Boston Cream Poke Cake

5 from 9 votes

Boston Cream Poke Cake is a buttery yellow cake base is poked and filled with creamy pudding mixture, then topped rich, thick chocolate glaze.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Chill Time2 20

Total Time3 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 498kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

15.25 ounces box yellow cake mix
5 cups half and half divided
3 large eggs
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
6.8 ounces (2 3.4-ounce) boxes instant French vanilla pudding mix
1¼ cup heavy cream
10 ounces package dark chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the yellow cake mix, 1 cup half and half, eggs and the melted butter until well combined, about 2 minutes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Use the back of a wooden spoon or other round tool to poke holes all over the cake. You want to make sure that the holes are rather large so really make a hole with whatever you are using.
Pour the remaining 4 cups of half and half in a bowl and then whisk in the two boxes of french vanilla pudding mix until combined.
Pour the pudding mixture over the cake and then gently spread it out evenly on the cake. Don’t wait for the pudding to thicken before pouring it.
Refrigerate the cake with the pudding for twenty minutes.
To make the ganache, place the heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot and almost simmering. It doesn’t need to boil but it does need to be very, very hot.
While the cream is heating, place the dark chocolate chips in a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the hot cream over the dark chocolate chips and allow it to set for about 1 minute.
Mix together the chocolate chips and cream with a fork, until the chocolate is melted and thick, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour the ganache all over the cake and spread into an even layer with a spreading spatula.
Refrigerate the entire cake for at least 2 hours or overnight so everything can set. Serve cold.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: Store your poke cake covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Tips:

Be careful not to over bake your cake or it will turn out dry.
Make sure you use instant pudding mix and not the cook and serve kind.
Don’t make the pudding ahead of time or it will set up before the cake comes out of the oven and won’t fill your holes well.
It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm because as it cools, the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily.
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 pudding has plenty of room to seep down in between. Be sure to poke right down to the bottom of the cake.

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