Oreo Poke Cake
Oreo Poke Cake is the recipe that started the poke cake rage! Chocolate cake mix, Oreo Pudding and whipped topping. Everyone will ask you for this recipe!
OREO COOKIES, PUDDING AND CHOCOLATE CAKE
Since I started sharing poke cakes many years ago here on The Country Cook, they have been some of my most popular recipes. And for good reason! They are easy to make but aren’t your usual cake and frosting recipes. Poke cakes have a little surprise inside! I created this Oreo Poke Cake recipe by accident in 2011 when I went to the store to get a vanilla pudding to make with this cake and found the Oreo Pudding Mix. It ended up being the best happy accident! Everyone now absolutely loves this cake!
Been making your recipe for years and realized I never commented! It’s been a family favorite for probably a decade at least. Thank you so much!!
– Terry
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Just use a vanilla pudding and add finely crushed Oreos on top of the pudding after you’ve pushed it down into the cake holes.
You certainly could but just remember that homemade whipped cream doesn’t stay stabilized for as long as Cool Whip.
Of course. You can really switch this recipe up and have a lot of fun with the flavors. Mint Oreos would be delicious!
Because of the pudding and whipped topping, this cake needs to be stored (covered) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also refrozen for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- chocolate cake mix – use your favorite chocolate cake mix. I think Chocolate Fudge or Devil’s Food work the best.
- ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil and water) – you are going to use the amounts given on the back of the cake mix box.
- Instant Oreo pudding mix – see my frequently asked questions above if you cannot find the Oreo pudding mix.
- milk – I think you get the best results with 2% or higher fat milk.
- whipped topping – you don’t have to use the Cool Whip brand – the store brand works just fine. You just need to make sure you thaw it in the refrigerator before use (since it is frozen when you purchase it.)
- Oreo cookies – again, this does not have to be name brand Oreo cookies. You can use the copycat store brand version.
HOW TO MAKE OREO POKE CAKE:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Make cake mix according to package directions. Bake cake according to time given on the back of the box. When cake is finished, allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then poke holes all over cake (about 1-inch) intervals using a wooden spoon handle.
In a medium bowl, add milk to pudding mixture and whisk until most of the lumps are removed. There will be a few lumps in the pudding because of the Oreo pieces that are in the pudding. Whisk for about 1-2 minutes until pudding just starts to thicken. You want it to thicken slightly so it isn’t overly runny but not fully thickened into pudding. Pour pudding mixture over warm cake, making sure to aim for the holes.
Spread it out with a spoon and gently push down on the pudding to help get it into the holes. Spread whipped topping on top of pudding layer. Then put the cake in the refrigerator to allow it to cool completely (about an hour).
When ready, crush about 6-8 Oreo cookies (I just put them in a Ziploc bag and bang at it with my rolling pin). Sprinkle the top of the cake with the crushed Oreos.
Slice and serve! Keep cake refrigerated.
CRAVING MORE POKE CAKE RECIPES?
Originally published: July 2011
Updated photos & republished: April 2025
Oreo Poke Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil and water) (use the amounts on the back of the cake mix box)
- 3 cups milk (2% or higher)
- 2 (4 ounce) packages Instant Oreo pudding
- 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
- crushed Oreo cookies (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare 1 box chocolate cake mix with ingredients needed to make cake (eggs, oil and water) according to package directions and bake cake according to times on the back of the box.
- When cake is finished, allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then poke holes all over cake (about 1-inch intervals) using a wooden spoon handle.
- In a medium bowl, add 3 cups milk to 2 (4 ounce) packages Instant Oreo pudding and whisk until most of the lumps are removed. There will be a few lumps in the pudding because of the Oreo pieces that are in the pudding.
- Pour pudding mixture over cake making sure to aim for the holes.
- Spread it out with a spoon and gently push down on the pudding to help get it into the holes.
- Then put the cake in the refrigerator to allow it to cool completely. About an hour.
