This quadruple chocolate poke cake packs four layers of chocolate into one easy 9x13 dessert: a soft white cake soaked with chocolate pudding, a cocoa cream cheese frosting, a chocolate-swirled whipped topping and a shower of chocolate chips. It starts with a boxed cake mix, so it's simple enough for a weeknight and impressive enough for any party.
Every slice shows off dark chocolate pudding stripes running through the cake, and because the base is white cake, the chocolate never feels too heavy. If you love a make-ahead cake that feeds a crowd, take a look at all of our easy poke cake recipes too.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- White cake mix. A boxed mix keeps this chocolate poke cake easy. Any 13- to 15-ounce box works, such as Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix; just add the eggs, oil and water the box calls for. White or yellow cake gives the prettiest contrast with the chocolate stripes, but a devil's food mix turns it into an all-chocolate cake for serious chocoholics.
- Instant chocolate pudding. This is what makes it a chocolate pudding poke cake. Use a 3.4-ounce box of instant pudding mix, like Jell-O Simply Chocolate Instant Pudding. It has to be instant, not cook-and-serve, because it's whisked with cold milk and poured straight onto the cake. Chocolate fudge flavor or the standard 3.9-ounce box works too.
- Milk. One and a half cups thins the pudding just enough to sink into the holes, and the last 2 tablespoons loosen the frosting. Whole or 2% milk sets best; skim and most plant milks set softer.
- Cream cheese. Two full-fat blocks, softened at room temperature for about an hour, beat into a smooth, lump-free frosting. Reduced-fat cream cheese works but gives a softer layer.
- Cocoa powder and powdered sugar. A little unsweetened cocoa powder turns the cream cheese into a lightly sweet chocolate frosting. Sift both if they're lumpy, and add a few extra spoonfuls of powdered sugar if you like a sweeter frosting.
- Whipped topping, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips. Thawed whipped topping folded with Hershey's chocolate syrup and semisweet chocolate chips makes the light, airy top layer. For a homemade version, use about 3 cups of sweetened whipped cream instead.
- White chocolate sauce. A drizzle of Ghirardelli white chocolate sauce finishes the top. Melted white chocolate chips thinned with a few drops of milk work just as well.
Helpful Tips
Poke the cake while it's warm. After 15 to 20 minutes of cooling, the cake is firm enough to hold clean holes but still warm enough to soak up the pudding. Use the round handle of a wooden spoon and poke holes about an inch apart, pushing three-quarters of the way down and giving the handle a little wiggle to widen each hole.
Pour the pudding right away. Instant pudding starts to thicken within minutes, so whisk it for 2 minutes and pour it while it's still thin. Nudge it into the holes with an offset spatula. For neater, deeper stripes, fill a squeeze bottle or a cake injector with the pudding and fill each hole first, then spread the rest over the top.
Chill before you frost. Cream cheese frosting slides and melts on a warm cake. Refrigerate the pudding-filled cake for at least 30 minutes, until it's cool to the touch and the pudding on top has set.
Beat the frosting smooth, then spread it gently. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until fluffy before adding the cocoa and milk, so no lumps of cream cheese are left. Drop spoonfuls over the cake and connect them with the spatula rather than dragging one big mound across the soft pudding layer.
Give it the full chill time. Four hours in the fridge lets every layer firm up so the squares cut cleanly; overnight is even better. Wipe the knife between cuts for neat slices.
Variations
- Chocolate ganache. Skip the whipped topping layer and pour warm ganache over the frosted cake, like our Chocolate Ganache Poke Cake.
- Cookies and cream. Fold a cup of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies into the whipped topping instead of the chips, or try our Oreo Poke Cake.
- Toffee crunch. Sprinkle chopped toffee bars over the top for a sweet, buttery crunch, the same idea behind our Heath Bar Poke Cake.
- Chocolate peanut butter. Beat ¼ cup of creamy peanut butter into the frosting and top the cake with chopped peanut butter cups.
- Mint chocolate. Stir ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract into the whipped topping and finish with chopped chocolate mints.
- Mocha. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of instant espresso powder in the milk before whisking in the pudding mix.
Serving Ideas
Serve this chocolate poke cake cold, cut into 12 squares straight from the pan. A glass of cold milk or a cup of hot coffee is the classic partner, and a handful of fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries on the side cuts through all that rich chocolate.
Because it's made and served in one pan, it's a natural for birthdays, potlucks, cookouts and holiday dessert tables. Bake it in a lidded dish like this Pyrex 9x13 baking dish and it travels easily. Building a chocolate lover's dessert spread? Set it out next to a No Bake Chocolate Lasagna.
Storing & Freezing
Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. With cream cheese and whipped topping in the layers, it shouldn't sit out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. It's an ideal make-ahead dessert: the flavor and texture are at their best the day after it's made, once the pudding has fully soaked into the cake.
This chocolate pudding poke cake freezes well for up to 2 months. Freeze individual squares on a tray until firm, then wrap each one in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and add the white chocolate drizzle after thawing so it stays glossy. Leftover squares are also great eaten partially frozen, like an ice cream cake.
More Chocolate Desserts
If you loved this recipe, here are a few more you might enjoy:
- Pecan and Chocolate Chip Brownies
- Toasted Coconut Chocolate Pudding Parfait
- Caramel Toffee Poke Cake
- Strawberry Poke Cake Recipe
Recipe
Quadruple Chocolate Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (13 to 15 ounces), plus the eggs, oil and water called for on the box
- 1 box instant chocolate pudding mix 3.4-ounce (4-serving) size
- 1 ½ cups milk plus 2 tablespoons, divided
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened (225 g each)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 8 ounces whipped topping thawed
- 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- ¾ cup chocolate chips divided
- 2 tablespoons white chocolate sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- Heat the oven and mix the cake batter as directed on the cake mix box. Spread it in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan and bake according to the box directions, about 28 to 33 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the cake is still warm, use the round handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the top, about 1 inch apart and three-quarters of the way down. Wiggle the handle slightly to widen each hole.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the instant chocolate pudding mix with 1 ½ cups of the milk for 2 minutes. Immediately pour it over the cake while it is still thin, spreading it with a spatula so it fills the holes. For more even stripes, pour the pudding into a squeeze bottle, cake injector or piping bag and fill each hole first, then spread the rest over the top.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, until it is cool to the touch and the pudding has set.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the cocoa powder and the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk. Drop spoonfuls of the frosting over the cake and gently spread it into an even layer.
- In another bowl, gently fold together the whipped topping, chocolate syrup and ½ cup of the chocolate chips. Spread it evenly over the frosting.
- Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over the top and drizzle with the white chocolate sauce.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before cutting into 12 squares. Serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
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