Milky Way Poke Cake is a delicious and easy way to dress up a box cake mix and make a rich dessert. A chocolate sheet cake is baked, poked all over with the handle of a wooden spoon, then filled with a homemade marshmallow nougat and caramel topping, covered in whipped topping and finished with chopped candy bars.
Poke cakes are a delicious and quick dessert to make, and there are so many variations you can create, like the other poke cakes I have made.
I have a confession. I had never had a poke cake before this weekend, and I decided I wanted to add one to my dessert recipes section. So I made this Milky Way Poke Cake on Sunday. My kids helped me make it by cutting up the Milky Way candy bars, and from then on, they encouraged me to make Strawberry Cider Poke Cake and Red Velvet Oreo Poke Cake several weeks later. Get your kids involved in the process. It can be a great family activity.
Now I usually make all my desserts from scratch, and you could definitely do that, but the awesome thing about poke cakes is that they are known for using boxed cake mixes. This may be my new obsession. It only took two days for it to be completely gone. My kids asked the neighbors over, and before I knew it, the empty cake pan was in the sink.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 20 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes, plus cooling time
- 🍽️ Serving: 20 servings from a 9 by 13 pan
- ⚡ Calories: 299kcal per serving
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Chocolate cake soaked with marshmallow nougat and caramel, under whipped topping and candy bars
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, it starts with a box mix and the only cooking is the nougat
Quick Answer
Bake a chocolate cake mix according to the directions in a 9 by 13 pan and let it cool about 5 minutes. While it cools, make the nougat filling: melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and evaporated milk stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves, bring it to a boil and stir for 4 minutes, then take it off the heat and stir in the marshmallow creme and vanilla until smooth. Poke holes all over the cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon, pour the nougat evenly into the holes, then pour the caramel topping in the same way. Let the cake cool completely, spread thawed whipped topping over it, and sprinkle chopped Milky Way and Snickers bars on top. Store it in the refrigerator.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Poke the cake warm, fill it warm. Five minutes out of the oven the crumb is still open and the holes stay open. A cold cake seals up and the filling sits on top instead of going in.
- The handle end of a wooden spoon is the right size. A fork makes slits too narrow to fill, and a straw pulls a plug of cake out with it.
- Boil the nougat a full four minutes. That is what takes the butter, sugar and evaporated milk from a syrup to something that sets soft instead of running straight through the cake.
- Nougat first, caramel second. The thicker nougat goes into the holes while they are widest, and the caramel follows into whatever space is left.
- Cool completely before the whipped topping. Cool Whip on a warm cake turns to liquid and slides.
- The flavors meld together better after refrigeration. This is a cake that is better on day two, which is unusual and worth knowing.
- Chop the candy bars cold. Milky Ways cut cleanly straight from the refrigerator and smear at room temperature.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It starts with a box mix. The awesome thing about poke cakes is that they are known for using boxed cake mixes.
- The cake is super moist. That is the whole point of poking it, and I am sure you will be a poke cake junkie before you know it.
- It feeds twenty. A 9 by 13 pan is the right size for a party, a potluck or a classroom.
- Kids can help. My kids helped me make it by cutting up the Milky Way candy bars. Get your kids involved in the process. It can be a great family activity.
- It uses up leftover candy. Any candy bar works on top, which makes this the November first solution to a full bowl of Halloween candy.
- It disappears. It only took two days for it to be completely gone, and it is the same crowd that finishes my Rolo pretzel cookies.
Key Ingredients
Ten ingredients, and most of a box and a tub. Quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Chocolate Cake Mix. One box, plus whatever the box calls for. Poke cakes are usually made with box cake mixes, which is part of why they took off.
- Butter, Sugar and Evaporated Milk. The base of the nougat filling. Evaporated milk, not condensed, which is already sweetened.
- Marshmallow Creme Fluff. A cup and a half, stirred into the hot nougat off the heat.
- Vanilla. One teaspoon, into the nougat at the end.
- Prepared Caramel Topping. Twelve ounces, the ice cream topping kind, poured into the holes after the nougat.
- Cool Whip. Eight ounces, thawed. The frosting on a poke cake is almost always whipped topping.
- Milky Way Bars and Snickers Bars. Two of each, chopped. The Snickers were my addition and they add the peanuts.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
Variations & Substitutions
I love poke cakes because they are so moist. You can customize this however you want with any candy bar or even chocolate chips on top.
- Use any candy bar. Whatever is in the Halloween bowl works: Twix, Butterfinger, Reese’s, or plain chocolate chips.
- Drizzle caramel over the top. I should have drizzled some caramel over the top, but we ate it too quickly.
- Change the cake. A yellow or devil’s food mix both work under the same filling.
- Try a different poke cake. My strawberry cider poke cake, red velvet Oreo poke cake and patriotic jello poke cake use the same method with different fillings.
- Fill it with pudding or jello instead. The holes are generally filled with jello or pudding, and that is the version most people have had.
- Use real whipped cream if you would rather not use Cool Whip, but add it the day you serve since it weeps overnight.
How to Make Milky Way Poke Cake
- Bake the cake according to the directions on the box in a 9 by 13 pan.
