Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake
on Sep 10, 2016, Updated Feb 21, 2021
This Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake is an amazing fall dessert. You will find it easy to make since it starts with a boxed cake mix. We added in lots of caramel and a cream cheese whipped topping to make it extra delicious. Perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert.
Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake
We love pumpkin desserts. It’s always so much fun when pumpkin season arrives. After dinner dessert is almost a must at our house. The kiddos and hubby have gotten use to me always having something sweet to enjoy after dinner.
The family put in a request for our Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting this past week for after dinner dessert. I seriously did not have the time to make a from scratch cake this week. We had so much going on with all the kids.
I love fall baking but sometimes I am pressed for time and need some easy desserts. So that is how this Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake comes on the scene. It’s quick! I had this cake ready in less than 2 hours with such little effort.
Poke cakes are some of our favorite desserts. I made our Caramel Apple Poke Cake last week and they had it polished off quite quickly. I knew a Pumpkin Poke Cake would be amazing. We love cream cheese frosting with our pumpkin desserts. Since I normally use Cool-Whip on our poke cakes, I needed to include some cream cheese to go with this pumpkin cake. It worked out perfect. The Cool-Whip and the cream cheese on top of this cake was amazing.
I added on some chopped pecans that I had leftover from my Pumpkin Dump Cake Recipe. They were a great addition but are totally optional.
Grab yourself a boxed spice cake mix, store bought or Homemade Caramel, store bought or Homemade Pumpkin Spice, cream cheese, Cool-Whip, and a few misc ingredients and you can make this awesome cake too!
Note: I did not have my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice in my ingredient shot!
INGREDIENTS
1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
3 Eggs
2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice store bought or Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
12 oz Caramel Sauce store bought or Homemade Caramel Sauce
8 oz softened Cream Cheese
1 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
8 oz Whipped Topping (like Cool Whip)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350.
Grease 11×13″ pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice.
Mix until combined.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool until slightly warm.
With the end of a large wooden spoon, poke holes throughout cake.
Heat caramel in microwave for 1 minute.
Fill each hole 3/4 full of caramel. Reserve about 2 ounces of caramel for topping.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add in powdered sugar and beat until blended.
Fold whipped topping into mixture.
Spread topping over cake, making sure to push into holes.
Drizzle with remaining caramel and top with chopped pecans if desired.
Keep refrigerated.
Do you have a favorite easy fall dessert?
Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box Spice Cake Mix
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 3 Eggs
- 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 12 oz Caramel Sauce
- 8 oz softened Cream Cheese
- 1 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
- 8 oz Whipped Topping, like Cool Whip
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease 11x13" pan.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pumpkin, oil, eggs and pumpkin pie spice.
- Mix until combined.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool until slightly warm.
- With the end of a large wooden spoon, poke holes throughout cake.
- Heat caramel in microwave for 1 minute.
- Fill each hole 3/4 full of caramel. Reserve about 2 ounces of caramel for topping.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in powdered sugar and beat until blended.
- Fold whipped topping into mixture.
- Spread topping over cake, making sure to push into holes.
- Drizzle with remaining caramel and top with chopped pecans if desired.
Nutrition
Be sure to see these other awesome pumpkin desserts that I have shared here on my blog…
Do you add water for the spice cake like the box says. The batter is thick?