The 20 Best Poke Cake Recipes
The 20 Best Poke Cake Recipes
From classic flavors to unique twists, explore our roundup of the 20 best poke cake recipes you’ll ever taste.
We’ve hand-selected each recipe in this post from either our own stash of tried-and-true poke cake recipes or from blogs that we consider to be top-notch-cream-of-the-crop sources for excellent dessert recipes.
No matter which one you decide to try first– you just can’t lose.
FYI: this Simple Lemon Poke Cake doesn’t have the traditional Cool Whip topping, but it’s my personal favorite!
Why is it called a Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a type of dessert that has been popular for decades. It’s a simple yet delicious cake that gets its name from the process used to make it.
And why is it called a poke cake? The name “poke” comes from the technique used in making this cake. After baking, holes are poked into the top of the cake using a fork or skewer, and then a filling or topping (such as: caramel sauce, pudding, sweetened condensed milk, etc) is poured over these holes to add extra flavor and moisture to the cake.
How to Make A Basic Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box of your favorite cake mix (plus ingredients needed on the back of the box)
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- Cool Whip for topping
Overview
Step 1: Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended on the back of your cake mix box. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan and set aside.
Step 2: Prepare your cake batter according to the instructions on the back of your cake mix box. Mix until smooth and pour into prepared pan.
Step 3: Bake your cake in preheated oven until golden brown and fully cooked through. Typically, this should take about 30 minutes but check regularly by inserting a toothpick into center of cake; if it comes out clean, then it’s ready!
Step 4: Once baked, remove from oven and let cool for at least five minutes before using handle-end of wooden spoon to poke holes across entire surface area.
Step 5: Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over top surface area so mixture fills holes completely & seeps down throughout entire body evenly. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Step 7: After refrigeration time has elapsed, spread Cool Whip on top and enjoy!
The Ultimate Collection of The 20 Best Poke Cakes
Get inspired by our list of the most delicious 20 poke cakes that are guaranteed to impress your family and friends.
Simple Lemon Poke Cake
This lemon cake is incredibly simple, but don’t let that fool you! It’s supremely moist and bursting with springtime lemon flavor.
Strawberry Poke Cake
Strawberry Cake soaked in homemade strawberry sauce, spread with a whipped topping, and topped with white chocolate-filled pirouettes.
Grandma’s Pig Cake Recipe
This one flirts with the line of actually being a poke cake or not, but we're counting it! This is our grandma's recipe for "Pig Cake," and it's SO GOOD.
Lemon Curd Poke Cake Recipe
Another lemony poke cake, but this one is filled with lemon curd and topped with whipped cream. Pucker up-- it's delicious!
Pumpkin Tres Leches Recipe
What is Tres Leches if not the granddaddy of all poke cakes?! This one tops the charts in our opinion and is delicious any time of year.
Cookie Dough BTS (Poke) Cake Recipe
Cookie dough lovers-- rejoice! This one is just for you.
Better Than Valentine’s Day… Red Velvet Poke Cake Recipe
So yummy and festive for Valentine's day!
Better than a Pot O’ Golden Oreos… Rainbow Poke Cake Recipe
This rainbow poke cake is super fun for St. Patrick's Day. And the Golden Oreos on top are a super cute pun!
Better Than Thin Mints… Grasshopper Poke Cake Recipe
The exciting part about this Mint Chocolate Poke Cake? The layer of chocolatey ganache goodness right there in the middle!
BTS or Poke Cake Recipe
This is the classic recipe for a traditional poke cake.
Death by Chocolate BTS Poke Cake Recipe
Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Yes, please!
Hot Fudge Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe
Sweet pumpkin cake filled with hot fudge and topped with whipped cream. Perfect for that transition from summer into Fall!
Peppermint Poke Cake Recipe
It's like peppermint hot chocolate in cake form. Yum!
Gingerbread Poke Cake Recipe
This one is so great for Christmas! It combines a festive appearance with a delicious twist on gingerbread cake. 10/10 for sure!
Red Velvet Turtle Poke Cake Recipe
This one definitely makes my Top 3. Everything about it is perfect, and you should absolutely go make this today!
Red, White, and Blue Poke Cake Recipe
Berry pie filling, white cake, and Cool Whip come together harmoniously in this deliciously patriotic poke cake!
Strawberry Jell-O Poke Cake Recipe
Another traditional poke cake recipe! Sweet Jell-O soaks through the white cake layer and is topped with whipped cream. The simplicity is overwhelmingly perfect.
Salted Caramel Cheesecake Poke Cake Recipe
A traditional poke cake uses sweetened condensed milk to fill the holes and moisten the cake. In a delicious twist, this cake is soaked with caramel sauce and topped with whipped cream.
Pumpkin Poke Cake
This was the first viral recipe I ever created-- and for good reason! It's the most epic pumpkin dessert you'll ever eat, I promise.
Peanut Butter Cup Poke Cake Recipe
I feel like the peanut butter whipped cream on top is what really makes this cake EXTRA.
Carrot Cake Poke Cake Recipe
Another one of my Top 3-- surprisingly enough! I'm not a big carrot cake fan, but this one happens to be over-the-top incredible.
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