Hello Lil’ Luna readers! It’s me Natalie, from Life Made Simple.
Today I’m sharing a recipe that I’ve always wanted to make- a poke cake. Can you believe that I’ve NEVER made a poke cake prior to this red velvet one? I don’t know why I waited so long, because this cake is absolutely delicious! It’s thick, moist and topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting. Everything is made from scratch and ready to go in a little over an hour!
The cake itself is best if made part with a hand/stand mixer and part with a wooden spoon. Why? Well you want to get the butter and sugar creamed so the cake bakes up fluffy and tender. But you don’t want to overmix it when you add the dry ingredients, buttermilk and vinegar to it. So I prefer to combine those ingredients by hand, with a wooden spoon (or spatula). That way you don’t end up with a dense, tough cake!
After the cake comes out of the oven the fun starts! You get to poke holes in it with a fork! That way the sweetened condensed milk soaks in and makes everything sweet and extra moist. Then all that’s left to do is whip up the cream cheese frosting. It’s so easy to make and comes together in minutes. When the cake is cool, spread it over top and enjoy! It’s sure to be a hit for any holiday or special occasion! Enjoy 🙂
- 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ c. granulated sugar
- ¼ c. red liquid food coloring (or 1 tsp. if using gel: see notes)
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2¼ c. all-purpose flour
- 5 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
- -
- 1 (12 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (I used half)
- -
- 3 c. powdered sugar
- ½ c. (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 8 oz. (1 block) original cream cheese, room temperature for 30 minutes
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. milk or heavy cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter/flour (or spray) a 9x13-inch baking pan, set aside.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the red food coloring and vanilla extract, beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and buttermilk/vinegar by hand. Mix together with a wooden spoon just until combined, do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread into an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove and poke holes into the cake with a fork. Pour the condensed milk over top (I only used half but you can use the whole can). Allow the cake to cool before frosting.
- To make the frosting, beat the butter and cream cheese on high speed for 2-3 minutes, then reduce speed and add the powdered sugar. Add in the salt, vanilla extract and milk. Beat for an additional 2-3 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Spread across the cooled cake and decorate as desired.
-Cake recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Thanks again Kristyn for having me!
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One word – YUM!
I’m seriously drooling, Natalie!! So excited to try this recipe myself. It looks amazing, and it would be perfect for February 14th. Thanks, Natalie.
For more great recipes from her be sure to head to Life Made Simple.
And for more great recipes from Natalie on the site, check out:
For another recipe perfect for Valentine’s:
Valentine’s Sugar Cookies with Red Hot Glaze
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ENJOY!
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Sounds nice. I’ve never had a poke cake either.
This just might be on our Valentine’s Day Dinner menu.
This looks really great! I love poke cakes and think this one should be added to my recipe box. I’m a new food blogger and love meeting others. I’ve followed your social sites and hope we can connect on those. I found you on a link party and I’m excited to read more of your blog! Becky
Becky at Cooking with Vinyl recently posted..On Tour: Schnucks Cooking School
i made this yesterday for a church activity. I actually doubled the cake recipe since we were feeding a big crowd. I used one whole can of evaporated milk plus a small can of media crema (it’s a Mexican style canned milk) since that was all I had on hand. Can I tell you that this cake was a huge hit!!! It was so moist from the milk and the frosting was perfect. I usually don’t like frosting but this one was really good! I am going to be making this again. Oh and the frosting just has you had it was just enough to cover my huge sheet cake sized cake.
Thanks for this. I would have never have thought to make a poke cake out of Red Velvet.
SO glad it was a hit! 🙂
I made this cake for my mom’s birthday last year. It was great! And it was so easy to make and definitely worth it. It finished the same day. With 4 people.
Looking for another similarly amazing recipe for her birthday this year
I forgot to rate :p