Pumpkin Poke Cake (with real pumpkin!)

At a glance

What stands out: Pumpkin poke cake is a straightforward fall dessert oozing with sweet cinnamon filling and smothered with tangy cream cheese frosting. Made with real shredded pumpkin!

How long it takes: 20 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to bake, plus time to chill
Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 13 inch baking pan, electric mixer, grater, skewer or chopstick
Servings: 12

A standby Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe

This straightforward pumpkin poke cake is a doctored-up cake mix filled with fresh pumpkin, scented with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and oozing with sweet and creamy cinnamon filling. Topped with a tangy cream cheese icing, it’s pretty much irresistible.

Pumpkins are so plentiful right now, although we can’t say the same for canned pumpkin puree! With all the fall baking going on, there’s a shortage at the grocery stores lately. No worries, buy a fresh pumpkin, shred it, and bake up this pumpkin cake. You’ll love it!

Sweet Pumpkin Cake

Straightforward to mix. This semi-from-scratch pumpkin poke cake begins with a packaged white cake mix. It cuts down your shopping list and makes this recipe straightforward!

Full of flavor. Every inch of this poke cake is infused with real pumpkin and pumpkin spice, drenched in creamy cinnamon filling, and smothered in cream cheese frosting. It’s all of your favorite fall flavors wrapped up in one straightforward dessert.

Make-ahead. A poke cake is actually better if you make it a day ahead. This pumpkin poke cake recipe is reliable to prepare in advance for parties, gatherings, and holidays all season long.

What Is a Poke Cake?

A poke cake is a retro cake recipe made by poking holes in a 9 x 13 sheet cake. The holes are then filled with something sweet, like condensed milk, caramel sauce, or even Jell-O. The filling seeps all throughout the cake which is topped off with creamy frosting. Oh, man, it’s so good! This pumpkin poke cake is our fall spin on a classic and versatile cake recipe.

What goes in

Let’s go over the key ingredients you’ll need to make your rich pumpkin poke cake! Don’t forget to scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts, recipe instructions, and nutritional info.

• White Cake Mix: If you prefer, you could also make a white cake from scratch. It’s up to you but cake mixes are straightforward and cheap. Buy a plain white cake mix, not the kind with pudding. A yellow cake would work, too, but the color of the dessert would be slightly different.
• Fresh Pumpkin: The cake batter is enhanced with three cups of shredded pumpkin. Use a pumpkin that’s meant for cooking or baking, not a jack o’lantern type pumpkin which is usually pretty stringy. You could also use a winter squash, such as butternut squash.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: We’ll further boost the fall flavors of this pumpkin cake recipe with a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice. We use our from-scratch version, but you can just as easily use your preferred ready-made spice blend from the store.
• Sweetened Condensed Milk and Cinnamon: These two ingredients are combined to make the creamy poke cake filling. Make sure that you’re buying sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk, which is unsweetened.
• Frosting: We use our from-scratch cream cheese frosting recipe. The tangy flavor pairs evenly with the pumpkin and spice in the cake. You’ll need cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy cream, plus additional cinnamon for garnishing the finished cake. We recommend full-fat cream cheese and cream for a standby frosting texture. If you are looking for a shortcut, you could use canned cream cheese frosting.

How it comes together

One of a standby things about poke cakes is that they require so little effort to turn out rich. Here’s how to make this straightforward pumpkin poke cake:

Make the cake batter. Prepare the box cake mix according to the package directions. Stir the grated pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice right into the cake batter.

Bake. Scrape the cake batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch cake pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350ºF for 30 to 35 minutes, and then let the cake cool.

Poke the holes. When the cake is cool, poke holes in it! Use a metal skewer, a chopstick, or the handle of a wooden spoon to poke a whole bunch of holes all over your freshly baked cake. As you can see, we used a wooden spoon handle to poke about 45 holes in the cake, roughly 9 rows of 5 holes each. If you use a skewer or chopstick, the holes will be smaller, so you should probably make more holes.

