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Chocolate Poke Cake is the ultimate make ahead dessert, a fudgy chocolate cake soaked with sweetened condensed milk and chocolate, then crowned with pillowy chocolate whipped cream. I made one for a family movie night and Maddie called it the best chocolate cake ever, while Lizzie went back for thirds. If you love an easy, crowd pleasing cake, this is right up there with our raspberry jello poke cake.
A boxed cake mix and a few simple add ins do the work, so you get a rich, bakery worthy cake with almost no fuss.
Chocolate Poke Cake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes (includes cooling)
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 637kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Deeply chocolatey, rich, and ultra moist
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our raspberry jello poke cake
Quick Answer
To make a Chocolate Poke Cake, bake a doctored chocolate cake mix in a 9×13 pan, cool it for 30 minutes, then poke holes all over the top with a fork. Whisk together sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup and pour it over the cake so it soaks into the holes. Top with homemade chocolate whipped cream, finish with chocolate sauce, and chill before serving.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Poking holes soaks in extra flavor. Stabbing the warm cake all over lets the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate seep deep inside for a moist, gooey crumb.
- A doctored cake mix tastes homemade. Adding pudding, Greek yogurt, oil, and an extra egg gives a boxed mix a rich, dense, from scratch texture.
- Sweetened condensed milk makes it ultra moist. The thick, sweet milk fills every hole and keeps the cake incredibly soft for days.
- Chocolate pudding in the whipped cream stabilizes it. Beating instant pudding mix into the whipped cream keeps it sturdy and sliceable while adding even more chocolate flavor.
- It is a true make ahead dessert. This Chocolate Poke Cake actually tastes better after chilling, so it is perfect to make the day before a party.
- It feeds a crowd from one pan. A single 9×13 cuts into 12 generous squares, ideal for potlucks, birthdays, and holidays.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It delivers triple chocolate richness, in the cake, the filling, and the frosting, from one easy recipe.
- A boxed mix shortcut means it comes together fast, even on a busy weeknight.
- It is a guaranteed party hit, right alongside our Italian love cake on a dessert table.
Key Ingredients
Here is what comes together to make this rich Chocolate Poke Cake. Most of it is pantry and fridge staples.
- Chocolate cake mix: The easy base. A boxed mix gets doctored up so it bakes into a dense, moist, homemade tasting cake.
- Chocolate fudge instant pudding: Used in both the cake and the frosting for extra chocolate flavor and a sturdier texture.
- Sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup: Whisked together into the filling that soaks down into every poked hole.
- Greek yogurt: Adds moisture and a subtle richness that makes the cake taste like it came from a bakery.
- Heavy cream and powdered sugar: Whipped into a luscious chocolate frosting that crowns the whole cake.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This Chocolate Poke Cake is easy to make your own with a few simple swaps.
- Add candy: Sprinkle crushed toffee bits, chocolate chips, or chopped peanut butter cups over the frosting.
- Try caramel: Swap half the chocolate syrup in the filling for caramel sauce for a turtle style cake.
- Make it mocha: Stir a teaspoon of espresso powder into the cake batter to deepen the chocolate flavor.
- Use cool whip: Short on time? Top with thawed whipped topping instead of homemade whipped cream.
- Go all out: Drizzle with extra chocolate sauce and a swirl of our chocolate cream cheese frosting.
How to Make Chocolate Poke Cake
- Mix all of the cake ingredients together until fully combined, then spread the thick batter into a greased 9×13 baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 28 to 32 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes, then poke holes all over the top with a fork.
- Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup until smooth, then pour it evenly over the top so it soaks into the holes.
- Beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and chocolate fudge pudding mix to stiff peaks, then spread the chocolate whipped cream over the cake.
- Drizzle with extra chocolate sauce and add a sprinkle of your favorite topping, then chill, slice, and serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Poke the holes while the cake is still warm. A warm cake soaks up the sweetened condensed milk filling much better than a cold one.
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon for bigger pools. A fork makes small holes, a spoon handle makes deeper wells for extra filling.
- Chill before serving. An hour or two in the fridge lets the filling set and the flavors meld into a truly moist cake.
- Stabilize the whipped cream with pudding. The instant pudding mix keeps the frosting firm so your slices stay neat.
