Celebrate the holiday season with this fun and festive Grinch Poke Cake. A vibrant green, moist cake is filled with red cheesecake pudding and topped with creamy buttercream frosting. Heart sprinkles are added to create the perfect Christmas dessert.
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Grinch Cake Recipe
If you’re looking for a fun and whimsical dessert for your next Christmas gathering, this moist and delicious Grinch Poke Cake is the perfect answer. This dessert has vibrant green and bright red colors that are inspired by the beloved story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” But trust me, it’s the moist cake and delicious frosting that are sure to bring a grin to everyone’s face.
A classic Grinch green cake is infused with pockets of red cheesecake pudding. The cake is frosted with green, homemade buttercream and decorated with festive sprinkles. With beautiful Christmas colors, this delicious cake will be the star of your holiday dessert table. Can’t get enough Grinch treats? Check out these Grinch Cookies, this Grinch Fudge, and this Grinch Hot Chocolate.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Fun holiday cake – This cake is a super festive dessert that will put everyone in the holiday spirit during the Christmas season.
- Simple ingredients – This easy recipe uses a box cake mix with a handful of ingredients you can pick up at any grocery store.
- Homemade buttercream – It’s topped with a velvety, rich Grinch green buttercream that adds an extra special homemade touch.
Grinch Poke Cake Ingredients
- White cake mix (plus water, oil, and eggs the box calls for)
- Instant white chocolate pudding mix
- Milk
- Green and red food coloring
- Butter, softened
- Confectioners sugar
- Red heart sprinkles, green sprinkles
How to Make a Grinch Christmas Poke Cake
Step One: Bake the Green Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease or spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine your cake mix, water, oil, and eggs according to the box directions. Stir until well combined.
- Add a few drops of green food coloring until you get your desired green shade (it will lighten in color as it bakes). Pour the cake batter into the baking dish or cake pan.
- Bake the cake for 30–35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set the cake aside to cool.
Step Two: Poke Holes in Cake
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a large fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
Step Three: Add the Pudding
- In a medium bowl, combine the packet of instant pudding and milk. Whisk until smooth.
- Add red food coloring until you get the color you like.
- Carefully spoon the pudding mixture into the holes.
Step Four: Make the Frosting and Decorate
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip up the softened butter.
- Add the confectioners sugar to the butter and continue to beat until creamy and fluffy.
- Add green food coloring until the desired Grinch Green color is reached.
- Using an offset spatula, frost the cake with the green frosting.
- Top with green sprinkles and heart sprinkles.
- Cover the cake with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge. Allow about 2 hours of chill time before serving.
- Slice and serve.
Grinch Holiday Poke Cake Recipe Variations
- Extracts – Add a hint of peppermint extract to the buttercream frosting for a delightful minty flavor.
- Chocolate drizzle – After frosting, drizzle some melted white chocolate over the cake for extra color.
- Frosting – Replace the buttercream frosting with cream cheese frosting. If you’re short on time, you can skip the homemade and use a cool whip with food coloring added. You can also use store-bought frosting and tint it.
- Crushed candy canes – Sprinkle crushed candy canes into the frosting for a little added crunch and flavor.
- Swap up the colors – You can make the green cake red and the red pudding green by swapping up the food coloring.
- Type of cake – Feel free to use any cake mix you like. A red velvet cake mix works well with a green pudding mixture.
- Other toppings – Along with the Christmas sprinkles, you can sprinkle some crushed candy canes over the top of the cake. White chocolate curls also make an awesome topping.
Should I Store this Cake in the Refrigerator?
Since this cake contains a pudding filling and buttercream frosting, it’s best to store it in the refrigerator. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container to keep it fresh and prevent it from picking up odors from the fridge.
Can I Freeze it?
I think the cake is best when it’s freshly made. But if you really want to freeze it, make sure to double wrap it with plastic wrap and then with a layer of foil. For best results, thaw and serve it within a month.
What is a Poke Cake?
If you’ve never heard of a poke cake before, it’s basically a sheet cake that you poke large holes in. Then you pour the liquid Jello mixture or pudding mixture over the top of the cake and allow it to seep down into the holes. They are the easiest cake recipes you can make and are a guaranteed way to make a super-moist dessert that everyone will love.
More Easy Poke Cake Recipes
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- Butterfinger Poke Cake
- Oreo Poke Cake
- Lime Jello Poke Cake
- Banana Pudding Poke Cake
- Orange Crush Poke Cake
Grinch Poke Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking dish
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 3.4 ounces instant white chocolate pudding mix 1 box
- 2 cups milk
- green and red food coloring
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks, softened
- 4 cups confectioners sugar
- heart sprinkles, green sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly grease or line a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl combine your cake mix, water, oil and eggs and stir until combined.
- Add green food coloring until you get your desired green shade.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Set the cake aside to cool.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon poke holes all into the cooled cake.
- In a medium-sized. mixing bowl combine the instant pudding and milk and whisk until smooth.
- Add red food coloring until you get the desired red color.
- Carefully spoon the pudding into the holes of the cake.
Make the Buttercream
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the softened butter.
- Add confectioners sugar to the butter and continue to beat until creamy and fluffy.
- Add green food coloring until the desired Grinch Green color.
- Frost the cake with the buttercream.
- Set the cake in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.
- Decorate with green sprinkles and heart sprinkles.
Notes
Nutrition
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