This homemade Hot Chocolate Poke Cake combines all the wonderful flavors of hot chocolate into a super moist and delicious cake. This decadent sweet treat makes the perfect dessert for potlucks, holidays or special occasions.
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Hot Chocolate Poke Cake Recipe
This homemade hot chocolate poke cake is baked from scratch with all the same warm flavors you’ll find in your favorite cup of cocoa. With a moist chocolate cake and a whipped chocolate filling, this dessert is a chocolate lover’s dream. It’s really easy to make too!
It starts with a wonderful homemade chocolate cake recipe that you can use for all sorts of recipes. For this recipe, large holes are poked in the warm cake, and a cocoa-infused cream mixture is poured all over the top. It’s finished with chocolate frosting and garnished with marshmallows and a chocolate drizzle for the perfect finishing touch!
The cocoa flavor makes this dessert unbelievably scrumptious. For other hot chocolate sweet treats, you should try this Hot Cocoa Fudge or this Hot Chocolate Dessert Dip.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Made from scratch cake – The recipe makes a decadently moist chocolate cake all from scratch.
- Easy dessert recipe – Though it doesn’t call for a boxed cake mix, this recipe uses just a handful of simple ingredients and a few easy steps.
- Hot cocoa flavors – All the same wonderful flavors of a cup of hot chocolate but in yummy cake form!
Ingredients Needed to Make Hot Chocolate Poke Cake
- Salted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs (room temperature)
- Whole milk
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- All-purpose flour
- Hot chocolate powder – use a good chocolate cocoa
- Heavy whipping cream – not half and half
- Whipped chocolate frosting – make your own or buy a premade frosting and whip it in a mixer
- Mini marshmallows – for decoration on the top
Recommended Tools
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer (hand mixer or stand mixer)
- Large spatula
- 9 x 13 glass baking dish
How to Make a Hot Cocoa Poke Cake
Step One: Combine Wet Ingredients
- Grease a 9 by 13-inch pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric hand mixer.
- Once the sugar and butter are thoroughly creamed together, add the eggs and milk. Continue mixing until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Step Two: Combine and Add Dry Ingredients
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the baking powder, baking soda, flour, and half of the hot chocolate powder and whisk until no clumps remain in the mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Step Three: Bake the Cake and Poke Holes
- Pour the cake batter into the baking dish and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove it from the oven and use a thick skewer or the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the top of your cake.
Step Four: Make the Filling
- Whisk the remaining hot cocoa mix and the heavy cream together until they are well combined.
- Pour the mixture over the top of the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Step Five: Frost, Add Toppings and Serve
- If using a premade canned frosting, add the frosting to the bowl of an electric mixer (or use a hand mixer) and whip until it increases in size and is light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake and garnish with mini marshmallow bits. You can drizzle it with chocolate fudge sauce for a triple chocolate poke cake.
Hot Chocolate Cake Variations and Add-ins
- Gooey marshmallows – If you like little pockets of melted marshmallows, you can add some to the cake batter before placing it in the oven.
- Chocolate mocha – Give this cake a subtle hint of coffee, you can mix in a tablespoon of instant coffee granules to the batter.
- Chocolate chips – If you want extra chocolate flavor, you can mix some chocolate chips into the batter or sprinkle some on top as a topping. Shaved chocolate shavings make a great garnish.
- Saucy toppings – Add a drizzle of hot fudge sauce or another type of chocolate sauce to the finished cake. You can also add a drizzle of caramel sauce for a fun twist.
- Cake option – Though this is a super easy recipe, you can use a box of chocolate cake mix instead of making it from scratch.
- Frosting option – If you prefer a lighter dessert, you can skip the chocolate frosting and just add a layer of creamy whipped topping.
Do I Have to Keep this Cake in the Refrigerator?
Leftover cake will be best stored either on the counter or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure you keep it covered well with plastic wrap or foil.
Why is it Called a Poke Cake?
Poke cakes are named that because after they’re baked, they’re poked with the handle of a wooden spoon or other round object. The holes are filled with a liquid, like custard or jello mixture to give it extra flavor and moisture.
How Do I Prevent My Cake from Being Dry?
Baking chocolate cakes just right can be a bit more challenging than lighter cakes, like vanilla. After baking for around 45-50 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your cake’s ready to take out. If not, let it bake for about another 3 minutes. Luckily, even if you slightly overbake it, the hot chocolate and cream mixture keeps this cake moist!
Can I Use Homemade Frosting Instead?
If you have a favorite homemade chocolate buttercream frosting recipe, you can certainly use it instead of store-bought frosting.
More Chocolate Recipes
- Chocolate Lasagna
- Chocolate Gravy
- Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Dark Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting
- Hot Chocolate Donut Holes
Hot Chocolate Poke Cake
Equipment
- 9 x 13 baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup hot chocolate powder divided
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 24 ounces whipped chocolate frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In bowl of an electric mixer (or use hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar.
- Once the sugar and butter are thoroughly creamed together, add the eggs and milk.
- Continue mixing until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- In medium-sized mixing bowl combine baking powder, baking soda, flour, and half of the hot chocolate powder. A cup at a time, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix to combine.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking dish and bake for 50 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake. Whisk the remaining hot chocolate powder and the heavy cream together until smooth. Pour the mixture over the top of the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool for 1 hour in the fridge. Once cooled, top with the whipped frosting.
Nutrition
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