Next up in the easy (but delicious) desserts chapter: poke cake recipes. If you haven’t made one yet, here’s the deal. Poke holes in a cake, pour over flavors of your choice, and let goodness seep right inside.
It’s effortless, messy in the best way, and ridiculously good for how little work it takes.
Tried & True Poke Cake Recipes
The poke cake recipes here come from actual home cooks and blogging friends who actually make and love them. Tried and true bakes for people like us, i.e., lazy but still pursuing that dessert glory.
We’ve got flavors like tiramisu, hot cocoa, and gingerbread spice, so let’s not waste time and get right into it.
1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake
This chocolate cake with peanut butter filling and frosting is basically screaming from the rooftops for some attention.
Each moist bite, complete with a sprinkle of Reese’s cups, is like taking a sweet escape. Everyone will be asking for seconds. Or thirds.
RECIPE: Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake
2. Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
Basic vanilla cake gets into a long-term relationship with strawberry jello, resulting in a dessert that’s both simple and satisfying.
There’s also a creamy layer on top because why not? This poke cake is simple, but it does all the flavor heavy-lifting so you don’t have to.
RECIPE: Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
3. Lemon Curd Poke Cake Recipe
Moist lemon cake jammed with zingy lemon curd = dessert dreams, y’all. And guess what? It practically throws itself together (lookin’ at you, lazy bakers).
With a frosting of whipped cream, it’s light yet totally satisfying. And the nutrition stats aren’t too shabby, so you can literally have your cake and eat it too.
RECIPE: Lemon Curd Poke Cake Recipe
4. Death By Chocolate Poke Cake
This little cake is damn near irresistible. I mean, it’s stuffed with sweetened condensed milk AND topped with chocolate pudding??
Yes, please. It’s the moistest cake ever, and stays that way for days. If you want to bake something that is easy but incredible, THIS IS IT!
RECIPE: Death By Chocolate Poke Cake
5. Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
This fluffy white cake soaked in a sweet cinnamon mixture is a total treat. Cream cheese frosting on top adds that perfect finish.
This recipe is easy enough for anyone to tackle, even after a long day of adulting. Who knew dessert could be this simple and satisfying?
RECIPE: Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
6. Better Than Sex Poke Cake
Two fudgy chocolate cake layers soaking up all the homemade salted caramel sauce, then topped with pillowy clouds of whipped cream.
Sound like heaven? Yep. Sound hard to make? Nope. You’ll love both components for this: the decadent deliciousness and the bake-ahead simplicity.
RECIPE: Better Than Sex Poke Cake
7. Coconut Tres Leches Poke Cake
I see an oh-so-dreamy dairy-free dessert is in your future. A fluffy cake soaked in luscious coconut milk.
Almond or oat milk replaces the traditional sweetened condensed milk, making this treat actually possible. Topped with dreamy whipped coconut cream, this treat is worthy of celebration with your mouth.
RECIPE: Coconut Tres Leches Poke Cake
8. Hot Cocoa Poke Cake
Chocolate and marshmallow fluff join forces in this layered dessert that’s wildly easy and ridiculously delicious.
It’s hot cocoa in cake form, topped with whipped cream and mini marshmallows. A lazy treat for anyone who loves to sit by a fire and eat cake with a spoon.
RECIPE: Hot Cocoa Poke Cake
9. Banana Pudding Poke Cake
Banana pudding and cake just had a love child, and it’s delightfully delicious. Box mix for the win, this cake is packed with pudding for maximum moistness.
Whipped cream, bananas, and crushed wafer cookies get intimate on top of the cake. Perfect for parties and lazy humans, like me.
RECIPE: Banana Pudding Poke Cake
10. Strawberry Poke Cake (With Strawberry Sauce)
Name something better than a dessert that cooks itself? I’ll wait.
Light ‘n’ fluffy cake. Juicy strawberries. Whipped cream extravaganza. Basically, summer on a plate. The sweetness is off the chain on its own. And leftovers? Fat chance, my friend.
RECIPE: Strawberry Poke Cake (With Strawberry Sauce)
11. Oreo Poke Cake
If you’re a sucker for chocolate and lazy baking, get ready to have your mind blown by this doozy of a cake.
White chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed Oreos ALL IN ONE PLACE! Let me say that again for emphasis. Pudding and whipped cream. In one place!
RECIPE: Oreo Poke Cake
12. Tiramisu Poke Cake
This is everything you love about tiramisu, minus the fussiness.
A vanilla cake soaked in a coffee mixture, topped with a mascarpone whipped cream “frosting” and a big fat dusting of cocoa powder, a.k.a., no-fuss fancy. Try this recipe, you won’t regret it!
RECIPE: Tiramisu Poke Cake
13. Caramel Apple Poke Cake
Caramel and apples together in cake form? Count me in.
This easy dessert brings the flavors of fall right to your plate. Moist and sweet, it hides its box mix origins like a pro. Topped with whipped cream and peanuts, it’s basically autumnal TKO.
RECIPE: Caramel Apple Poke Cake
14. Red White and Blue Poke Cake
A fluffy white cake mingles with red and blue Jello for a sweet treat that steals the show.
Creamy whipped topping makes it the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Making this dessert a day ahead is key, letting flavors meld while you focus on other party essentials.
RECIPE: Red White and Blue Poke Cake
15. Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake
Peanut butter and chocolate? Together? That’s magic, right?
This gem of a dessert starts as a humble cake mix. But that pudding filling, y’all. It seeps into every crevice. With whipped cream and candy on top…it’s a MASSIVE flavor bomb. So easy to make. Impossible to resist.
RECIPE: Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake
16. Gingerbread Spice Poke Cake with Caramel
This dessert is a total crowd-pleaser, with warm spice and a sweet, moist texture.
There is irresistible richness from the combination of molasses and caramel. It feels festive but requires little effort to make. Perfect for any gathering or an afternoon snack.
RECIPE: Gingerbread Spice Poke Cake with Caramel
17. Hot Chocolate Poke Cake
This is not a fancy dessert. It’s a boxed mix with chocolate and marshmallow.
It’s easy to make, especially if you’ve got some hot fudge sauce and whipped topping in your pantry. Each bite is a sugar rush, a great ending to stressful days or dinner parties.
RECIPE: Hot Chocolate Poke Cake
18. Strawberry Tres Leches Poke Cake
Sponge cake doused in three kinds of milk is a dessert dream come true. Topped with strawberry whipped cream and fresh strawberries, it’s sweet but low-effort.
Impressive to adult friends and perfect for a midnight sugar binge. Honestly, what’s not to love about tres leches?
RECIPE: Strawberry Tres Leches Poke Cake
19. Lemon Poke Cake
Moist, lemony, and a total crowd-pleaser, this cake is heaven in every bite! It’s deliciously hard to resist with its bite of lemon glaze and whipped cream-on-top goodness.
And the best part? It’s made with simple ingredients and is super easy to put together. Poke holes in it! (It’s fun!)
RECIPE: Lemon Poke Cake
20. Boston Cream Poke Cake
This bad boy’s serving up a triple whammy of yellow cake, vanilla pudding, and chocolate ganache. So fire, so easy.
Perfect for procrastibakers. And that make-ahead fridge action? Oh man. We’re talking desserts for seven days of leftovers glory.
RECIPE: Boston Cream Poke Cake
Nothing Beats The Convenience of Poke Cake Recipes
These poke cake recipes seriously go the distance. They’re perfect for potlucks, holidays, birthdays, or any random excuse to eat cake. They’re easy to make, endlessly versatile, and basically foolproof.
No need to stress or overthink it. Just bake, poke, and let the cake do all the work.
