Orange Poke Cake

I know Halloween is over again for another year, but this is another Halloween-ish treat I made recently that I did not get a chance to feature yet. This is a "poke cake" which is a term referring to a cake that is poured with gelatin after baking. The process is relatively simple: bake the cake, then cool slightly. You can remove it from the pan, or keep it in, depending on the type of pan. For this type of tube pan, I find it easier to remove the cake first. Pierce the cake with a fork at half-inch intervals. You want to make the holes fairly big so the cake can soak up the liquid. Next, prepare a package of gelatin (any flavor) using one cup boiling water to dissolve the gelatin, then 1/2 cup cold water. Beat for two minutes, then pour this mixture over the cake, allowing the cake to absorb it. Refrigerate the cake for a few hours so the gelatin sets a bit. This will not create pieces of gelatin within the cake, but rather streaks of flavor throughout the cake, which makes the cake very moist.

Now you can decorate the cake as you wish. Since the gelatin adds a lot of flavor and moisture, the entire cake need not be iced, so I simply added some swirls of icing, a bottom border, and decorated with pumpkin-shaped orange sprinkles. I used orange gelatin of course, and a white cake batter.