Easter Poke Cake Recipe
A festive and colorful cake with swirled pastel layers, creamy white chocolate pudding filling, and fluffy homemade whipped topping, finished with Easter sprinkles for the perfect springtime treat!
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 323kcal
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce white cake mix plus ingredients on package
- {2} 3.3 ounce instant white chocolate pudding boxes
- 3 ½ cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink, blue, green and yellow food coloring
- Easter sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to temperature indicated in cake mix directions.
- Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
- Separate cake batter into four smaller bowls. Add one color of food coloring bowl of batter. The amount of food coloring needed will depend on the kind you are using.
- Place spoonfuls of each color batter into your prepared baking dish. Be sure to work quickly because the batter will spread. Also be sure to keep the same colors separated as much as you can. This will create a prettier finished product.
- Bake cake according to cake mix package directions.
- When cake is finished baking, allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Then, use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake.
- While cake is cooling, you can prepare pudding mixture. Add pudding mix and milk in a large bowl. Whisk until all pudding mix is dissolved.
- Pour pudding mixture over cake, trying to get as much as you can into the holes. Spread the remaining mixture evenly over top of the cake.
- Place cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until pudding is set.
- While cake is chilling, you can prepare your whipped cream frosting. Beat heavy whipping cream and vanilla in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. This will take 5-6 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and beat again until frosting is uniform.
- Spread frosting over chilled cake and finish it off with Easter sprinkles.
Notes
- Tips for Poking: Poke holes in the cake about an inch apart so that the pudding is dispersed evenly throughout. You can use the end of a wooden spoon, a large straw, or a skewer. Just be careful not to poke all the way through to the bottom of the cake, as it can make the cake a little too soggy.
- Swirl Batter Gently: You can use a toothpick to lightly swirl together the different colored batters. Just be careful not to overmix so that your colors don’t get too muddy!
- Spread Pudding Evenly: Be sure to pour your pudding slowly and evenly over the cake for the best results.
- Make It Ahead: This cake actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours—or even overnight—as the flavors meld.
- Add Sprinkles Just Before Serving: To keep the colors from bleeding into the frosting, wait to sprinkle until just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 698IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 193mg | Iron: 1mg