Boston Cream Poke Cake
on Jul 06, 2015, Updated Oct 21, 2020
When I am in hurry and need to make a quick dessert for our summer bbqs, this Easy Boston Cream Poke Cake is perfect. The recipe is so super simple and uses a boxed cake mix, pudding, and store bought frosting. SUPER simple.
Boston Cream Poke Cake
My hubby is a huge fan of cream filled baked goods. He loves our Homemade Eclairs recipe best. Before we made the homemade eclairs, this super simple Boston Cream Poke Cake was his favorite dessert that I have made.
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The recipe is so super simple but tastes out of this world amazing. The flavor combinations taste just like a high end Boston Cream cake.
Poke cakes are always a hit at our summer bbqs. I make our Oreo Poke Cake often but this is another one of my “go to” cake recipes when I am pressed for time.
This cake is so simple because it uses a store bought cake mix, boxed pudding and store bought frosting. It’s so simple I can have my teens make it for me when needed.
INGREDIENTS
1 box Yellow Cake Mix (plus box ingredients)
2 small boxes (3.4 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
4 cup Milk
1 container Chocolate Frosting
DIRECTIONS
Prepare cake in 13×9″ pan according to box directions.
Allow to cool until just slightly warm.
Use spoon handle to poke holes evenly across cake.
Combine milk and pudding mix and whisk until well blended.
Pour pudding over cake making sure it gets down into holes.
Refrigerate cake for several hours to allow pudding to settle and set up.
Open frosting container and remove foil seal.
Microwave for 15 seconds and stir. Repeat this until frosting is pourable.
Pour over pudding layer and spread with spatula to cover completely.
Refrigerate for at least several more hours.
Do you have a favorite summer bbq dessert recipe that you like to make?
This cake is always one of the first desserts that everyone at our bbqs finishes off. Most everyone is always amazed at how simple the recipe is. I like to keep it refrigerated up until I serve it so the layers are perfect. If I am transporting, I will freeze it ahead of time so it stays chilled.
Boston Cream Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow Cake Mix, plus box ingredients
- 2 small boxes, 3.4 oz Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- 4 cup Milk
- 1 container Chocolate Frosting
Instructions
- Prepare cake in 13x9" pan according to box directions.
- Allow to cool until just slightly warm.
- Use spoon handle to poke holes evenly across cake.
- Combine milk and pudding mix and whisk until well blended.
- Pour pudding over cake making sure it gets down into holes.
- Refrigerate cake for several hours to allow pudding to settle and set up.
- Open frosting container and remove foil seal.
- Microwave for 15 seconds and stir. Repeat this until frosting is pourable.
- Pour over pudding layer and spread with spatula to cover completely.
- Refrigerate for at least several more hours.
Looking for other great dessert recipes? Be sure to see some of these other ideas that I have shared…
Wow, that poke cake looks so good!
Ahh I can’t wait to make this! I made my brother a Boston Cream Cake before he moved to Boston, so when he comes back to visit I usually do another for him. Thanks for sharing, pinned and stumbled!
Looks awesome! We just made a banana version of this! Pinned!
This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing :)
Can you use regular pudding instead of instant?
I live in Ireland, no problem with buying the cake mix and chocolate topping but I have no idea what a pudding mix is unless it’s the same as making a vanilla custard? Ant ideas.
It’s the small packages of Jell-o Instant Pudding mix. You just mix the dry pudding with 2 cups of milk and it soft-sets in about 5 minutes. Don’t know if you are familiar with Jell-o in Ireland. They sell it everywhere here in the states.
I’m in this process of making this. I just mixed the pudding mix and milk, and it’s very runny, just like other commenters have said. It doesn’t look like your pudding mix in the pictures. I am also worried about the frosting being too thin as well. Are there details that you are leaving out? Why are so many of us having problems?
I think I found the problem with the pudding! There are some puddings that you have to cook first, and that’s what I got because it’s not specified in the recipe. But I looked closer at the picture and it is clearly instant pudding. Maybe you can add that to your ingredient list for those of us that don’t stare at picture to figure out exactly what to get.
Oops. I doubled check the ingredients and it does say instant! I guess we aren’t paying close enough attention, sorry. :)
It says to mix the milk and pudding until it’s basically combined, but I went ahead and whisked till it was sorta thick and then poured it on worked great, as I poured I used a spatula to get it down in the holes then spread it all over so far looks just like the picture I just put in fridge and will check it after the time it states, then do the frosting part and put in fridge again for several hours. Will inform all on how mine turned out or if I had a problem with frosting. Looking forward to the finished product decided to try it because of its simplicity.
I’m really worried about the frosting comments I’ve been reading. I have a potluck this Saturday night and I want to bring this cake, but I see no resolve to the frosting problems. Is there one????
I was very disappointed as I made this and was excited to try it. Non like the others, my issue with the cake was not the frosting, but the pudding. When I cut the cake, it was VERY soupy. Not good at all. I let it sit in the fridge over night so not sure where I went wrong, unless I needed to put some type of cover over it, such as aluminum foil or something. Help???
How long for this process total? I am thinking of making the cake but only have 5 hours from start to finish. Enough?
The printable recipe does not give the size for the vanilla pudding. It does show online but not when you print it. Just wanted to let you know. I am baking my cake now. Can’t wait to try it.
This looks amazing and I’m making one right now, but am using butterscotch pudding, white cake and vanilla icing! I’m sure it will taste fantastic. I’ll be making another one tomorrow for a retirement brunch and plan to use banana pudding with chocolate cake!
I tried your boston creme poke cake and found it to be very tasty. The only think I wasn’t happy with is the frosting that was suggested since after refrigerating it for several hours the frosting was too drippy and would just roll off the cake when trying to cut a piece of cake. In the picture the frosting depicts a firmly set frosting. I followed everything to the T.
I had the same problem. The frosting became a soupy mess and really destroyed the look of the whole cake. Not to mention, after a piece was cut, the frosting would slide into the space like an invading ooze. Sure was tasty though.. would be better to just serve this with a large spoon rather than try to slice it into pieces.
I noticed that the recipe says “yellow” cake mix but the picture shows “butter yellow”. Any feedback on which one it should be and which would taste better? Thank you!!!
i used the
white choc olate pudding mix an it was so good . i was out of vanilla but i think this is much better. try it
Me and my husband are both diabetic. I’ve found sugar free cake mix, frosting and pudding. I’m definately making this for us. ?
I’m making the sugar free version as well!
HELP! I just made this and the pudding set up before I could get it all poured. I made two cakes – poked the holes in the cake before doing the pudding but still didn’t get in into all the holes. Love the recipe but should I have used 4 1/2 cups milk?
I’m assuming you let the pudding settle a little before pouring it on the cake? Otherwise it is runny
Making it right now! How long did you let it cool before you added the pudding?
I just made this cake and the flavor is delicious! The only issue I have with this recipe is when I cut a piece of it to serve the chocolate frosting just slides off. I did have it in the refrigerator for several hours as the recipe indicated! Even on the second day I tried to cover the cake in the pan and all of the frosting is sticking to the Press n’ Seal.
Try spraying your foil or plastic before covering. That should prevent the icing from sticking. ;)
Mine ended up the same way. Chocolate icing never hardened up. You try to cut the cake and the icing just rolls right off. Followed directions exactly. Used Betty Crocker chocolate frosting, so I didn’t go cheap. What happened? And, how do I fix it?