Easter Poke Cake – The easiest cake recipe! Made with white boxed cake mix that is prepared and then dyed pastel colors before being baked and covered with vanilla pudding, buttercream frosting, and festive sprinkles. This cake is perfect to serve on Easter!
Easter Poke Cake
Poke cakes are the best! As one of those desserts that I remember my mom bringing to parties and potlucks as a kid, they have a special place in my heart as a yummy dessert that was great for sharing. I recently made my classic lemon poke cake recipe for a party and was inspired to experiment and make a few other poke cake varieties. With Easter right around the corner, I wanted to try making a festive version that was filled with pastel colors so I dyed some of the batter, swirled it together and covered it with a pastel green frosting after it baked!
To start it off, you need a box of white cake mix. It may sound like cheating to have boxed cake mix in a recipe but trust me, it is the best base for this cake. I then seperated the batter into four bowls and dyed three of them with food coloring, leaving the last one white. Once it’s baked, you poke hole in it and cover it with prepared vanilla pudding that hasn’t set. To finish it off, the whole cake gets coated in a simple buttercream frosting and sprinkles. It’s fun, festive and perfect to serve on Easter!
Common Questions About Making an Easter Poke Cake
What is an Easter poke cake?
Easter poke cake is a simple dessert made by preparing a box of white cake mix according to the instructions which is then divided into bowls and dyed pastel colors. They are then added to a pan and swirled before baking it. The cake then has holes poked in it with a skewer and vanilla pudding is then spread over the top so that it seeps into the cake through the holes. The cake is then topped with buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles.
How many servings does this recipe make?
This recipe makes about 12 slices of cake.
How long does this cake last?
I suggest covering it with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerating it for up to 3 days.
What other types of poke cakes can I make?
There are so many awesome poke cake varieties! Some of my favorites include –
What kind of cake mix should I use?
I used white cake mix but you could also use yellow or even lemon cake mix – beware though, it might impact the color of the cake when the dye is added in.
Can I use other pudding flavors?
Yes! You could use other varieties of instant pudding such as white chocolate, lemon, or coconut but just as I said in the previous note, it could potentially change the color of the cake a bit.
What color food dye should I use?
I used blue, pink, and yellow but you could use a pastel purple or green in this too!
How should I decorate this cake?
I used festive Easter sprinkles and dyed the frosting pale green but you could also decorate with fresh fruit, peeps, or shredded coconut.
Looking for more Easter dessert recipes? Check these out!
Easter Poke Cake
Easter Poke Cake – The easiest cake recipe! Made with white boxed cake mix that is prepared and then dyed pastel colors before being baked and covered with vanilla pudding, buttercream frosting, and festive sprinkles. This cake is perfect to serve on Easter!
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box white cake mix (plus ingredients called for on the box - eggs, oil, etc)*
- 4 bottles of gel food coloring (I used blue, pink, green, and yellow)
- 1 (3 ounce) packet vanilla pudding mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup butter
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Festive sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix according to the instructions on the packaging before dividing the batter into 4 bowls and adding a small amount of food coloring to three of the bowls, leaving one plain (I used pink, blue, and yellow here).
- Add dollops of the different colored cake mix to a 9x13 pan and then gently swirl together using a toothpick.
- Bake according to the directions on the packaging.
- Meanwhile, prepare the pudding by mixing together the vanilla pudding mix and the milk until smooth.
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven and use a skewer to poke holes along the surface of the cake before spreading the pudding evenly across the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting for the cake by beating the butter and half of the powdered sugar together until smooth in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Slowly add in the remaining powdered sugar along with the heavy cream and food coloring (I used a little green so that it was pastel). Beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting on the cake and then cover with festive sprinkles (optional).
- Slice and serve.
Notes
* I don't include an exact amounts of the ingredients that go into the cake mix because it depends on the box itself. There is some variance between brands so it's best just to reference the box you have.
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