Easy Carrot Poke Cake
A delicious springtime dessert this easy carrot poke cake is flavored white chocolate for maximum indulgence. Light and soft carrot cake filled with white chocolate pudding and topped with rich cream cheese; this poke cake will have you coming back for seconds every time.
This recipe takes carrot cake to a whole other level! With it you have your classic carrot flavor, but it’s made more indulgent with the addition of white chocolate pudding. Rich, creamy, and topped with finger-licking cream cheese frosting, this Easter makes any dessert table better.
What Is Poke Cake?
In essence, a poke cake is exactly what it sounds like a cake in which you poke holes! After doing this, you pour pudding or syrup over the cake. It then infuses into it the cake adding extra flavor, moisture, and decadence.
Ingredients You Need
With only 5 ingredients, this carrot poke cake is easy to make!
- Boxed carrot cake mix: This is a quick and easy shortcut to making your own carrot cake. The boxed version comes out soft and tasty and works perfectly to absorb the liquid. You will also need the ingredients listed on the boxed mix to make the cake.
- White chocolate pudding mix: Taking a classic recipe and making it even better, make sure to grab the white chocolate and not a traditional vanilla pudding. This flavor variation makes the carrot poke cake so much tastier.
- Sweetened condensed milk: This helps to thin the pudding mixture so that it spreads evenly over the cake and can absorb well.
- Milk: Any milk you have in the fridge will work though plant-based milks won’t make the filling as rich.
- Homemade cream cheese frosting: You can easily use store-bought cream cheese frosting here but homemade always tastes just a little bit better.
Tips For Success
- Let It Cool: Once you pull the carrot cake from the oven and poke holes in it, let it cool for 5-10 minutes as you whip up the pudding mixture. Steaming hot cakes won’t absorb the liquid as well as warmed cakes. So, give it a few minutes.
- Chilling Time: The carrot poke cake needs time to chill before it’s frosted. You can either let it cool fully on the counter until it’s not hot to the touch or pop it into the fridge briefly to quicken up the process. This way, your cream cheese frosting doesn’t melt when it’s put on.
- Time It Right: The pudding needs to be poured over the cake quickly before it begins to set and becomes thick. However, you want to let your poke cake cool for a minute, so, don’t make the white chocolate pudding too early.
Storing Leftovers
This white chocolate carrot poke cake can easily be made in advance, saving you time in the kitchen. The flavors need a minute to come together so letting it chill actually works in your favor.
You’ll want to store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge as there is pudding in the cake. Like this, the carrot poke cake will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze the poke cake for up to 4 months. To do this, wrap the airtight container it’s stored in, in plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. To enjoy it, let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
Variations
The fun part about carrot cake is that you can vary the recipe with add-ons and decorations to make it exactly what you’re craving. Below are a few favorite ways to switch it up.
Nuts: Once you frost the carrot poke cake, sprinkle some crushed toasted pecans on top for an added crunch. These can also be mixed into the carrot cake batter and baked into the cake.
Sauce: One way to take this recipe to a whole other level is to drizzle a homemade chocolate or caramel sauce on top of the cream cheese frosting. Pure decadence.
Decorate: Adding on mini carrot sprinkles is always cute when you’re serving this cake for easter.
If you’re finding your poke cake is too soggy, chances are you’re poking holes too close together and allowing the pudding to pool.
A wooden spoon tends to be the best tool when poking holes in a cake. Make sure it is freshly cleaned and be gentle as the cake is soft. Wooden spoons provide nice big holes for the pudding to fill, making a moist poke cake.
Easy Carrot Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box carrot cake mix (plus ingredients called for on back of box
- 1 small box white chocolate pudding mix 3.4oz
- 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1¾ cup milk
- 1 batch homemade cream cheese frosting or 2 cans of cream cheese frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven according to the back of the box.
- Prepare cake mix as back of the box states. I personally like to swap out the water called for and use milk instead, as well as add an extra egg. It makes it taste more homemade, but this is completely optional.
- Bake according to directions on back of the box. Once the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over it using the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk with 1¾ cup milk. Mix in the white chocolate pudding mix, and allow the mixture to stand for 1 minute. Pour the mixture over top of the hot cake, making sure to get the pudding mixture in all of the holes. Let the cake cool completely, and then frost with cream cheese icing (homemade or 2 cans of store bought).
- Store in the refrigerator.
**drool**
Just made this for dessert tonight….AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmazing!
Wanted to make this right now, but all I had was a chocolate cake mix and chocolate pudding. I only had one can of frosting so I added a brick of cream cheese. After making this was a really good idea. Thank you for the idea.
I *HAVE* to make this. Carrot cake is my fave! Here’s my recipe for a similar cake I call, “Sex in a Pan.”
Use one can of Devil’s Food cake, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 jar of ice cream caramel, 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2 tubs Cool Whip, crumbled candy bar bits (My favorite is Heath, but I’ve also used Butterfinger and Snickers)
Make the cake and poke the holes and add the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce and top with the chocolate chips and put it back into the oven (You can turn the oven off. It should still be hot enough from baking the cake) for 15 min or so. Let it cool (This is the agonizing part, and I usually let it cool overnight so I don’t keep thinking about it) and spread the Cool Whip as the “icing” and top with candy bar crumbles.
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I made this cake for my husband for his birthday and he siad it was the best cake he has ever ate! Even my kids were amazed on how great it was! Making another cake today for my sons birthday but using butter pecan cake mix and cheescake pudding mix with creamcheese icing!
I’m so happy to hear this! So glad the recipe was a success – and Happy Birthday to your husband!
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