Chocolate Poke Cake

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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, buttermilk, 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

Read Transcript

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.

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