Easter Poke Cake
This Easter Poke Cake is the perfect treat for the holiday. It’s rich, delicious, and so easy to make with tender cake, cheesecake pudding, Cool Whip, and festive Easter colors.
We’re not afraid to tackle involved desserts if they’re delicious and look great. Sometimes, though, something easy is just the thing, especially during the holidays. That’s why we love serving this easy poke cake at our Easter get-together.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It only uses a few simple ingredients.
- It’s a super easy recipe that only takes a few minutes.
- It’s rich, delicious, sweet, and so festive.
🛒Ingredients
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This recipe only uses a few basic ingredients that you can easily find at your local grocery store. Chances are you have most of them in your kitchen right now. The major players are listed below, but you’ll find the complete list of ingredients along with amounts in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- White cake mix
- Instant cheesecake pudding
- Milk
- Cool whip
- Powdered sugar
- Pink and green food coloring
- Green sprinkles
- Peeps marshmallows
- Easter peanut M&Ms
🔪 How to Make Easter Poke Cake
This is a super simple recipe that anyone can make. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps, and you’ll have a festive Easter treat that everyone will love.
Step 1: Make the Cake
Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Then, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
Step 2: Poke the Holes
Use a large straw or the end of a small wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake.
Step 3: Make the Pudding
Whisk 1 package of cheesecake pudding and 2 cups of milk together in a large mixing bowl. Then, whisk in 6 to 7 drops of pink food coloring. Add more for more vibrant color.
Step 4: Fill the Holes
When the pudding is made, quickly pour it over the cake, starting with the holes. Then, spread it evenly over the cake with a spatula. Chill the cake for 2 to 4 hours to set the pudding.
Step 5: Make the Frosting
Whisk the remaining package of cheesecake pudding, powdered sugar, and 3/4 cup of milk in a large bowl until smooth. Then, fold in the Cool Whip until combined. Finally, add 4 to 5 drops of green food coloring and stir until fully combined. Add more food coloring for a stronger color.
Step 6: Frost the Cake
Frost the cake evenly with the Cool Whip frosting and top with green sprinkles, Peeps bunny marshmallows, and Easter peanut M&Ms.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Just Cool Whip – If you love your poke cake topped with cool whip, just mix the food coloring into Cool Whip and frost.
- M&Ms – You can use any kind of Easter M&M you like.
- White Cake – Yellow, butter, or vanilla cake all work well in this recipe.
If you think this poke cake looks good, then check out our strawberry cheesecake poke cake.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Mixing bowls
- Cake pan
- Spatula
🥫 Storage
Store this cake in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not freeze this cake. The pudding will break and make a mess.
💭 Tips
- Be careful to poke holes no deeper than about 3/4 of the way through the cake. Otherwise, the cake will fall apart when you cut and serve it.
- It’s important to fill the holes with the pudding as soon as it’s mixed. Instant pudding will start to set fast.
- It’s best to chill this cake overnight before serving.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Poke cake is a cake that’s been poked full of holes and then topped with either Jello or pudding to fill the holes and frosted with Cool Whip or a Cool Whip-based topping.
Poke cake was invented in the 70s as a marketing tool for Jello. To boost sales, Jello released the recipe for a poke cake filled with Jello.
It’s sweet and delicious, and it’s super easy and quick. Everyone loves a combo like that.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy Easter recipes? Then try these delicious recipes:
📌 PIN IT!!
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Easter Poke Cake
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Whisk
- mixing bowls
- Cake pan
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix + ingredients from the back of the box
- 6 ounces cheesecake instant pudding divided
- 2 ¾ cups milk divided
- 8 ounces cool whip
- 3 tablespoons Powdered sugar
- Pink and green gel food coloring
- Green sprinkles
- Peeps marshmallows for the top of the cake
- Easter peanut M&Ms or regular for the top of the cake
Instructions
- Prepare the white cake mix, according to package directions.
- Once the cake has cooled, use a large straw, or the thin end of a wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together one package of the cheesecake pudding mix with 2 cups of milk. Whisk in 6-7 drops of pink food coloring, adding more if necessary, to get your desired shade of pink.
- Quickly pour the pudding mixture into the holes you poked in your cake, and smooth out over the top of the cake.
- Move the cake to the refrigerator to chill for 2-4 hours, so the pudding can set.
- To make the frosting, in a large mixing bowl whisk together one package of cheesecake pudding, powdered sugar, and ¾ cup of milk, until smooth.
- Fold in cool whip, stirring until everything is well combined.
- Add 4-5 drops of green food coloring, and stir until combined and there are no more white streaks. Add more food coloring, if needed, to get to your desired shade of green.
- Frost the top of the cake, and then top with green sprinkles, Peeps marshmallows, and Easter pastel M&Ms.
- Enjoy!
How do you get the red streaks throughout the cake?
Laura all the instructions are in the recipe card. The pink steaks are made when you poke the cake and add the filling