Chocolate Poke Cake
This Chocolate Poke Cake is ultra-moist, intensely chocolatey, and filled with warm homemade pudding. It’s finished with a glossy chocolate frosting that sinks into every bite. Decadent doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Chilling Time 4 hours hrs
Total Time 5 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Cake:
- 1¾ cups flour
- 1¾ cups sugar
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brewed coffee cooled
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Pudding:
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 2¼ cups milk
- 1 tbsp butter
Poured Frosting:
- ⅓ cup milk
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1¼ cups sugar
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13 pan.
Combine milk + lemon juice and let sit 5 min (to make buttermilk).
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder.
Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes. Batter will be thin.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake 30–40 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Pudding:
In a saucepan, whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Add cold milk.
Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it boils.
Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in butter.
Let cool 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Assemble:
Poke holes all over warm cake with the end of a wooden spoon.
Pour warm pudding over cake, spreading to fill holes.
Chill 30 minutes before frosting.
Frosting:
In saucepan, combine milk, butter, and sugar. Boil 45 seconds.
Remove from heat, stir in chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth.
Immediately pour over cake.
Chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
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Don’t skip the coffee — it enhances chocolate flavor but doesn’t taste like coffee.
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Use whole milk for richer pudding.
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Let cake chill overnight for best texture and flavor.