Red Velvet Poke Cake (The Easiest One You’ll Ever Make)

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This red velvet poke cake starts with a boxed cake mix, soaks up a sweetened condensed milk filling, and gets topped with the same tangy cream cheese frosting you’d find on this red velvet sheet cake. It’s easy to make, feeds a crowd, and has that nostalgic flavor everyone loves.

A slice of red velvet poke cake on a plate with white chocolate shavings and filling soaked through the cake.

An Easy Red Velvet Dessert That Feels Like an Old-Fashioned Potluck Favorite

Poke cakes have been showing up on church cookbook pages and reunion dessert tables for decades, and this one earns its spot. The holes let the sweetened condensed milk sink all the way down, so every bite stays soft and a little bit sticky in the best way. Nothing here is fussy. A box mix, a can, a tub of whipped topping, and one bar of white chocolate for the top.

Cream cheese frosting is what pulls it together. Red velvet without a little tang tastes flat, and folding whipped topping into the cream cheese keeps the frosting light instead of heavy, the same way red velvet cake mix cookies stay soft rather than dense. If your family already loves banana pudding poke cake, this one belongs in the rotation too.

Make it the night before and it only gets better. That’s what makes it such a good potluck dessert, since it travels in the pan it was baked in and comes straight out of the fridge ready to slice. Set it next to a black forest poke cake or any of these old-fashioned cakes and see which pan empties first.

A slice of red velvet poke cake lifted on a cake server showing the filling soaked into the red cake.

FAQs

What does red velvet poke cake taste like?

Like a soft red velvet cake that’s been soaked in sweet cream. The sweetened condensed milk filling makes the crumb dense and moist, and the cream cheese frosting adds just enough tang to keep it from tasting too sweet.

Why is it called a poke cake?

Because you literally poke holes in the cake after it bakes. Pouring the filling over the top lets it run down into the holes instead of sitting on the surface, which is what gives poke cakes their signature texture.

Can I use a homemade red velvet cake instead of a box mix?

Yes, as long as it bakes in a 9×13 inch pan. The rest of the recipe works the same. The box mix is what keeps this one quick, but a scratch cake will hold the filling just fine.

Do I have to use whipped topping in the frosting?

The recipe is written for an 8 ounce tub of thawed whipped topping, which is what keeps the frosting fluffy and spreadable straight from the fridge. Sweetened whipped cream can stand in, but it softens faster and won’t hold up as long on a dessert table.

Can I make it ahead of time?

This one’s better made ahead. It needs at least 2 hours in the fridge, and overnight is even better. Hold off on the white chocolate curls until right before serving.

Why did my filling sit on top instead of soaking in?

The holes probably weren’t wide enough, or the cake had cooled too long. Twist the skewer as you poke to open each hole up, and pour the filling while the cake is still slightly warm.

Can I use something other than white chocolate on top?

Mini chocolate chips work, and so do crumbles of red velvet cake if you have extra. Any of the three give you that finished look without much effort.

How do I store red velvet poke cake?

Cover it and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap the whole pan tightly or freeze individual slices on a tray first, then transfer them to a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

Ingredients

See the recipe card below that has the printable, full ingredient list and instructions.

For the Cake:

14 to 15.25 ounce box red velvet cake mix – The base of the cake. Duncan Hines was used here.
3 large eggs – Bind the batter. Check your box in case it calls for a different number.
½ cup vegetable oil – Keeps the crumb soft and moist.
1 cup milk – Used in place of the water the box calls for, which gives you a richer cake.

For the Filling:

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk – Soaks down into the holes and keeps the cake moist for days.
1 cup heavy whipping cream – Thins the condensed milk just enough that it runs into the holes instead of pooling.

For the Frosting:

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened – Gives the topping its tang and body.
1 cup confectioner’s sugar – Sweetens the frosting.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract – Rounds out the flavor.
8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed – Lightens the cream cheese so the frosting spreads soft and fluffy.
2 ounce bar white chocolate – Shaved or curled over the top for the finish.

Red velvet cake batter spread in a 9x13 baking pan before baking.

Instructions

Preheat the oven and bake the red velvet cake mix according to the package directions for a 9×13 inch pan, using milk anywhere the box calls for water. Grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray first. The cake is done when the middle is set and the edges start to brown.
Let the cake cool for 20 minutes.
Poke about 50 deep holes across the top with a wooden skewer, twisting to widen each hole as you go. Stop just short of the bottom of the pan.

A baked red velvet cake in a 9x13 pan poked full of holes with a skewer.

How to Make the Filling

Sweetened condensed milk and heavy whipping cream whisked together in a white mixing bowl.

Whisk the 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 cup heavy whipping cream together in a mixing bowl until combined.
Pour the mixture slowly and evenly over the surface of the cake so it settles into the holes.

The sweetened condensed milk filling poured over the poked red velvet cake in the pan.

How to Make the Frosting

Cream cheese frosting with whipped topping folded in, in a white mixing bowl.

Beat the softened 8 ounce package of cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer until creamy.
Beat in 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
Fold in the 8 ounce tub of thawed whipped topping until fluffy.
Spread the frosting evenly over the cake with a spatula, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Make curls or shavings from the 2 ounce white chocolate bar, sprinkle them gently over the top, then cut and serve.

Red velvet poke cake frosted in the pan and topped with white chocolate shavings.

A slice of red velvet poke cake lifted out of the pan with filling running down the side.

Tips

Swap milk for water anywhere the cake mix calls for it. Small change, noticeably richer cake.
Poke the holes after only 20 minutes of cooling. A warm cake takes on the filling much better than a cold one.
Twist the skewer with every poke. Straight up and down leaves holes too narrow for the filling to sink in.
Let the cream cheese soften all the way on the counter. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps you can’t beat out later.
Give it the full 2 hours in the fridge. The filling needs time to set or the slices won’t hold their shape.
Add the white chocolate curls right before serving so they stay sharp instead of softening under refrigeration.

A fork taking a bite from a slice of red velvet poke cake on a plate.

More Recipes

If you love easy poke cakes like this one, then you’ll also love these cakes: