Pumpkin Poke Cake
Pumpkin Poke Cake is an irresistible pumpkin cake that is soaked in pudding, topped with Cool Whip, and drizzled in caramel sauce. It is a must make this fall for every pumpkin lover!
If you haven't noticed, I sort of have a thing for pudding poke cakes. I have a caramel banana poke cake and a strawberry poke cake on here, and I honestly can't pick which one I love more. I also go crazy over this absolutely insane Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake! But this Pumpkin Pudding Poke Cake? It is giving the chocolate one a run for its money! If you are a pumpkin lover, this pudding poke cake with pumpkin is a MUST MAKE!
Pumpkin Poke Cake
If you've never heard of a pudding poke cake, you're probably wondering what it is and what's the big deal? Pudding poke cakes start off with a basic cake recipe. I typically use a cake mix of whatever variety of poke cake I'm making. This saves time and is just so easy. The pumpkin cake in this recipe is a "doctored up" cake mix recipe. I used a yellow cake mix and then added some pumpkin and pumpkin spices for a semi-homemade pumpkin cake.
Then after the cake is baked, you poke holes in it and pour pudding over it. I used vanilla pudding in this case. If you can find a pumpkin pudding mix, go for it! The cake made with the vanilla pudding still had a ton of pumpkin flavor, though!
To top it off, I use Cool Whip for the frosting. So easy, and delicious!
Ingredients in Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Yellow Cake Mix
- Canned Pumpkin
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Nutmeg
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Ginger
- Vanilla Pudding Mix
- Milk
- Cool Whip
This Pumpkin Pudding Poke Cake was a huge hit with my family and our friends who tried it! The pudding that is poured over top of the cake ensures the cake stays really moist and I think that is what makes this cake so irresistible.
Pumpkin Poke Cake FAQ's
Can this cake be made ahead of time?
Yes! This cake needs to be made ahead of time to accommodate the 2 hours of chilling time. I think making this cake up to 24 hours in advance works well, without it getting soggy.
Can sugar-free pudding mix be used?
I haven't tried this because I don't prefer the taste of sugar-free pudding, but I think it would still work just as well.
Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices?
Yes, that would also work. I would use 2 teaspoon of the pumpkin pie spice in place of the regular spices.
Like this recipe? Check these out, too!
Pumpkin Bars with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 yellow cake mix
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup water
- 4 large eggs
- 14 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 3.4 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix *divided use
- 2 cups milk
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
- caramel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, water, pumpkin puree, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves and mix well to combine.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. The top will be slightly golden and will spring back when touched in the middle.
- Once out of the oven, poke the cake all over with either a fork or the end of a spatula, for larger holes.
- In a bowl, mix together the pudding mix and milk and pour over the warm cake.
- Let the cake cool for about 30 minutes and then top with Cool Whip.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Can't wait to make this! The ingredient list says the pudding has divided use, but I don't see that mentioned in the instructions. Do you use all of the pudding in the recipe?