Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe: With only 4 ingredients, this may just be your new favorite easy pumpkin dessert! It uses a cake mix, pudding mix, milk, and pumpkin puree!
Quick Overview: You’ll bake this cake recipe for 25 minutes and then chill for 2 hours! Simple, easy, sweet, and perfect for fall! Next, you’ll want to try these pumpkin cheesecake bites, so you can really capture the taste of fall!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe:
During pumpkin season, pumpkin spice poke cake or, if you choose, to add caramel, this pumpkin caramel poke cake, will be one of your new favorite pumpkin desserts! (Well, besides these pumpkin cheesecake bars and this pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust, of course!)
You will want to make this easy poke cake recipe a few hours in advance, as it has a 2 hour chill time but it’s going to be WORTH IT! (Since this has a chill time, you might as well make this no bake peanut butter pie while you’re at, so it can be chilling too!)
Although this pumpkin pie poke cake calls for a spice cake mix, you can easily use a white cake mix or yellow cake mix, and choose which pudding mix you prefer, making this a totally customizable dessert! (See more about this below!)
Jump to:
Ingredients
Like our lemon poke cake, you won’t need a lot of ingredients to make this dessert, so go ahead, grab your favorite flavors from the grocery store, and get ready to make this dessert on repeat during the time of year where you crave fall flavors!
- 15.25 ounce Spice Cake mix (or yellow cake mix or white cake mix if you prefer – it may just lack the “spice” of fall flavors, so you may want to add a little pumpkin pie spice.)
- 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree
- 2 – 3.4 ounce instant pudding mix (Use can choose to use 2 cheesecake flavor puddings or combine 1 white chocolate pudding with 1 vanilla pudding!)
- 4 cups of milk (for the standard pudding box directions)
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Next, in a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin puree until fully mixed.
- Pour the cake batter in to a greased 8×10, 9×9 square or 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly.
(This recipe was made in an 8×10 size baking dish so if you do use a bigger cake pan, the bake time may vary if a larger. So be sure to watch the cake, as a bigger baking dish will make the batter more thin, and cook faster.
- Then, bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in to the center, comes out clean.
Poke and Fill
- As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, grab a wooden spoon that has a narrow end, and poke holes, about 1 inch apart, over the entire top of the cake.
- In a small bowl, mix the instant pudding according to the package directions.
- Next, scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and pour the pudding over the top of the cake, slowly, allowing the mixture to settle into the holes.
- Next, refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.
Finally, decorate with sprinkles, cinnamon, or white chocolate chips if preferred! See our list of ideas below!
Or, if desired, you can drizzle with Torani Pumpkin Pie syrup, caramel syrup or chocolate syrup!
How to Serve Pumpkin Poke Cake
Surprisingly, this cake is delicious, served cold! But it can also be served at room temperature if desired.
Substitutions
If you don’t have spice cake mix on hand, you can use different flavors of cake mix. Such as white cake mix, or yellow cake mix. However, when using a different cake mix flavor, it can lack the fall flavors of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, etc. So it may not give the exact flavor of this exact recipe but I’m sure it would still be delicious!
Topping Ideas
If you’d like to top the top layer of this cake, you can add:
- nuts (pecans, walnuts)
- mini chocolate chips
- chopped candies
- syrups
- cinnamon
- sprinkles
- toffee bits
- brown sugar
- ice cream toppings (like caramel sundae sauce)
- whipped topping (or Cool Whip)
Storage
If you have leftover pumpkin cake, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, to stay moist. If desired, you can also freeze the cake, in an airtight container, for up to 1 month.
More Pumpkin Desserts and Cake Recipes
Poke cake recipes are so easy! If you love easy dessert recipes, then I know you’ll also love this pumpkin fluff, pumpkin cream cheese bread, and this ugly duckling cake!
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Pumpkin Poke Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces boxed spice cake mix 1 box
- 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 2 boxes instant pudding mix (2 Cheesecakes or 1 vanilla and 1 white chocolate) 3.4 ounces each
- 4 cups milk to make standard pudding directions
- optional toppings (caramel drizzle, chocolate chips, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a spoon, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin puree in a mixing bowl, until fully combined.
- Spread the batter evenly in to a greased 8×10, 9×9 square or 9×13 baking pan. (This recipe was made in an 8×10 size baking dish so bake time may vary if larger, wider pan is used.)
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in to the center, comes out clean.
- As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, poke holes, that are about 1 inch apart, with the skinny, with the end of a wooden spoon, over the entire surface of the cake.
- Prepare the instant pudding, using the 4 cups of milk, according to package directions.
- Pour the pudding liquid over the surface of the cake, slowly, allowing the mixture to settle into the holes.
- Place the baking dish/cake in the refrigerator, for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Decorate with sprinkles, cinnamon, Torani Pumpkin Pie sauce or white chocolate chips if desired. (See blog post for more ideas!)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Kay says
Just a heads up I added Heath bits, I was fantastic!
Jessica says
Oh that sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Carli says
Thank you for sending the receipt. I am definitely going to make them and set back to enjoy them
Carli
Jean Thomason says
Perfect recipe! Best pumpkin cake ever
Jessica says
Oh Jean, that makes me so happy that you say that. Thank you so much, and I’m so glad you liked it!
Diana says
I made this over the weekend when we had family over, and everyone loved it! Thank you so much for sharing.
Toni says
Such an amazing dessert!! Really impressive and easy to make!
Taylor says
We LOVED this cake! So moist and fluffy with amazing pumpkin flavor. We topped ours with cool whip and it was so so delicious. Will definitely make again!