Easy And Decadent Chocolate Poke Cake Recipe

If you’re looking for an easy dessert that will wow your family and friends, look no further than this chocolate poke cake.

With just a few simple ingredients, you can create a delicious and decadent dessert that everyone will love.

So what are you waiting for? Try this recipe today!

Easy Poke Cake

Picture of cake on a plate

There are a lot of decadent chocolate cakes out there, but poke cake brings on a whole new meaning.

Poke cake takes a cake and brings it to another level. If you love cake and pudding, this is a great combination of the two desserts.

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 of chocolate cake mix that you’d like. 

Picture of chocolate cake

Moist Chocolate Cake

Poke cakes have been making a comeback for a while now. They are moist, easy to make, and bring a little more excitement to a cake.

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. 

Pin the recipe for later.

To Make the Chocolate Poke Cake You Will Need the Following Ingredients:

Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

  • 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

How To Make The Chocolate Poke Cake

  1. Start by adding the boxed cake mix, egg, vegetable oil, and water to a large mixing bowl and mix well.
  2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a greased and floured 9-inch by 13-inch pan.
  3. Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool.
  4. Next, poke holes in the cake with a skinny wooden spoon handle or a straw.
  5. Mix the instant chocolate pudding with milk until thick. Pour over the cake and spread out until the pudding is in all of the holes. Scrape off the excess pudding.
  6. Finally, add the butter, powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa, vanilla extract, and heavy cream to a medium bowl and mix well.
  7. Spread the frosting over the cake.
Picture of cake

Step-By-Step Instructions

Cake Mix

Picture of boxed cake mix powder

In a large bowl, add the box of 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. 

Picture of cake mix in a bowl

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. 

Picture of cake pan with flour

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 instead of white flour.

Picture of cake in a dish

Next, pour the cake batter into the baking dish.

Bake the cake according to the directions. Once it’s finished baking, allow it to cool before poking the holes. 

Picture of poke cake

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 end of my wooden spoon was sort of oblong and would have made the holes too big, so a straw did the job.

You can use the handle 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 hard plastic straw for the job and it worked great. 

Other Options For Filling The Holes

You can switch up the cake by adding different things to fill the holes.

  • Chocolate ganache (for a decadent chocolate cake)
  • Cool Whip
  • Hershey’s Chocolate Sauce (for a chocolate lover’s dream)
  • Whipped cream
  • Hot fudge sauce (for the ultimate chocolate poke cake)
  • Peanut butter mixed with sweetened condensed milk
  • Dark chocolate pudding

Instant Pudding

Picture of 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. 

Picture of milk and instant pudding in a bowl

Pour the milk into the bowl and mix with the pudding until it starts to thicken.

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. 

Picture of cake

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

I have a friend who likes the pudding as the cake frosting.

You can use the larger box of instant pudding and spread it into the holes and on top of the cake.

Homemade Frosting

Picture of butter in a bowl

Add the butter to a medium-sized bowl.

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…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.

Picture of butter and powdered sugar

Next, add the powdered sugar to the bowl. 

Picture of frosting ingredients

Then, you’re going to add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and unsweetened cocoa to the bowl. Mix everything together until it’s smooth. 

Picture of frosting.

TIP: 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 easily.

Plus, you’re going to refrigerate the cake, so the frosting will thicken up again. 

Picture of frosting on a cake.

Finally, spread the chocolate frosting on top of the cake. 

Picture of chocolate chips

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. 

Optional Toppings

  • Drizzle caramel sauce over the top
  • Chocolate shavings
  • Drizzle chocolate sauce over the top
  • Pieces of Snickers candy bar

Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

Picture of cake on a plate

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. 

Picture of chocolate cake

Other recipes y’all will love:

If you love chocolate cake, give this “Matilda” chocolate cake a try from Kelsey over at Dance Around The Kitchen.

Chocolate Poke Cake Recipe

If you love chocolate, and the thought of a delicious cake made with just a few ingredients sounds too good to be true – it’s not!

Here is the easy recipe for making your own poke cake at home. This will definitely satisfy any sweet tooth cravings or provide a great dessert option for company this holiday season.

The best part? It’s such an easy recipe. Scroll down below to find out how simple it can be.

Picture of chocolate cake

Chocolate Poke Cake

5 from 2 votes
Julie Pollitt
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. 
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Additional Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course Desserts
Cuisine American
Servings 16 pieces
Calories 303 kcal

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

Video

Notes

Refrigerate cake

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 3gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 167mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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10 Comments

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Hi Helen! Thanks so much. I’ll check it out!

  1. Miz Helen says:

    Your Chocolate Poke Cake looks delicious, we would love this cake. Hope you have a very special holiday and thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday.
    Miz Helen

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Hi Miz Helen! Thank you so much and thanks for stopping by.

  2. Thank you for sharing at #ThursdayFavoriteThings. Pinned and shared.

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Hi Marilyn! Thank you for pinning and sharing!

  3. 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!

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Hi Marilyn! Thanks so much! I am very excited!!

    1. Julie Pollitt says:

      Awesome! Thank you so much!!