Add the filling. When the cake is good and holey, pour a can of sweetened condensed milk spiced with a teaspoon of cinnamon all over the cake. Chill the cake for at least a half hour before frosting it. This will allow time for the filling to soak in.

Make the frosting. Meanwhile, whip up the straightforward cream cheese frosting by whipping together a block of softened cream cheese, a cup of powdered sugar, and a bit of heavy cream.

Frost and chill. Spread the frosting over the top of the cake, dust it with cinnamon, and then refrigerate the cake for a couple of hours before serving.

When you’re ready to serve, cut your cake into squares and enjoy. Pumpkin poke cake is good with a cup of coffee or a glass of cold milk. Keep reading for more serving suggestions!

Recipe Tips

• Don’t poke all the way through to the bottom of the cake. Poke just about halfway down so the filling doesn’t run right through and pool in the bottom of the pan.
• Drizzle the filling right into the holes to make sure it gets right down into the cake. Some of it will run off the sides and that’s just fine. If it seems like quite a bit of the filling is still on top of the cake, give the cake a little extra time to set, to absorb the filling.
• Chill the cake. It’s good right away, too, but your poke cake is even better if it sets for a bit in the fridge and has a chance to absorb the filling.

Possible Recipe Variations

• Use canned pumpkin. If you’d prefer to make this cake with pumpkin purée instead of grating your own pumpkin, replace the grated pumpkin in this recipe with one (14 ounce) can of pumpkin purée. Make sure that you’re using 100% real canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin dump cake is another favorite recipe that uses canned pumpkin.
• Add garnish. Sprinkle toasted chopped pecans or walnuts over the cream cheese frosting. Crushed chocolate toffee candy bars make a great garnish, too.
• Make it caramel. For a caramel pumpkin poke cake, use a jar of caramel topping or from-scratch caramel sauce instead of sweetened condensed milk.
• Top with whipped cream. Instead of cream cheese frosting, spread a container of whipped topping on the cake, or even better, from-scratch whipped cream. This option is slightly less sweet and rich than frosting.

Serving Ideas

We love serving this pumpkin poke cake topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed pumpkin spice candied walnuts or chopped spiced pecans. For an extra-indulgent fall dessert, serve slices with scoops of from-scratch vanilla ice cream.

This sweet and spiced poke cake makes a rich addition to a fall or Thanksgiving dessert menu, too. Pair it with other favorites like cranberry pecan pie and pumpkin pudding.

How to Store a Poke Cake

Fridge: Pumpkin poke cake will keep up to 4 days in the fridge. Make sure the cake is covered well.

Freezer: Alternatively, you can freeze this poke cake for up to 2 to 3 months. We recommend freezing cakes before they’re frosted whenever possible. Store the cake airtight, or wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Defrost the poke cake in the fridge before frosting and/or serving.

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 box (15.25 ounces) white cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups finely grated fresh pumpkin (or 15 ounces 100% pumpkin puree)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (see note)

Filling

• 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Frosting

• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (full-fat is best)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• Additional cinnamon for garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch cake pan or spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. Cake: Prepare the cake following package directions. (Our cake mix called for 3 eggs, ½ cup oil, and 1 cup water.) Stir grated pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice into the batter. Pour evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake is done (toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean). Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
4. Filling: Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a small bowl (or right in the can), blend together sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon. Set aside.
5. When the cake is cool, using a metal skewer, a chopstick, or the handle of a wooden spoon, make holes evenly all over the cake. It's best if you don't poke all the way through to the bottom of the cake.
6. Pour the condensed milk mixture into the holes and all over the cake, as evenly as possible. Let the cake set a half hour or so before frosting so it has a chance to absorb the filling.
7. Frosting: Combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and heavy cream in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cake.
8. Refrigerate the cake, covered, for about 2 hours or overnight before serving. If desired, garnish with additional cinnamon.

Notes

Substitute for pumpkin pie spice: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, substitute 1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon cloves.

Storage: Cover the cake tightly with foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 4 days.