Blackberry Poke Cake

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Bake, poke, fill, cover, and top for an easy Blackberry Poke Cake.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Chill Time6

Total Time6 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: (3x3 inch) servings

Calories: 274kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

15.25 ounce box of French vanilla boxed cake mix plus the ingredients called for on the box - 1 cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 3 large eggs - Betty Crocker brand
2 cups seedless blackberry preserves
3.3 ounce box of instant white chocolate pudding mix
1¾ cups whole milk
8 ounce tub of extra creamy whipped topping thawed
½ cup of white chocolate chips
12 large fresh blackberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with baker’s spray. Set it aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the French vanilla cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and eggs together for 2 minutes. You will follow the directions for baking a 9x13 sheet cake according to the package directions.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool on the counter for 20 minutes before poking holes over the entire surface of the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon.
Add the blackberry preserves to a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir to create a pourable consistency.
Pour the warmed seedless blackberry preserves evenly over the cake. Be sure to concentrate on getting the preserves into all the holes of the cake. You can use an offset spatula to spread the blackberry preserves evenly over the entire surface of the cake.
In another large mixing bowl, you will make your pudding layer by whisking together the instant white chocolate pudding and whole milk for 3 minutes or until thickened.
Fold the thawed extra creamy whipped topping into the white chocolate pudding until completely combined.
Spread the pudding mixture over the entire surface of the cake. Be sure not to mix the blackberry preserves into the pudding as much as possible.
Sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the surface of the pudding layer.
Garnish with a whole fresh blackberry in, what should be, the center of each of the 12 servings of the poke cake. This will give you a beautiful presentation when sliced and served.
Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours up to overnight.

Notes

Yields: 12 (3x3 inch) servings

Storage:

To Store: You can store your poke cake in the refrigerator, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

Tips:

Make sure you use instant pudding mix and not the cook-and-serve kind.
To poke holes, I recommend using a large round wooden spoon handle or other similar-sized object so that the holes are fairly big and the blackberry preserves has plenty of room to seep down in between.
You can change the flavor of the fruit for this recipe to a strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, or even a mixed berry version. You just want to make sure you are using seedless fruit preserves. Be sure to choose a good quality that is on the thicker side. You do not want to use jelly in this recipe. The texture and consistency are very different.
I love the flavor of the French vanilla cake mix for this recipe. However, any vanilla, butter, or white cake mix will work just as well. You will just follow the directions on the back of the box for whichever brand of cake mix you choose.
Store-bought whipped topping is a great time saver to make this a quick and easy dessert. You can certainly make a sweetened whipped cream from scratch if you prefer. A recipe that calls for 1 cup of heavy whipping cream should yield the perfect amount of whipped cream for this recipe.
You can swap out the white chocolate chips for chopped or shavings of a good quality white chocolate bar. Be sure that you are choosing a high-quality white chocolate chip. I like using the Ghirardelli brand.

Nutrition