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This Easter poke cake is a show-stopping dessert for Easter this holiday season. A white cake mix that is colored with different colors, and then poked full of holes filled with a white chocolate pudding mix, and topped with whipped cream and Easter sprinkles. Decadent, moist, and colorful as can be.
This is a boxed cake mix that is so easy to dress up and make it into a magical and colorful pastel-colored cake that is full of sinfully delicious flavors in each forkful!
Craving more Easter desserts? Here are a few more of my favorites: Easter crockpot candy, easy Easter pudding cookies, or my layered Easter bunny cake.
What is a poke cake?
A poke cake is a classic dessert that has been around for ages. You typically mix and bake up any flavor of cake, and then either do a pudding mix or Jello mixture and pour over the cake that has been poked with holes. The holes allow the liquid to penetrate the cake, for an ultra-moist and flavorful cake.
Then you pile on Cool Whip and sprinkles for a decadent sliceable dessert for potlucks, holidays, or a summer cookout. A poke cake can be eaten all year round.
Why You’ll Love This Easter Poke Cake Recipe
- Bright, colorful, cheerful!
- You can use any colors you would like to make this cake whatever design you would like.
- A boxed cake that gets a whole new look and flavor.
- An affordable dessert that will feed a crowd.
- Make ahead friendly. Whip up the cake and then store it in the fridge until it is time to serve it up.
- Kid-friendly, the colors will get them excited.
Ingredients Needed
Here is a quick look at what you will need for this Easter cake recipe. The full directions for the poke cake are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Cake Mix: I used a box of white cake mix for the base of this recipe. You will also need all the ingredients on the box.
Milk: You will use whole milk for the base of the pudding.
Heavy Cream: The heavy cream is going to be used for making the whipped cream on top. You can opt out of the homemade whipped cream and buy a tub of Cool Whip.
Powdered Sugar: This is the sweetener for the heavy cream. If your powdered sugar has clumps run it through a sifter.
Vanilla: A splash of vanilla is going to sweeten up the base of the whipped cream just enough.
Food Coloring: Reach for any colors of food coloring you would like. I used pink, blue, green, and yellow.
Sprinkles: If you want to add sprinkles on top, reach for any Easter-themed sprinkles. That is optional of course.
Variations and Substitutes
- Now, you can easily use a yellow cake mix or funfetti. You want it to be a white-ish color so you can add food coloring to create the different colors.
- If you need feel free to opt for a dairy-free substitute if you can’t have milk.
- Feel free to skip coloring the cake mix with food coloring, or do one solid color. I loved the tie-dye look but you do not have to go to the effort if you prefer not to.
- Reach for a tub of Cool Whip instead of making homemade whipped cream for the topping.
- You can use any flavor of Jello you would like. A white chocolate cheesecake would be good, vanilla, pistachio, etc.
- Make a white chocolate ganache to pour over the cake instead of pudding.
Storing Cake
Refrigerate: Refrigerate any of the cake in a sealed container in the fridge. I find that the cake will last around 5 days when it is sealed and stored in the fridge.
Make Ahead: You can make the cake a day ahead of when you plan to serve up the cake. This is a great way to ensure it is fully chilled. This is a cake that is meant to be served cold.
Freezing: You can also freeze any of the cake you do not eat right away. Simply place it in a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for 2-3 months. Then eat straight from the freezer or thaw in the fridge the night before you plan to eat it.
Tips for Making Jello Pudding Poke Cake
Bake Cake And Fully Cool
Mix up and bake the cake as directed on the box. Then you want to ensure the cake is fully cooled before you pour the pudding onto the cake. Otherwise, it will melt down the pudding and affect the texture.
Poking Holes in Cake
You can use chopsticks, the back of a spoon, or any round tool to poke holes in the cake. Evenly poke holes all over the cake so the Jello will soak into the cake.
Thicken The Pudding Mixture
You will want to ensure you use a hand mixer or whisk and fully whip up the pudding. You want it to become a bit thicker in texture before you go to pour it over the cake.
Chilling the Cake
Chill the cake in a covered container in the fridge to allow the pudding to soak into the cake, and thicken. Then you will top with the whipped cream mixture once the pudding is set up.
Serve Chilled
This is a cake that needs to stay in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Keep the Easter jello pudding poke cake in the fridge until right before slicing and serving.
FAQs
Can I use any flavor of Jello pudding for this poke cake?
Yes, you can use any flavor of pudding you would like for this recipe. Opt for butterscotch, banana, chocolate, or any flavor you would find would taste best.
How far in advance can I make a Jello pudding poke cake?
You only want to make the cake up to 24 hours in advance for the best flavor. If you make it too early you will find the whipped cream on top can begin to separate and the cake can dry out.
Can I use homemade pudding instead of Jello pudding mix?
If you prefer homemade pudding, go right ahead and whip up your favorite pudding to use for covering the top of the cake.
Can I use sugar-free Jello pudding mix for a lower-sugar option?
Yes, a sugar free jello pudding works just the same. Just follow the directions on the package on how to make it, and then pour and spread all over the cake.
More Easter Recipes
- Easter Cupcakes
- Bunny Bait Munch
- Cheesecake Carrots
Easter Poke Cake
Course Dessert
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 6 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Servings 10 servings
Easter Poke Cake is a white cake mix topped with white chocolate pudding, whipped cream and sprinkles. To make this cake a stand out dessert we colored the cake to offer a tie-dye pastel colored look as it bakes up. Bright, colorful, and spring themed.
Ingredients
- 1 box of white cake mix
- The ingredients listed on the box of whatever white cake mix you buy eggs, oil, water etc
- 2 3.3 oz boxes of instant white chocolate pudding
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pink blue, green and yellow food coloring
Instructions
Preheat the oven to the temperature that the boxed cake mix says. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl prepare the cake mix as directed on the back of the box. Once you have the batter, divide the batter into four different bowls and add a few drops of food coloring to each bowl. (Do not mix the colors)
Stir the batter and food coloring (you can add more drops till you reach the desired color you’d like.) Using a spoon, scoop the batter up and drop the batter into the prepared baking dish, make small droops of each color all over the baking dish. (the drops are going to spread because of the greased dish, so work a bit fast)
Once you’ve added all the batter lightly tap the bottom of the dish on the counter. Use a toothpick and lightly swirl the colors just a little bit, do not over mix the colors. Bake for however long the box for the cake mix says.
Once the cake is done take it out and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then poke all over the top of the cake with the end of a wooden spoon or a large straw, about an inch apart. Then let cool completely.
In a large bowl add the white chocolate pudding mix and milk, whisk together until everything is dissolved. Pour the pudding mixture all over the top of the cake and spread around with a spatula, trying to get as much pudding into the holes. Spread any remaining pudding all over top of the cake and set in the refrigerator until the pudding is set. About 30-40 minutes.
In a large bowl add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat using a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar and mix until stiff peaks form. Takes about 5-6 minutes. Once the pudding is set on the cake, spread the whipped cream over top of the pudding layer.
You can add sprinkles to the top of the whipped cream if you’d like, it’s optional. Slice and serve!
Did you make this recipe?
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