- Do not overbake the cake. Pull it as soon as a tester comes out clean so it stays moist under all that filling.
- Make it a day ahead. This Chocolate Poke Cake only gets better overnight, making it a stress free party dessert.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This Chocolate Poke Cake is rich enough to stand on its own, but a few finishing touches take it over the top. Serve chilled squares with an extra drizzle of chocolate sauce, a handful of chocolate shavings, or a few fresh raspberries for a pretty pop of color against all that chocolate.
It is a natural for birthdays, potlucks, and holiday dessert tables. Set it out next to our strawberry earthquake cake or a scoop of our red velvet ice cream for a dessert spread that covers every chocolate and fruit craving in the room.
For an extra special treat, serve each square slightly warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting over the top. A cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee is the perfect partner. Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge, so this is one cake you will be happy to have around all week.
Chocolate Poke Cake FAQs
A Chocolate Poke Cake is a chocolate cake that is baked, poked full of holes, and then soaked with a sweet filling, in this case sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup. The filling seeps into the holes, making the cake incredibly moist and rich. It is then topped with chocolate whipped cream for a triple dose of chocolate in every bite.
Yes, and it is actually better when made ahead. This Chocolate Poke Cake needs time to chill so the filling can set and soak in, so making it the day before a party is ideal. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and add any final chocolate drizzle or toppings just before serving for the freshest look.
Because of the whipped cream frosting and condensed milk filling, Chocolate Poke Cake should be stored covered in the refrigerator. It keeps well for up to 4 days. Press a piece of plastic wrap gently over the cut edges to keep them from drying out, and the cake will stay moist and delicious all week.
You can freeze the soaked cake before frosting it. Wrap the cooled, filled cake tightly and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge and add the whipped cream topping fresh. Freezing the fully frosted Chocolate Poke Cake is not recommended, as the whipped cream can change texture once thawed.
If you are short on time, you can top this Chocolate Poke Cake with a tub of thawed whipped topping instead of homemade chocolate whipped cream. You can even fold a little chocolate pudding mix into the whipped topping for extra flavor and stability. Either way, the cake turns out rich and delicious.
Poking holes is what makes a Chocolate Poke Cake so moist and flavorful. The holes give the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate filling somewhere to go, letting it soak deep into the cake instead of just sitting on top. The result is a cake that is gooey, rich, and packed with flavor in every forkful.
Craving more easy cakes? Try our raspberry jello poke cake next, another simple poke cake that always disappears fast.
You will also love our 4th of July Cake, a no fuss firecracker bundt for summer cookouts.
You will also love our berry 4th of July Trifle, a no bake friendly layered dessert for summer cookouts.
Craving more chocolate? Our peanut butter brownies are an easy boxed mix shortcut with a gooey center.
Make any dessert better with our homemade hot fudge sauce, thick, glossy, and pourable.
Craving cozy chocolate? This creamy chocolate rice pudding melts real chocolate into every spoonful.
Love a classic? Bake our from scratch Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting next.
Building a dessert table? Add our Funfetti Cupcakes.
Chocolate Poke Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 16 ounce box of chocolate cake mix
- 3 ounces package chocolate fudge instant pudding dry
- 5 ounces plain greek yogurt
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup chocolate syrup
Frosting:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 cake pan, set aside.
- Mix together all the cake ingredients until fully combined.
- Transfer to the prepared cake pan. The batter will be thick and you will need to use a rubber spatula to spread it out.
- Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 30 minutes and stab with a fork all over the top of the cake.
- For your filling, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup until fully incorporated.
- Once fully mixed, pour over the top of the holes in the cake.
- For the frost, in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together the frosting ingredients until thick and fluffy.
- Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake and top with chocolate sauce, sprinkles, or fruit, if desired.
Notes
- Use any of your favorite chocolate cake mixes.
- Make sure that you are using instant pudding for this cake.
- Canola oil and sour cream can be substituted for the vegetable oil and greek yogurt.
- We do not recommend freezing this cake.
- Top with more chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles if desired.
Nutrition
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I made this to go with my family’s Christmas dinner and we all loved it! Thanks for sharing this recipe and Happy New Year!