Pumpkin Poke Cake

Author Kristy Richardson

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings Pieces

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Chill Time 9 30

Total Time 10 25

This pumpkin poke cake has all the best fall flavors with pumpkin spice cake, creamy filling, fluffy topping, and a toffee crunch. It’s an easy make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving, potlucks, or a cozy family dinner.

Ingredients

▢ 13.25 ounce spice cake mix
▢ 29 ounces pumpkin puree plain, unsweetened
▢ 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
▢ 12 ounces frozen whipped topping defrosted, like cool whip
▢ ½ cup toffee bits I used Heath chocolate and toffee bits
▢ caramel sauce optional, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with spray cooking oil.
In a large bowl, add the spice cake mix and pumpkin puree. Mix well until combined with a silicone spatula. Pour into the prepared pan.
13.25 ounce spice cake mix, 29 ounces pumpkin puree
Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes. A toothpick will come out clean when inserted in the center, and the top will feel a little cakey all across the top. If you don't bake the cake long enough, it can make everything feel a little too doughy, so make sure it's cooked through in the center.
Let the cake cool for 15 minutes. Using a rounded handle of a spatula or wooden spoon to gently poke holes about 2 inches apart. The cake will still be a little warm and may tear if you aren't gentle.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk over cake and gently press into holes. The cake should still be a little warm, this helps the sweetened condensed milk spread. Let the cake cool on the counter for 1 ½ hours.
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
Spread the whipped topping over cake evenly. Sprinkle toffee bits over whipped cream.
12 ounces frozen whipped topping, ½ cup toffee bits
Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight, then slice and enjoy! Drizzle caramel topping on top of each plated slice as desired.
caramel sauce

Notes

You can use two 15 ounce cans of pumpkin, or one 29 ounce can of pumpkin puree in this recipe. It's about four cups of pumpkin puree total.

When poking the holes, if you work across the cake along the longer side, 7 rows of holes with 4 holes each the short way fit well across the cake. This doesn't have to be exact; we just want enough holes to have the filling in each piece.

Make sure to poke the holes gently. When we are poking the holes, the cake will still be a little warm (not hot!). We want the cake to be a little warm because it can help encourage the sweetened condensed milk to spread over the cake and into the holes. Since this is a two-ingredient cake, the crumb is a little more delicate than making a traditional cake.

Nutrition

Found on: onmykidsplate.com/pumpkin-poke-cake/