- Let the cake cool for about 5 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, make the nougat filling. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and evaporated milk, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and stir for 4 minutes. Remove from the stove and stir in the marshmallow creme and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Poke holes in the cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
- Evenly pour and distribute the nougat filling into the holes in the cake.
- Next evenly pour and distribute the caramel topping into the holes in the cake.
- Let the cake cool completely.
- Once the cake is cooled completely, evenly spread the thawed Cool Whip over the top.
- Sprinkle the chopped Milky Ways and Snickers over the top of the Cool Whip.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- You will need a wide straw or a wooden spoon to poke it with. The spoon handle gives the best hole.
- Stir the nougat constantly while the sugar dissolves, or it catches on the bottom of the pan.
- Pour the filling while it is still warm and pourable. It thickens fast off the heat.
- Let it cool completely before the Cool Whip. There is no rescuing melted topping.
- The flavors meld together better after refrigeration, so make it the day before if you can.
- Add the candy right before serving if you want it crisp, since it softens in the refrigerator overnight.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Serve it cold, straight from the pan, in squares. It belongs on a party table with my Rolo pretzel cookies, cookies and cream brownies, strawberry cheesecake brownies and gluten free magic bars, and it is the easiest thing on the table by a distance.
For more of the same kind of dessert, there is my poke cake recipes collection, my easy dessert recipes, desserts in a jar, tiramisu cake, lucky charms layer cake, lemon bundt cake, easy chocolate brownies with chocolate ganache, and seasonal options like my keto pumpkin bars and lemon bars.
Poke Cake FAQs
A poke cake is a baked sheet cake that gets holes poked all through it while it is still warm, so a filling can soak down into the crumb. Poke cakes are usually made with box cake mixes, the holes are generally filled with jello or pudding, and the frosting is almost always made with whipped topping.
You will need a wide straw or a wooden spoon to poke it with. The handle end of a wooden spoon makes a hole wide enough for a thick filling to actually go in.
The cake was too cool, or the filling was too thick. Poke the holes about five minutes out of the oven while the crumb is still open, and pour the nougat while it is still warm and pourable.
Store it in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to eat. It keeps for about four days, and the flavors meld together better after refrigeration.
Yes, and it is better that way. Make the cake, fill it and refrigerate it overnight, then add the whipped topping and the chopped candy bars before serving so the candy stays crisp.
Chocolate poke cake recipes are the most searched of all the flavors of poke cakes, and pudding poke cakes are next. There are hundreds of flavors and recipes of poke cakes, and you could probably never make them all.
Milky Way Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box Box Chocolate Cake Mix plus ingredients it calls for
Nouget
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme fluff
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 12 oz prepared caramel topping
- 8 oz cool whip thawed
- 2 regular size Milky Way Bars Chopped
- 2 regular size Snickers Bars Chopped
Instructions
- Bake cake according to directions in a 9 X 13 pan.
- Let cake cool for about 5 minutes.
- While cake is cooling, make the nougat filling. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and milk stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and stir for 4 minutes. Remove from stove and stir in marshmallow cream and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
- Poke holes in cake with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
- Evenly our and distribute *nougat filling into the holes in the cake.
- Next evenly pour and distribute caramel topping into the holes in the cake.
- Let cake cool completely.
- Once cake is cooled completely, evenly spread thawed cool whip over the top of cake.
- Sprinkle chopped Milky Ways ( I also used snickers) over the top of cool whip.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
MOLM2011 says
Oh. My. Goodness. I want to grab that and a fork! Looks awesome Candi, definitely going to pass this along!
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Candi says
Yes, so good and easy. It might be my go to party cake when I have to bring something.
Alexis Grace says
Until I read your instructions I couldn't figure out why it was called a "Poke" cake! Ha! This looks indulgent— now wonder it was gone so quickly!
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Candi says
There are probably a few calories, but I had one piece and the kids ate all the rest.
Heather says
Yummy! Good way to make use of leftover candy.
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Candi Elm says
Well, I don't know if we would ever have left overs in our house. But probably Halloween would be a good time to do this.
dishofdailylife says
Wow…this looks really good. I am on a dessert kick right now! I don't think it would last very long in our house! We're going to have to try it! If you have a moment, I'd love it if you'd come over and link it up at Foodie Fridays. Pinning it now!
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Candi Elm says
Thanks I will stop over. thanks for coming by my site.
Christina says
You are killing me!! This looks incredible!!!
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Candi Elm says
Thanks for stopping by, It was so easy, my kids had fun with it.
@MeltingMoments_ says
Oh my. I have never heard of a poke cake but I like what I am seeing!
Candi Elm says
thank you, I had heard of them but never made it till recently. Now there are a lot I want to make.
Megan says
Looks yummy!
Candi Elm says
Thank Megan for stopping by and visiting the blog.
@shari_lynne says
I love poke cakes and I've never done one like this before! YUM! I'm definitely going to try it! 🙂
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Candi Elm says
They are so easy and everyone will love it.
@SuperMommyClub says
It looks really yummy – but what I really want to know is why is it called a Poke Cake?
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Candi Elm says
You poke holes in it and put the filling inside.
Heidi says
Oh, my goodness, Candi! Does that ever look amazing! I'd love a slice right now, please! 🙂
Liv @ Healthy Liv says
Mmmmm this looks so wonderfully yummy!!! Just followed ya on Twitter- I’m livbane 🙂