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This Chocolate Poke Cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! A decadent chocolate mixture seeps into every nook and cranny of an already supremely moist chocolate cake. The whole thing is topped with fluffy chocolate whipped cream, making it the ultimate chocolate dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Poke Cake Recipe
One of the great things about poke cakes is that they are so easy to make. Plus, there are so many fun ways to make them. This one is all about chocolate though and is a go-to recipe for a fabulous dessert.
- So. Much. Chocolate. From the chocolate cake to the chocolate sauce to the chocolate whipped cream topping (and the chocolate sprinkles on top of it all), this dessert is loaded with glorious, rich chocolate flavor.
- Miraculously moist. This cake is so moist! Even before you pour the chocolate mixture over it. With the chocolate mixture, though? It soaks into every bit of the cake, making it supremely ooey-gooey and fabulous.
- A recipe for any skill level. This recipe is so easy to make. The cake itself is super simple and the chocolate sauce and whipped cream topping come together in minutes. All that’s left to do is poke some holes in the cake, pour the sauce over it, and add the whipped cream topping.
What Is Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a simple sheet cake with a spin. Once the cake comes out of the oven, you pokes holes all over the top of the still-warm cake and then drizzle some sort of sweet mixture (in this case, a chocolate mixture) over the top. The sauce seeps into the holes in the cake, infusing it with extra flavor and moisture. Most poke cakes are finished with a whipped cream topping but feel free to experiment with other frosting options.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for this chocolate poke cake recipe. The ingredients are pretty straightforward and easy to find. Check out the recipe card below for precise measurements.
Chocolate Cake
- All-purpose flour – I highly suggest using the spoon and level method or a food scale to get the proper amount of flour here. Otherwise, you’ll have a dry, dense cake.
- Sugar
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda – For the perfect rise. There’s no baking powder used here.
- Salt – Without a little salt, you’ll have a bland cake.
- Eggs – Be sure to use large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Milk – I usually use whole milk or 2%.
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Hot water – The hot water helps the cocoa powder bloom for the biggest chocolate flavor possible.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Milk chocolate chips would also be fine.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Heavy whipping cream – The heavy cream must be cold. If it is too warm, it won’t whip up and hold volume properly.
- Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar works to sweeten the whipped cream as well as to stabilize it.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa powder – You can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder if you’d like an even richer chocolate flavor and darker color.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate sprinkles – The chocolate sprinkles are optional but fun. Feel free to use chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips instead.
How To Make Chocolate Poke Cake
Here’s a brief overview of how to make the moistest chocolate poke cake ever. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Prep. Grease the bottoms and sides of a 9X13-inch cake pan and preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Make the cake batter. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla, followed by the hot water.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes.
- Poke. Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over.
- Make the chocolate sauce. Combine the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips, microwave for about 30-60 seconds, then whisk until smooth.
- Soak the cake. Immediately spread the sauce over the cake.
- Chill. Allow the cake to cool completely in the fridge.
- Make the whipped cream topping. Whip together the heavy cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Put it all together. Spread the whipped cream over the cake and top with chocolate shavings.
Tips & Tricks
Striving for greatness? Take a look at these pro tips from my kitchen to yours. They’ll help you achieve the best results possible.
- Measure the flour accurately. Too much flour can give you a dry, dense cake. So make sure to measure it correctly using a food scale or the spoon and level method. Check out my post on How to Measure Flour for more information
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cake batter, mix just until everything is incorporated. No more. Over-mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to over-develop, giving you an overly dense cake.
- Hot water. The water used in the cake batter should be hot. The heat helps the chocolate in the cocoa powder bloom, giving you the best chocolate flavor possible.
- Work quickly. You want to pour the chocolate sauce over the cake while the cake and the sauce are still warm. If the sauce cools too much, it will thicken and won’t seep into the holes as well. Additionally, the flavors of the sauce will seep into the cake more effectively if the cake is still warm.
- Cold heavy cream. The heavy cream for the whipped cream topping must be cold. If it is too warm, it won’t whip up and hold volume properly and you’ll end up with a runny whipped cream.
- Allow the cake to cool. Before adding the whipped cream topping, allow the poke cake to cool completely. Otherwise, the chocolate whipped cream won’t sit on top of the cake properly.
Proper Storage
- Refrigerator. Leave the cake in the baking dish and cover it tightly with a double layer of plastic wrap or a layer of foil. You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Wrap the poke cake in a double layer of plastic wrap (leave it in the baking dish) and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow the leftovers to thaw in the fridge before diving back in.
More Poke Cake Recipes To Try
- Chocolate Turtle Poke Cake
- Baileys Chocolate Poke Cake
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- Red Wine Chocolate Poke Cake
- Oreo Chocolate Poke Cake
Watch How To Make It
This recipe was updated 7/16/24. For the old version, download the PDF of the recipe. The new version uses a homemade cake, rather than a cake mix.
Print
Recipe
Chocolate Poke Cake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12-15 Servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Chocolate Poke Cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! A decadent chocolate mixture seeps into every nook and cranny of an already supremely moist chocolate cake. The whole thing is topped with fluffy chocolate whipped cream, making it the ultimate chocolate dessert.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup (169g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Whipped Cream Topping
- 2 cups (480) heavy whipping cream, cold
- 3/4 cup (86g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (29g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate sprinkles, optional
Instructions
- Prepare a 9×13-inch cake pan by greasing the bottom and sides. Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C).
- Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and whisk together until well combined. Don’t over mix.
- Add the hot water and whisk together until well combined. Don’t over mix. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over. I use a knife sharpening rod, but you could also use a straw or the end of a wooden spatula.
- While the cake is still warm, add the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Whisk the chocolate mixture until smooth, then immediately pour over the cake, spreading it over and into the holes. Don’t let the mixture sit before pouring it over the cake or it’ll start to thicken and not soak in the holes as well.
- Set the cake in the fridge to cool and soak.
- When the cake has cooled, add the ingredients for the whipped cream topping to a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake. Top with chocolate shavings, if desired.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Cake is best if eaten within 4-5 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 556
- Sugar: 56.9 g
- Sodium: 379.7 mg
- Fat: 28.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 74 g
- Protein: 7.8 g
- Cholesterol: 52.2 mg
Do you let the cool at all before you poke the holes in it and pour the chocolate on it?
No, I poke the holes and pour the chocolate over it while it’s still warm.
My husband found this recipe on his facebook timeline and I made it yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner at a friend’s house. It was a hit… absolutely yum recipe… I did tweak it a little bit to match our sweetness levels…Absolute keeper of a recipe!! Thank you for sharing. I linked this post my blog.
https://lifescribblesovercoffee.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/chocolate-poke-cake/
Thanks again!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Looks great!
I don’t know what happened with the whip cream part, mine isn’t getting anything like whip cream. It’s like runny pudding. How long do you whip it and do you use a mixer or your hand? Might want to add directions for us whip cream novices.
Hi Mandy, I’m sorry that part wasn’t clear. For more details instructions, please refer to this post.
The link you posted for detailed instructions on whipped cream no longer works.
Thank you for letting me know. I’ve updated it.
So last week hubby was browsing facebook and came across this recipe and begged me to make it. So tonight I did. As I was making this I tasted different components and was afraid it would be bitter from the semisweet chocolate and the unsweetened cocoa. I was wrong. Hubby absolutely loved it! Said “poke cake is his new favorite dessert.” Thanks for the great recipe, will definitely add this to my dessert repertoire.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks Sierra!
The cake looks delicious, I love chocolate, but I would like that will place the weight of the ingredients in a far easier to understand, for example, in grams, thanks in advance.
for the rest, I love your recipes.
is this regular coco or unsweetened? Thank you
unsweetened
Do you let the cake cool before pouring chocolate/condensed milk over it or do that while it’s still hot?
You’ll pour the chocolate/condensed milk over the cake while it’s still hot.
hiya what powdered sugar is it please really want to make this 🙂
i know now lol
Can Iask on whip topping it says 1/2 powered sugar the 1/4 with cocoa can you explain
I’m not sure what’s confusing. It’s 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.
Is the chocolate sauce Hershey’s syrup, or something else?
I use this chocolate sauce.
Made the chocolate poke cake for Christmas but instead of choc sauce I covered the top with brandied cherries and sprigs of mint! it was a winner. Thank you for the easy recipe for a non-pro baker that was a hit with the family 🙂
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
If this was any better, it would need a license by the FDA! And, it this cake became illegal, I would be one of the first offenders! I made this for a cookout, and it got so quiet when it was served. Lots of happy faces! The chocolate sweetened condensed milk pour over made the cake. Great job once again, Lindsay!
HA! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
So I was at target buying my ingredients for the cake, there was one thing that target didn’t have. And it was whip cream! Ugh, it was so frustrating. I got cool whip instead and was wondering if i can substitute that instead?
Frustrating! But yes, you can definitely sub in the cool whip. 🙂
I am still in the process of making your chocolate poke cake and cannot rate it as yet. i just have a concern that the condensed milk with melted choc. chips is so thick, it will form more of a layer on top of the cake. Will it really soak into the cake overnight in the refrigerator? Thanks.
It should soak into the cake just fine. I would suggest adding it while the cake is still warm, to help with the mixture staying warm and soaking into the holes. You still might have a little bit that settles on top, but most of it should soak in.
How would you sub the cool whip? Would you still use the powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla or just the cocoa?
Yes, just the cocoa. I haven’t actually tried adding it to cool whip before, but I assume it’d be fine.
Strange that Target didn’t have whipping cream. They usually have it but not where the milk is. They have half and half & I believe they carry Knudsen & the Market Pantry brand of whipping cream. Maybe ask someone that works there. We have several Targets in my area & they all have it. So I assume they have it at their other stores as well.
I only have one thing to say about this cake: I LOVE IT! It feels so good just to look at it. And i’m pretty sure that it tastes good too.
It’s impossible to have too much chocolate 🙂
Oh my gosh I seriously think I could eat that whole cake! LOVE all that chocolate!
I want to devour this poke cake! I’m loving all the chocolate. I’ve actually never made a poke cake but I think it’s time I do!
If you’re gonna premiere a poke cake, this is the way to do it! I love subbing in the ganache for the SCM. So much better that way! Not a shock from the woman who makes the best cake!