Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake combines the rich, creamy filling and chocolate frosting of a Boston cream pie with tender, yellow cake mix, creating a delicious, easy recipe that’s perfect for any occasion.

If you’ve read our blog for any length of time, you know that we love making cakes. From fancy, layered cakes to icebox cakes and everything in between, we are big fans of the classic dessert. One of our favorite poke cakes to make is this Boston Cream pie poke cake. It’s so delicious and so easy, which makes it the perfect cake for practically any time. We’ve brought it to potlucks and holiday gatherings, and we’ve also made it on a random weekday afternoon just because we wanted some!

This Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake is so good, and it’s so easy to make.  You can make this ahead, keep it in the refrigerator, and it’s ready to serve when you need it.  This is sure to please even picky eaters.  It’s cool and creamy, and the chocolate frosting just makes all the flavors come together in a delicious way.  Everyone is sure to love this, so make sure you keep it in your favorites!

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake

This cake is absolutely delicious. Truly. It’s amazing. It tastes just like Boston Cream pie! The tender yellow cake is filled with delicious vanilla pudding, then it’s all topped with a rich, chocolate cream cheese frosting. Every bite is pure, sweet deliciousness that everyone always loves. In fact, when we bring this cake to parties, we never have leftovers.

This is the perfect cake for everything from afternoon snacking to an easy dessert. It only takes a few minutes to make, and it comes together so easily. It’s the perfect combination of ease and flavor!

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Ingredients

It only takes a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. If you do any amount of baking at all, you probably have most or all of them in your kitchen right now. If you don’t, you can easily find all the ingredients at your local grocery store.

For the Cake

• Yellow cake mix
• Oil
• Vanilla pudding
• Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Sweetened condensed milk

For the Frosting

• Butter – softened
• Cream cheese – softened
• Heavy cream
• Vanilla extract
• Powdered sugar
• Cocoa

**See the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.

Equipment

You don’t need much equipment to make this recipe. It only takes a few kitchen basics.

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Hand or stand mixer
• Spoon
• Baking dish
• Spatula

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake Instructions

A few simple steps are all it takes to make this delicious poke cake. It’s a simple recipe that even beginners can make.

Step 1: Make the Cake

Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Bake the cake in a 9×13 dish. Then, remove the cake from the oven and cool it completely on a wire rack.

Step 2: Make the Pudding

While the cake is cooling, add the vanilla pudding, milk, and vanilla extract to a bowl and mix according to the package directions. Then, add the sweetened condensed milk and stir well.

Step 3: Poke the Cake

After the cake has cooled completely, poke holes across it using the handle of a wooden spoon.

Then, pour the pudding mixture over the cake, allowing it to seep into the holes. Set in the refrigerator for about 2 hours until completely chilled.

Step 4: Make the Frosting

Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and blend again until smooth.

Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, blending between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. When all the powdered sugar has been added, add the remaining heavy cream, then, add the cocoa a little at a time. Mix until smooth and creamy.

Step 5: Frost the Cake

Remove the chilled cake from the refrigerator and frost the cake with chocolate frosting. Then, chill the cake again until ready to serve.

Hint: Be sure to fully soften your butter and cream cheese to get the absolute best texture for your frosting.

Storage

You can store this cake in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Freezing this cake is not recommended.

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Tips

This is an incredibly straightforward recipe, as most poke cakes are. There are only a few simple tips you need to remember to ensure your cake is the best it can possibly be.

Fully Softened Cream Cheese and Butter – Be sure your butter and cream cheese are fully softened so that they cream well and create that light, fluffy texture you want in your frosting.

Don’t Poke Aggressively – You want the holes you poke into your cake to go about 3/4 of the way down. Don’t poke holes all the way through it, or it will fall apart when you try to slice it.

Chill, Chill, Chill – Don’t rush the chilling process. This cake is best when it’s nice and cold.

More Poke Cake Recipes

If you love poke cakes, then we have some recipes here that we think you’ll enjoy.

Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

Chocolate Turtle Poke Cake

Pineapple Coconut Poke Cake

Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake FAQ

If you have questions about this Boston cream pie poke cake, then read on. The following FAQ answers the most commonly asked questions about this cake.

What is Boston cream?
Boston cream is a vanilla-flavored custard. This version uses vanilla pudding to achieve the same flavor with less work.

Why is it called Boston cream?
Boston cream pie is believed to have been created at Boston’s Omni Parker House. Consequently, any kind of recipe using vanilla custard and chocolate frosting is usually called Boston Cream something or other.

How long is this cake good?
It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended.

Why is my frosting lumpy?
Butter and cream cheese that wasn’t fully softened are probably the culprits. If you don’t fully soften them, your frosting will be lumpy.

Try This Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake for Yourself

This Boston cream pie poke cake is rich and delicious and loaded with all the flavors we love in a Boston cream dessert. Give this one a try, and we know you’ll love it as much as we do. It’s so easy to make, you can whip it up whenever you feel like it!

MORE RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE:

Copycat Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes 

Easy Orange Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

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Bourbon Buttercream Sugar Cookies

Triple Chocolate Cookies