Pudding Poke Cake

More often than not, the best desserts are the simple, creative ones that combine two main ingredients. And even better are the impressive desserts that can be made without too much fuss. Enter the pudding poke cake.

Pudding poke cakes start with boxed cake mix that’s baked as directed. Holes are poked into the cake, then pudding is poured over the top to fill in the gaps. Finally, frosting is spread all over. It makes for the most delightful treat, with cake, frosting and the tasty surprise of luscious pudding in every bite. Plus, you can stick with a classic yellow cake and chocolate combination, or mix and match flavors to find your new favorite combo.

Pudding poke cakes are ideal as a part of a quick and easy family dinner, or even as an dessert to bring to a potluck.

Ingredients for Pudding Poke Cake

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• Yellow cake mix: No need to blindly guess as to which is the best-tasting cake mix at the store. Our Test Kitchen performed taste tests and found the best yellow cake mix based on texture, flavor and appearance.
• Milk: You’ll need a bit of 2% milk for the pudding and the frosting. You can use whole milk if you prefer.
• Pudding mix: Before heading to the checkout line, be absolutely sure your pudding mix is labeled as “instant” and not “cook and serve.”
• Butter: Soften one stick of butter so it whips up nicely with the confectioners’ sugar.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, confectioners’ sugar is the sweetener of choice for no-cook dessert recipes like frostings and icings.
• Baking cocoa: Whenever I need to stock up on cocoa powder, I always splurge on the best cocoa powder. High-quality chocolate products make a huge difference in the overall flavor of chocolate desserts.
• Garnishes: Finish the pudding poke cake with a flurry of chocolate sprinkles, mini chocolate chips or chocolate shavings.

Directions

Step 1: Bake the cake

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare and bake the cake mix according to package directions for a 13×9-inch pan. Cool the cake completely to room temperature in its pan on a wire rack.

Step 2: Poke the holes

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Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes down into the cake.

Step 3: Pour over the pudding

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In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and pudding mix for two minutes. Immediately pour the pudding mix into the holes and all over the top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Make the frosting

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Meanwhile, in a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter until it’s light and fluffy, three to five minutes. Gradually beat in 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar, the baking cocoa and the milk until smooth. Gradually beat in enough of the remaining confectioners’ sugar to reach the desired consistency.

Step 5: Frost the cake and serve

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Use a spatula to gently spread the frosting over the chilled cake. If you’d like, you can garnish the poke cake with chocolate sprinkles and mini chocolate chips. Serve the cake immediately, or place it back in the fridge to continue chilling and pull it out once you’re ready to enjoy a slice.

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Recipe Variations

• Use a different frosting: Vanilla poke cake with chocolate pudding can pair with a ton of other frosting-like toppings, such as homemade whipped cream, a thawed whipped topping, cream cheese frosting or a fruity strawberry frosting.
• Make the cake from scratch: Not a fan of boxed cake mix? You can use one of your favorite cake recipes instead! Just make sure the recipe creates enough cake batter for a 13×9-inch baking pan.
• Try a different cake-and-pudding combo: No need to stick to a vanilla poke cake with chocolate pudding! Try any cake or pudding mix favor that catches your eye or sparks creativity. Check out our tips section below for fun flavor combo ideas.
• Add a tipple: One of our favorite ways to make pudding mix taste homemade is omitting a small portion of the milk and replacing it with a nice liqueur. Kahlua, Irish cream, Chambord, Cognac or Bourbon would all work for instant chocolate pudding. Just make sure this dessert is saved for adults only.

How to Store Pudding Poke Cake

This poke cake should be kept refrigerated before serving. But the good news is that it tastes best when served cold! Keep the cake chilled until you’re ready to dig in (this is important for the pudding), and make sure the pan is covered in storage wrap so the cake, pudding and frosting don’t absorb any funky fridge smells. The cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Can you freeze pudding poke cake?

Unfortunately, pudding is one of the baked goods you shouldn’t freeze. Since it has such a high water content, it may separate when defrosted, giving the cake a wet texture. This cake is best when refrigerated and consumed within a week of being made.

Pudding Poke Cake Tips

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Should you use instant or cook-and-serve pudding for this cake?

Use instant pudding for this poke cake with pudding. The key to a pudding poke cake is pouring liquid into the holes created in the cake. Because of the way instant pudding turns from whisked liquid to a thicker pudding, this is the best option for a poke cake. Cook-and-serve pudding won’t allow for easy pouring of the pudding into the cake.

What other flavor combos can I make?

Pudding poke cake recipes are incredibly versatile, offering the option to mix and match flavors. Want something fruity? Consider a vanilla cake mix with strawberry or even lemon pudding. Banana pudding would be great, too, especially with banana slices and Nilla wafers on top of a whipped cream frosting.

Love chocolate? Bake a chocolate cake and pair it with chocolate fudge pudding. Strawberry cake with chocolate pudding would be a fun, chocolate-covered strawberry combo. Consider pouring cheesecake or butterscotch pudding into the holes of a spiced cake. The options are endless!

Can I bake the cake in a different-sized pan?

Absolutely! Instead of a 13×9-inch pan, you can use two 9-inch round pans or two 8-inch square pans.