Hot Chocolate Poke Cake

This Hot Chocolate Poke Cake takes everything you love about hot chocolate and puts it into a delicious cake form. This decadent dessert is a chocolate lovers dream. Perfect for a holiday celebration!

It’s Thanksgiving week! Are you ready?! That also means that Christmas is just over a month away.

A sure sign that the holiday season is upon us? I made two batches of cookies last night and a dish for my husband’s office potluck. The holiday season is in full swing.

My mother-in-law is coming into town tomorrow and will be staying with us. She hasn’t met Julia yet so we’re looking forward to that. [But, we’ve never had a house guest before. Say a little prayer for me and my anal ways.]

My brother will also be coming home from school this week. Then my other brother will be coming from Florida in a couple weeks.

Throw in holiday baking, shopping, decorating, and togetherness and this season is going to be full of fun.

We’re also going to have a “Friendsgiving” tomorrow night before the full family dinner on Thursday. I’m usually in charge of side dishes or desserts on holidays. They’re my thing. I’m bringing this cake.

Helpful Tools

• 9×13 baking dish with lid
• Mixing bowls
• Hand mixer

Hot Chocolate Poke Cake Ingredients

• Cake Mix – Use your favorite chocolate cake mix – I like Dark Chocolate Fudge.
• Chocolate Pudding Mix – You’ll need two 3.4 ounce boxes of instant chocolate pudding. One for the cake mix and one for the pudding layer.
• Eggs – Large eggs are what I tested the recipe with.
• Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract instead of imitation for the best flavor.
• Chocolate Milk – I originally used International Delight heat and serve hot chocolate in this cake but it may have been discontinued because I haven’t seen it recently. If you can’t find it, you can use chocolate milk in this recipe.
• Vegetable Oil – For the cake mix.
• Sour Cream – Makes the cake extra moist.
• Hot Fudge Sauce – Don’t get chocolate syrup, get hot fudge sauce, like Sanders.
• Heavy Whipping Cream – To make the homemade whipped cream.
• Cocoa Powder – Unsweetened cocoa powder to make the whipped cream with a bit of sugar.

Making a slow cooker hot chocolate bar would be fun (dish it up with a ladle, have fun toppings…) but I wanted to incorporate it into a tasty cake. It’s really chocolatey so if you’re a chocolate fan, you won’t be disappointed.

If you’re not in the mood for cake, you can make some cosmic brownie hot chocolate bombs.

If you want a fun gift idea, try my homemade hot cocoa mix.

Given that it snowed about a foot here on Saturday, hot chocolate anything is appropriate.

If you haven’t made a poke cake before, they’re really easy. A few steps, but easy steps.

How to make Hot Chocolate Poke Cake

This poke cake starts with a doctored cake mix, then you poke holes in it, pour on some hot fudge sauce, top that with a layer of chocolate pudding, then smother it with a chocolate whipped cream.

Drizzle on some more hot fudge sauce and sprinkle on some marshmallow bits and mini chocolate chips and call it a day.

Need more poke cake recipes? Try these:

Pistachio Pudding Cake

Caramel Apple Poke Cake

Halloween Jell-O Poke Cake

Cannoli Poke Cake

Click here to view my entire collection of cakes.

4.54 from 92 votes

Hot Chocolate Poke Cake

Created by Melissa Williams

Servings: 15 servings

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

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This Hot Chocolate Poke Cake takes everything you love about hot chocolate and puts it into cake form. Perfect for a holiday celebration!

Video

Ingredients

 

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For the cake

• ▢ 15.25 ounce chocolate cake mix I like dark chocolate fudge
• ▢ 3.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ▢ 1 cup chocolate milk chilled
• ▢ ½ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ ½ cup sour cream I used light

For the Fudge Layer

• ▢ 1 cup hot fudge sauce

For the Pudding Layer

• ▢ 3.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix
• ▢ 2 cups milk I used 2%

For the Whipped Cream

• ▢ 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ▢ ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ ½ cup powdered sugar

Optional Toppings

• ▢ hot fudge for drizzling
• ▢ marshmallow bits
• ▢ mini chocolate chips

Instructions

To make the cake

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, add all the "cake" ingredients (cake mix, one instant pudding mix, eggs, vanilla, chocolate milk, vegetable oil, and sour cream) and beat on medium speed until well combined.
  15.25 ounce chocolate cake mix, 3.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 1 cup chocolate milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup sour cream
• Pour into the 9×13 baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool for approximately 10-15 minutes then poke holes all over it using the end of a wooden spoon or something of similar size & shape.

For the hot fudge layer

• Pour 1 cup of hot fudge sauce into a bowl and warm for approx. 20 seconds. Pour it over the cake and let it absorb into the holes, spreading with a spatula to evenly distribute. Place cake into the fridge to completely cool.
  1 cup hot fudge sauce

For the chocolate pudding layer

• Once the cake has cooled, prepare the pudding layer. In a medium bowl, add the instant chocolate pudding mix and 2 cups of milk. Whisk together and immediately pour over the cooled cake. Put the cake back in the fridge to set.
  3.9 ounce instant chocolate pudding mix, 2 cups milk
• While the cake is setting, put the bowl of your stand mixer (or a metal mixing bowl) and whisk attachment into the freezer to get them really cold, for about 15 minutes.

To make the chocolate whipped cream

• Remove the mixing bowl and whisk from the freezer. Add the heavy cream, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar to the chilled bowl and mix on medium-high until stiff peaks form. This can take up to 8-9 minutes.
  2 cups heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, ½ cup powdered sugar
• Remove the cooled cake from the fridge and top with the whipped cream, spreading it evenly with a spatula.
• Drizzle with hot fudge sauce and top with marshmallow bits and mini chocolate chips.
  hot fudge for drizzling, marshmallow bits, mini chocolate chips

Notes

• This recipe was originally written with International Delight Hot Chocolate, which has since been discontinued. It has been updated to include chocolate milk in place of the hot chocolate.
• Cool Whip or plain whipped cream can be used in place of the chocolate whipped cream.
• Store cake covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

⭐️ Final Step! Please let me know how you liked this recipe by leaving a review and rating below. Your feedback supports my small business and allows me to continue providing free, high quality recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Did you make this recipe?

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For another delicious chocolate cake recipe, try my Chocolate Snack Cake!

Do you have family or friends coming in for the holidays?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.