Chocolate Poke Cake is a delicious recipe that is super easy to make and turns out moist every time. Poke cake can be made in a lot of different ways, and this time I used pudding to fill the holes, making this a rich and decadent dessert.
There are a lot of cakes out there, but poke cake brings on a whole new meaning. The possibilities are endless. You can pour sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, or any type of pudding or frosting into the holes in the cake for an added treat.
I started out with a boxed cake mix. You can make a cake from scratch, but sometimes it’s just easier to grab the box and whip up the recipe. I used a Devil’s Food Cake box mix, but you can use any kind that you’d like.
Poke cakes have been making a comeback for a while now. A friend of mine told me that her grandmother used to make them all the time when she was a child, which of course brings back so many good memories.
You can use the backside of a wooden spoon or something large enough to poke holes that will allow pudding or frosting to slide down the holes. I used a large plastic straw for the job and it worked great.
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To Make the Chocolate Poke Cake You Will Need the Following Items:
- Boxed cake mix
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Instant pudding
- Chocolate chips
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Heavy Cream
- Large mixing bowl
- 13″ x 9″ baking dish
- Non-stick spray
- Spatula
- Hand mixer
Recipe and Printable Instructions Listed Below
Cake Mix
In a large bowl, add the boxed cake mix, eggs, water, and vegetable oil. I used the Betty Crocker Devil’s Food Cake Mix. I knew it was going to be rich and moist.
Mix everything together according to the box. I mixed the ingredients for over a minute to make sure everything was smooth and without any lumps.
Grease and flour the 13″ x 9″ cake pan. I used a glass pan and floured it with regular all-purpose flour. But, if you don’t want the white on the sides of the cake when you serve it, you can dust the sides with a little bit of cocoa powder.
Next, pour the cake batter into a 13″ x 9″ dish.
Bake the cake according to the directions. Once it’s finished baking, allow it to cool before poking the holes.
Poke the holes in the cake after it cools. There’s really no rhyme or reason to where you poke the holes. I just started poking and left them about one to two-inches apart.
The back of my wooden spoon was sort of oblong and would have made the holes too big, so the straw did a great job.
Instant Pudding
Add the instant pudding to the bowl. I ended up buying too large of an instant pudding container. You really only need the 3.9 oz box and you will still probably have a little bit left over after you spread it on the cake and into the holes.
Pour the milk into the bowl and mix with the pudding until it thickens. I usually mix with a hand mixer for about two minutes. Normally, I allow the pudding to thicken a little more, but you’ll want to spread it onto the cake while it’s still somewhat liquidy. That way, the liquid pudding will slide into the holes easier.
Next, spread the pudding on top of the cake. Take your spatula and keep spreading it around, gently pushing the pudding into the holes. You will see after a minute or so that the pudding is going down into the holes.
You can see in the image above that the pudding will fill up the holes and then you’ll want to scrape the pudding off of the top so the frosting will adhere well to the top of the cake.
Frosting
I am going to go on record as saying that when you start a recipe with butter, it’s going to be good. But, two sticks of butter, and…doubly good.
As always, I am the queen of forgetting to set things out on the counter to soften. If you are like me and forget, just stick the butter in the microwave on 50-percent and microwave for about 10 seconds at a time until it’s softened up.
Add the powdered sugar to the bowl.
Next, you’re going to add the heavy cream, vanilla, and cocoa to the bowl. Mix everything together until it’s smooth.
If the frosting is too thick, just add a little more heavy cream to thin it out some. I didn’t want the frosting to be so thick that it tore the cake when I tried to spread it on. I thinned it a little so it would spread super easily. Plus, you’re going to refrigerate the cake, so the frosting will thicken up again.
Finally, spread the chocolate frosting on top of the cake.
I added some chocolate chips to the top of the cake. I didn’t have any mini chips, so I chopped up some regular semi-sweet chocolate chips in my chopper and sprinkled them on top of the cake. I’m not sure I did the best chopping job, but they were good, none-the-less.
Chocolate Poke Cake
This is one of my favorite cake recipes because it really is so easy to make. When you make the easy cake recipe is will feed about 16 people. It’s perfect for potlucks, dinner or birthday parties, office gatherings, or any time you need a cake.
Do you get intimidated by baking?
- Let me show you how to make the perfect peanut butter fudge.
- Make some pecan pie brownies that everyone loves. (These are popular on Pinterest)
Chocolate Poke Cake
Chocolate Poke Cake is a delicious recipe that is super easy to make and turns out moist every time. Poke cake can be made in a lot of different ways, and this time I used pudding to fill the holes, making this a rich and decadent dessert.
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25 oz. Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix
- 1-1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
Chocolate Instant Pudding
- 3.9 oz. Jell-O Instant Pudding
- 2 cups cold milk
Chocolate Frosting
- 2 sticks butter (softened)
- 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (add more if needed)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease and flour 13" x 9" baking dish.
Cake
- Add the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs to a large bowl. Mix together until well blended. Pour into the greased and floured baking dish.
- Bake for 32-35 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
- Allow to cool.
- Once the cake cools, poke holes throughout.
Instant Pudding
- Add the Jell-O Instant Pudding to a bowl.
- Pour the cold milk over the pudding and mix for two minutes.
- Spread the pudding over the cake with a spatula, gently working down into the holes. Gently scrape off any extra pudding.
Chocolate Frosting
- Add the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and heavy cream to a large bowl.
- Mix together until well blended. Add more cream if needed.
- Spread on the cake.
Optional: Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top
Notes
Refrigerate cake
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Pampered Chef Mix N Scraper #1657
-
Pyrex Basics 3 Quart Glass Oblong Baking Dish with Red Plastic Lid -13.2 INCH x 8.9inch x 2 inch
-
Duralex 100009 Made In France Lys Stackable 9-Piece Bowl Set
-
KitchenAid 606354-KHM512HT Hot Sauce 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer
-
OXO Good Grips Cake Tester – Non-Slip Handle – Simplify Baking
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16 piecesServing Size:
1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 167mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 3g
Nutrition is approximate.
For more delicious recipes check out Southern Plate , Julia’s Simply Southern, Southern Home Express, and South Your Mouth
Sweetened Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Bars - Back To My Southern Roots
Tuesday 23rd of April 2019
[…] Chocolate Poke Cake […]
Beverly
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
I love chocolate and this cake looks so yummy. Pinned to make. Congrats, you are being featured at Thursday Favorite Things. https://eclecticredbarn.blogspot.com/2019/04/thursday-favorite-things_17.html Hugs, Bev
Julie Pollitt
Friday 19th of April 2019
Awesome! Thank you so much!!
Marilyn
Wednesday 17th of April 2019
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #ThursdayFavoriteThings this week. Visit me at https://www.marilynstreats.com on thursday morning to see your feature! All hosts choose their own features from the comments left on their blog so be sure to return to my blog to see your feature. I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please don’t forget to add your link numbers or post title so we can be sure to visit!
Julie Pollitt
Friday 19th of April 2019
Hi Marilyn! Thanks so much! I am very excited!!
Baked Chicken Breast Recipe - Back To My Southern Roots
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
[…] Chocolate Poke Cake […]
Marilyn
Monday 15th of April 2019
Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared.
Julie Pollitt
Monday 15th of April 2019
Hi Marilyn! Thank you for pinning and sharing!