Chocolate Cream Pie Poke Cake |Cooking With Amanda

Living in the South, I am well-versed in what you might call "White Trash Comfort Food". It's actually my favorite kind – comforting, not particularly (meaning not at all) healthy, and usually full of some combination of Cool Whip, pudding, Jell-O, sweetened condensed milk, butter, cake mix, or canned pie filling. Some might call it an abomination, but down here we call it the best food ever, devouring it while we swig our sweet tea. No regrets, friends. No regrets.

Poke cakes are definitely a potluck staple and one of my all-time favorites. Any combination of pudding and cake is a winner in my book. The pudding gives the cake a creamy texture contrast and the Cool-Whip topping is a nice change of pace from super rich frosting. My son is a frosting hater (alien), so poke cakes are always a winner with him. One of these days I'll pull him over to the frosting dark side, but until then, I can always pull a poke cake out of my hat when I want to make a cake that the whole family will love!

The name "poke cake" comes from the holes you poke in the cake. When you spread anything creamy (Jell-O, pudding, sweetened condensed milk), the mixture fills the holes, making a moist cake, full of flavor. My husband has always loved chocolate cream pie, so I decided to try that in poke cake form – enter chocolate cream pie poke cake. It's cool and creamy, with the chocolate pudding and buttery graham crumb topping giving it a special touch. My husband and I might (definitely) have eaten this for lunch one day – it's that good.

Be sure to make this cake at least a few hours before you need it, preferably the evening before. While it sits covered in the refrigerator, the cake soaks up the filling, making it moist. It's worth the wait!

If you're in a hurry though, my mocha coffee cupcakes don't need an overnight sleep in the fridge.

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Chocolate Cream Pie Poke Cake Recipe

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Ingredients

1 box devil's food cake mix, plus eggs, oil, and water called for on box
1 small package instant chocolate fudge pudding mix, (3.9 ounce box)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups milk, cold
8 ounces cool whip, thawed
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9x13 cake pan and set aside.
Prepare cake mix according to directions. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes until cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes across the surface of the cake, 1 inch apart.
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and powdered sugar. Whisk in cold milk for about 2 minutes, until thick but pourable. Spread pudding over the surface of the cake, gently pushing into the holes. Cover the cake and refrigerate for at least a few hours.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl. Frost cake with whipped topping, then sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Serve.