a Jell-O jiggler was supposed to look like! I have had sorry attempts for the jigglers in my childhood.  We just didn't know about adding the gelatin.


I made it this last weekend for my Girls Weekend with my friends.  After the last few months we had, I needed this get away.  As our weekend approached, all the girls needed it.  I find it very necessary to go away with my friends at least once a year.  Everyone's lives are so busy now, we need a weekend to just unwind & as my friend Erin's mom says     "Let your hair down".   Erin's mom has the right philosophy there! LOVE that woman

Back to the cake....

Berry Lemonade Poke Cake

Bake the cake as directed.

I made the cake in round pans to layer.  I really wanted to have icing in the middle of the cake.  So I made 2 of the  7X7 round pans. I made them the night before we left & finished when we got down there.

Now for the jello mixture-

-1 box of jello

- 1 envelope of gelatin

- 1 C. boiling water

- 1 C. chilled vodka 

(Note-This recipe can be non-alcoholic.
Just add cold water instead of vodka)

Be sure to poke both cake(s) before you make the jello mixture.  By adding the gelatin really speeds up the gelling time & you don't want it to be too thick to put into the cake.  I use a straw to "inject" the cake.  I suppose one of these days a syringe would be a good investment. The straw works fine though.

One word for my Berry Lemonade Poke Cake.....AMAZING!

I highly recommend making this for an adult function or just a weekend (adult) dessert.

So busy for someone without a job!

I swear one of these days 

I will be less busy to focus on my blog!

Went to spend Easter weekend with my In-Laws in the country.  It was a beautiful weekend.  I even scored myself some sunburn!  But now I am back home with lots to do!

Right now, along with having 2 Party Lite shows this week,  I am focusing my time on helping with a wedding. My "lil sister from another mister" is getting married in less than an month.  She lives in Los Angeles. Her mother, sisters (my best friends) & I have been trying to put all the pieces of her wedding together.

They are having a Travel theme for her destination wedding. Very appropriate since the couple lives in LA, she is from Pittsburgh & her future husband is from Antigua. Pinterest has become my guide, my inspiration & most importantly, my savior! Planning events is my favorite thing to do.  Unfortunately for me, being the bride & doing certain things didn't work in my favor.  BUT helping other people with their weddings is something I tend to be good at!  My dream job is being an event planner. In the mean time, I will be here helping.

Today I had a few things to get together.  Usually my toddler tends to interrupt my progress, but lucky for me, my husband was off today.  Not only did he occupy our little dude, he made some of my favorites,  He decided we would have Mexican Day today. Naturally that means homemade Pico de Gallo, which lead to guacamole!  I've realized that I actually like pico better than salsa.

With Cinco de Mayo coming up soon, 

here is the recipe for both!

PICO DE GALLO

6 roma tomatoes 

1 medium sweet onion 

3 jalapenos (seeded)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Then we just added 6 avocados 

& Taaaaa Daaaaa!

Holy Guacamole!

What a year so far!

A month into my "New Years Resolution"  I failed, but with good reason.  When family calls, you drop everything!

At the end of January, we found out that my Father in Law was having surgery....a big one at that.  My FIL is an Veteran & started coming to the VA hospital here in Pittsburgh.  (Not sure I ever actually said where I live.  Yep, I'm a "Yinzer")

My in-laws live about 2 hours away in the country, so us living here in the city has definitely worked out for everyone.  I have spent the last 2 months going back & forth, spending a week at a time in no man's land.  I will say that you learn a lot about yourself being away from home for so long. My most important lesson, I am NOT as big of a fan of the city as I thought I was. As I get older, I realize I enjoy the quiet much more!  It helps me think & be creative, being in the country.

Unfortunately, I was not able to blog while I was away.  My wonderful niece & nephews had given my in-laws computer a virus or two. Just more time to read & learn a few things.  In the weeks to follow, I will be sharing my newly learned recipes from my MIL and even one from my extremely picky SIL.  I also have been mastering the art of cup-less jello shots! Which were a big hit this last weekend, by the way.

I am very happy to be home & 

look forward to sharing with all of you soon!