Cheerwine Poke Cake
Grandson Eli was working on his 4th grade, A to Z, North Carolina project. He had to identify and explain something in North Carolina for each letter of the alphabet. He decided to use Cheerwine for the letter "C". We found so many interesting facts about Cheerwine on their website, plus recipes! Never heard of Cheerwine? No worries. Once only found in the Carolina's, Cheerwine can be found in almost every state. It's a cherry cola-like soft drink with a unique flavor. Looking for something new to bring to the cookout this weekend? This light, delicious Cheerwine Poke Cake makes that task a tasty cherry-flavored breeze!
Ingredients
For the Cake:1 box white cake mix, plus ingredients needed on back of box, replacing the water with Cheerwine
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
For the Gelatin
1 1/2 cups Cheerwine
1 3-oz box cherry-flavored gelatin
For the Whipped Topping (Cool Whip will work too!)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons liquid from Maraschino cherry jar
Maraschino cherries for garnish
Instructions
Grease a 9 X 13-inch pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.Prepare cake mix according to package directions, using the 1 cup of Cheerwine instead of water and stirring in chopped cherries.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for the recommended time on cake box. Cool 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups Cheerwine to a boil. Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin until dissolved.
Use a straw or handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in cake about every 2 inches.
Pour gelatin mixture evenly over cake.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Using an electric mixer, beat heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and cherry juice until stiff peaks form. Spread the cream on top of the cake and garnish with cherries. Keep leftovers refrigerated.