Three Quick, Easy and Refreshing 4th of July Desserts

Making a dessert for your 4^th of July celebration doesn't need to take a lot of work to end your meal with a bang. These three desserts are super easy so you won't spend your 4^th of July holiday in the kitchen. Even better, they are a refreshing finish to any 4^th of July party.

Red, White and Blue Jello Poke Cake

You will need:

Boxed white cake mix

Large box of red Jello (cherry or strawberry)

Blue food coloring (or yellow & green)

Whipped topping (Cool Whip)

Jello Poke Cakes have come in and out of fashion but they are always a fun, refreshing dessert. Even better, this 4^th of July dessert will be a hit with both adults and kids.

To make this great dessert for the 4^th of July start with a white boxed cake mix. Prepare the cake as directed. Add one step before pouring into a 9" x 13" pan. Remove one cup of batter and color with blue food coloring until obtaining a blue color you think is appropriate for the 4^th of July. A mixture of yellow and green food coloring will work as well. Pour the white cake batter into a prepared 9" x 13" pan. Then pour the blue batter in a swirl pattern over the top of the white batter in the pan. Using a knife cut the swirls into the batter but do not completely mix it. The goal is to add blue swirls and stripes to the white mix.

After baking do not remove the cake from the cake pan but allow it to cool in the pan. When the cake has cooled poke holes in the cake. Most Jello Poke Cake recipes suggest using a fork for this but the rounded handle of a wooden spoon allows for larger holes which will work great for this 4^th of July version. Using whatever instrument you have available, poke holes over the entire cake spacing them about an inch apart. Prepare a large box of red Jello (cherry or strawberry) and pour the mixture over the cooled cake slowly so that the Jello can run into the holes you have created.

Place the cake pan into the refrigerator to chill and allow the Jello to set. Before serving this 4^th of July dessert top the cake with Cool Whip or other whipped topping. When you slice into this dessert your guests will be thrilled to see the red, white and blue colors of the 4^th of July being served on their plates.

Explosive Angel Food Cake

You will need:

One ready-to-serve Angel Food Cake

Whipped Topping (Cool Whip)

One can crushed pineapple

Fresh strawberries and blueberries

Nothing says 4^th of July like fireworks and the Explosive Angel Food Cake looks like red, white and blue are exploding right out of it.

Begin by cleaning the blueberries and strawberries. Slice strawberries. Place your cleaned fruit into a large mixing bowl. Drain the canned pineapple.

Slice the Angel Food Cake into three layers and place on separate plates.

In a large mixing bowl gently combine the whipped topping, fresh fruit and pineapple. Do not over mix or whipped topping will become runny.

Place the bottom layer of the Angel Food Cake onto a serving plate. Top with about 1/3 of the whipped topping mixture. Place the middle layer on top and then top that layer with an additional 1/3 of the topping mixture. The final layer should be placed on top and covered with the remaining whipped topping mixture.

Refrigerate until serving.

Your 4^th of July guests will enjoy seeing the bursts of red and blue coming from their cool dessert.

4^th of July Cookie Pizza

You will need:

One tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough

One box of cream cheese, softened

½ cup of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Sliced fresh strawberries and cleaned fresh blueberries

Cookies and pizza are two of American's favorite foods so why not make one special 4^th of July dessert that combines them?

Begin by placed the cookie dough into a 9" round cake pan and press evening until pan is covered evenly with dough. Bake until the cookie is golden and is cooked through. Allow to cool and remove from pan.

Combine cream cheese, brown sugar and lemon juice and spread on top of cooled jumbo cookie.

Finish your 4^th of July design by arranging the fruit in red and blue stripes on top of the cookie. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve your 4^th of July guests this yummy treat.

Use any of these easy, quick and refreshing desserts to bring a big red, white and blue finale to your 4^th of July celebration.