Do You Have a Happy Childhood Memory About Cake? One of my favorite childhood memories was helping my mother make jello cake or what is also called poke cake. My job was to poke all the holes into the top of a freshly baked cake using a little tooth pick. Then my mother would pour jello or pudding over the top of the cake. This dessert was a favorite and we always made one for special occasions. Oh, and my other job was the taste tester. I was amazed to recently find so many recipes and variations for making poke cakes