Watermelon Poke Cupcakes

I am a lover of all things watermelon. So when my daughter said she wanted a barbecue-themed bridal shower, I knew I would have to take ordinary watermelon cupcakes to the next level. We love poke cakes around here, and so these Watermelon Poke Cupcakes were born.

Almost a decade ago, I posted some watermelon cookies, but one of the things I had wished they had was watermelon flavor. They look like sliced watermelons but just tasted like a sugar cookie. My goal for these watermelon cupcakes was that they would actually have watermelon flavor!

By turning them into poke cupcakes, I was able to infuse watermelon flavor into the cake, thus watermelon poke cupcakes!

Watermelon Poke Cupcakes

I have to say that these watermelon poke cupcakes were a huge hit at the bridal shower. I was actually surprised to hear that several of the guests had never had poke cake before and they loved them!

Box cake mix or homemade frosting?

These cupcakes are made from a box of white cake mix, but you could absolutely make them from a homemade white cake recipe.

Do these cupcakes taste like watermelon?

I used a small box of watermelon flavored jello. This did two things. It created a pretty pink stripe-like center to the cake and also gave these cupcakes their watermelon flavor. I’ve heard of other cupcakes using watermelon flavored Kool-aid, which tints the cake pink.

What do you poke the holes with for these poke cupcakes?

To make the holes in the cupcakes, I used the flat end of a wooden skewer. You want to be careful not to hit the bottom when you poke. After you’ve spooned the watermelon Jello over the poked cupcakes, you’ll refrigerate them. Don’t be concerned about excess Jello in the dish, the cupcakes will easily pop up when the gelatin is firm.

The jello will set and cupcakes will pop right out

How do I pipe with canned frosting?

Canned white frosting is what I used, but I did have to add more powdered sugar to the icing in order to get it to a piping consistency. While canned frosting is quicker, a homemade buttercream icing would be ideal for these watermelon poke cupcakes!

Don’t use too much gel food coloring!

When adding gel food coloring to your white frosting, keep in mind that a little goes a long way. Use a toothpick to “measure out” small amounts of gel food coloring to add to the frosting. It’s better to not add enough and have to add more than to add too much and end up with the wrong color.

Ingredients for Watermelon Poke Cupcakes

• White cake mix
• Watermelon jello
• Boiling water
• White frosting
• Powdered sugar
• Red and green gel coloring
• Mini chocolate chips

Helpful kitchen tools:

• Star piping tip (I have this kit)
• Cupcake liners
• Muffin tins
• Wooden skewer
• Icing spatula
• Mixer

How to Make Watermelon Poke Cupcakes

1. First, preheat the oven according to the cake mix box directions or your favorite white cake recipe. Line two muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners. Mix the cake mix batter according to the box directions then divide the batter evenly among cupcake liners.

2. Bake the cupcakes then allow them to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place the cupcakes into a pan to catch any excess jello mixture. Poke each cupcake several times with the flat side of a skewer. Try not to hit the bottom of the cupcake when poking.

3. Dissolve Jello in the boiling water then spoon dissolved jello mixture over the cupcakes, approximately two tablespoons over each cupcake. If you have Jello mixture left over you can spoon the remaining mixture over any cupcakes that look like they might need more.

4. Refrigerate the cupcakes for two hours to allow the Jello mixture to set.

5. Meanwhile, tint 1/2 of one can of white frosting with a small amount of green gel food coloring. A toothpick comes in handy for measuring out small amounts. A little bit goes a really LONG way with gel food coloring, so it’s better to start with a small amount and add more if needed.

6. Once you have reached the desired color, spread a thin layer of green frosting over each cupcake.

7. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cans of white frosting with 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. This will thicken the frosting and allow you to pipe it onto the top of the cupcakes. If it still isn’t thick enough, add the remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Once you’ve mixed the frosting and powdered sugar, tint the frosting with small amounts of red gel food coloring until you get to the desired pink color.

8. Spoon the pink frosting into a prepared piping bag and pipe into the center of each cupcake, making sure you are able to see the green frosting around the outer edge.

9. Finally, sprinkle the top of the pink frosting with miniature chocolate chips!

These watermelon poke cupcakes are perfect for any summer barbecue, great for Memorial Day and Labor Day, and of course, a barbecue-themed bridal shower!

More poke cake recipes

We have several poke cake recipes and love to make them! Here are some of our favorites:

• Boston Cream Poke Cake
• Banana Pudding Poke Cake
• Pistachio Poke Cake
• Raspberry Dream Poke Cake

More cupcake recipes

We’ve made quite a few fun themed cupcakes over the years. Here are our favorites!

• Bunny Butt Cupcakes – perfect for Easter!
• Heart Cupcakes – for Valentine’s Day!
• Chick Cupcakes – more fun for Easter!
• Flower Cupcakes – cute for spring or a bridal shower.
• S’mores Cupcakes – fun for a barbecue or camping trip.
• Easter Bunny Cupcakes – Another fun one for Easter!

Watermelon Poke Cupcakes

These watermelon poke cupcakes are perfect for any summer barbecue, great for Memorial Day and Labor Day, and of course, a barbecue-themed bridal shower!

5 from 3 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24 cupcakes

39 minutes mins

Calories: 340

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 white cake mix prepared
• ▢ 3.2 oz watermelon jello
• ▢ 1 cup boiling water
• ▢ 32 oz canned white frosting 2 16oz cans, divided
• ▢ ¾ cup powdered sugar divided
• ▢ red and green gel coloring
• ▢ ¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

• First, preheat the oven according to the cake mix box directions or your favorite white cake recipe. Line two muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners. Mix the cake mix batter according to the box directions then divide the batter evenly among cupcake liners.
  
• Bake the cupcakes then allow them to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place the cupcakes into a pan to catch any excess jello mixture. Poke each cupcake several times with the flat side of a skewer. Try not to hit the bottom of the cupcake when poking.
  
• Dissolve Jello in the boiling water then spoon dissolved jello mixture over the cupcakes, approximately two tablespoons over each cupcake. If you have Jello mixture left over you can spoon the remaining mixture over any cupcakes that look like they might need more.
  
• Refrigerate the cupcakes for two hours to allow the Jello mixture to set.
  
• Meanwhile, tint 1/2 of one can of white frosting with a small amount of green gel food coloring. A toothpick comes in handy for measuring out small amounts. A little bit goes a really LONG way with gel food coloring, so it's better to start with a small amount and add more if needed.
  
• Once you have reached the desired color, spread a thin layer of green frosting over each cupcake.
  
• Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cans of white frosting with 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. This will thicken the frosting and allow you to pipe it onto the top of the cupcakes. If it still isn't thick enough, add the remaining 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Once you've mixed the frosting and powdered sugar, tint the frosting with small amounts of red gel food coloring until you get to the desired pink color.
  
• Spoon the pink frosting into a prepared piping bag and pipe into the center of each cupcake, making sure you are able to see the green frosting around the outer edge.
  
• Finally, sprinkle the top of the pink frosting with miniature chocolate chips!
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 340cal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 12mg | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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