Homemade Chocolate Poke Cake
“Decadent chocolate poke cake made from scratch! Topped with whipped chocolate topping”
Poke cakes are so fun to make. There is something satisfying about poking holes in a cake and then flooding it with a luscious filling!
Today we’re gonna be whipping up this homemade chocolate poke cake. It’s one of my favorite poke cake flavors. You can expect to see more poke cakes around here. Remember when I went through my brownie/ blondie phase? Well now I’m all about poke cakes! Oh the variety!!!
Wait…have you ever had a chocolate poke cake before??? If not, think fluffy, chocolate cake with pockets of melted chocolate lustfulness topped with chocolate whipped cream topping and mini chocolate chips.
Yeah…it’s amazing and yeah it’s chocolate insanity. A side of vanilla ice cream and world peace could be achieved momentarily.
This cake has three steps (the cake, the chocolate sauce and the whipped chocolate frosting) Sounds time consuming right? No worries though because all the steps are crazy easy!
If you have a homey, lover, or friend who loves chocolate, this cake will make them love you forever so be careful who you make it for! It’s perfect for special occasions, date night or in my case, no reason at all!
Watch me make this homemade chocolate poke cake from start to finish!

Get the Recipe: Homemade Chocolate Poke Cake
Ingredients
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup plain prepared, hot coffee or hot water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
CHOCOLATE FILLING
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
-
CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Grease and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan. Set aside.
- In a large bowl cream together butter, oil, brown sugar, and white sugar.
- Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Mix in unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Mix in buttermilk and plain hot coffee until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add in flour.
- Sprinkle in salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- Mix until batter is smooth.
- Pour batter in prepared pan and smooth out.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until moist crumbs cling to a toothpick inserted into the center.
- To prepare the filling (while cake is baking) add sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.
- Stir and microwave in 10 second intervals until chocolate is melted. Set aside.
- When cake comes out of the oven, poke small holes all over the cake about an inch apart.
- Pour the chocolate filling all over cake.
- Let cake cool completely. (I place it in the fridge)
- To make the whipped topping, add heavy cream in a medium bowl.
- Mix until cream begins to thicken and fluff.
- Do not over mix, once cream is fluffy, stop mixing.
- Stir in unsweetened cocoa powder and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Fold in vanilla extract.
- Spread whipped topping over cooled cake.
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate until whipped topping is firm (I normally skip this step and dig right in)
- Serve!
- Store cake in the refrigerator.
Video
Adapted from lifelovesandugar.com
So easy! came out beautifully and everyone loved it. Thank you!
I was wondering if the oven temperature is right on this one. My cake has baked for 35 minutes at 325. Had to up temp to 350 and it has now baked for 10 more minutes. Was just wondering if it’s my oven or if it was suppose to be 350. Thanks. Plus it taste delicious.
I made this cake for my co-worker’s birthday who is a die hard chocolate fan and of course she shared it with everyone….They think I am the black Martha Stewart. They loved it!!! I am over here beaming because I just knew I was going to mess up the frosting but it came out perfect. Thank you…Girl keep those poke cakes coming, I just love your website!
Can I use this recipe for cupcakes
This made way too much batter to fit into a 13×9. It annoyingly spilled over in my oven while baking. Also it took way more than 35 min. to cook. More like 55 min.
Wow really? That’s odd. Sorry to hear that happened.
Sure you were using the right size pan? Mine didn’t do that.
JUST AMAZING!
Made twice in one week and everyone is just blown!!!!
Thank you
This cake totally rocks the house! Thanks for sharing.. and your video and the way you talk…I love it!
Thanks so much for trying it out Drew!
Can we make this without the buttermilk?
Hey Mehak, I wouldn’t make this without buttermilk, as buttermilk lends to the rise and flavor of the cake. The buttermilk reacts with the baking soda and gives off carbon dioxide. That in turn gives you a wonderfully fluffy and rich tasting cake. If you don’t have buttermilk, just use milk and vinegar or lemon juice. Pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar/lemon juice into a cup of milk, wait about 10 minutes and viola… buttermilk. Hope this helps.
Tried this today… Super duper HIT
Amazing recipe!!…..So sinful I loveee it
Thanks a bunch for sharing
Thank you for trying it out and reporting back!
Okay wow, where has your blog been for most of my adult life? lol (ok maybe the last couple of years anyway)–so I was getting ready to plan on making a banana bread with streusel topping that had buttermilk in it and I was like “Oh, I can’t make this because what will I do with the leftover buttermilk?’ and my 16 year old daughter’s boyfriend was like “buttermilk pancakes?” and I said, “Matt, you are SMART” and then I googled buttermilk pancake recipes and your blog came up (totally printed that AND watched the video) and then I started looking through it an I swear I just found 3 more recipes/videos that I am SO making! Can’t wait to keep finding ones. Bookmarking your blog. Thank you!!!! 🙂 H2P!
Hey first of all hats off dear sis actually wanted to that instead of butter van I use extra oil and for chocolate chips can I just cocoa powder and condense milk pl’s tel I will waiting
Honestly talking I just wait for u r recipes
Holy cow!?,chocolate i hate you coz im dying to try this cake,looks so moist and yum yum,
Can’t wait to make this!
In the immortal words of Florida Evans… DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!
Now I gotta go make and eat this cake TOO??? Thanks Monique 😛
LOLLL too funny!