- Spread 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed on top of pudding layer.
- Once it is set, top with crushed Oreo cookies. Slice then serve.
Video
Notes
- Keep cake refrigerated
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Sorry Laura – I’m not always able to immediately reply to comments and with yesterday being Father’s Day, I took the day off. Unfortunately, the answer is not really unless you want to manually spoon the pudding and push into each hole. You can just layer it on top of the cake – it will still taste good. 🙂 But I am sure you’ve already done that by now!
Turned out fantastic! My wife loves Oreo anything so I knew this was right up her alley. She loved it. Thank you for the recipe.
Been making your recipe for years and realized I never commented! It’s been a family favorite for probably a decade at least. Thank you so much!!
I brought this to my friendsgiving and it was a huge hit! It was so easy to make and everyone loved it. Will definitely make this again.
Yay!! Hope you had a wonderful Friendsgiving!! Thank you SO much for coming back to comment!
I made this cake for Thanksgiving dessert. By itself the cake is not overly sweet. The addition of the cool whip “frosting” isn’t too sweet either. I will definitely make this again.
I talk about other options above in the post. It’s the first question under the Frequently Asked Questions section 🙂
Has anyone ever doubled this recipe for a large crowd? If so, what size pan? I would think a half sheet pan, but maybe not deep enough?
I made using a triple fudge cake mix that I mixed per directions on box (but I added a splash of vanilla). I served very chilled & kept covered in my fridge for 3 days before it was gone completely. This was delicious!
Looks great and very yummy!! Can this cake be frozen for serving later?
Why does your recipe only say 3 cups of milk. Oreo pudding box says 2 cups per box.
Because thats all thats needed. We aren’t making it to the package directions.
I just saw that there is Oreo Cake Mix too, you know, in case there weren’t enough Oreos in this recipe for you! We will be making this soon!
Ha! I love it! Why not?! Go big or go home – ha!
My husband loves this cake! He requested it again for his birthday. It’s always a hit at gatherings and so easy to make. Sometimes I will add Oreo pudding in with the cool whip.
Good idea….Will try next time!
Delicious
Thank you Ian!
Could you use vanilla ice cream instead of cool whip?
Hi Crystal – I’ve never even thought about that. You’d have to soften the ice cream to get it to spread. I’d worry about it making the cake soggy but it could maybe work. I’m not sure how it would all taste trying to eat it from frozen. The pudding layer may cause an issue. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you!
Looking to make this for my sons birthday but i cant acess oreo pudding in canada in such short notice will chocolate or oreo do the same?
Made this for my family last week & it was amazing!
It looks like a cake I’ve labored for hours on, yet it’s so simple to make. The kids all enjoyed helping me.
The only problem we had was the waiting for 1 hr to let it cool. Lol… It looked so good that we just couldn’t wait an hr to eat it. It was delicious, but I do suggest doing as the recipe says, resist the temptation to dig into it before it cools. I think it would have set better that way & it would have been worth the wait. Thanks for another amazing recipe. I’m trying one of something new every day & have found so much to use from your site.
It’s SO hard to resist digging in before it’s ready! Ha! Thanks so much for taking the time to review the recipe!
Can you make the cake and add the pudding the day before you serve it?
A lot of people have copied this recipe off of you but I know yours is THE original. Sorry they don’t give you credit. Yours is the best – thank you!
Looks amazing! Just curious Brandie – Can I make this a day ahead and keep it in the fridge? Thinking it would be great to take to our camper for a birthday party.
I just made this but did a different twist on frosting. I don’t like whipped cream so I used a twist from the idea of the Boston Cream Pudding Poke cake. I did use the Oreo pudding and spread it into the holes and then let it set for 2 hours in the fridge. I got a can of cookies and cream frosting and microwaved it for a few seconds and then spread it on top of the cake and sprinkled the cookie pieces. It was a hit!
Perfect Ellen! Love it!!
Just found “new” Jello caramel pudding…making with Devils food cake & adding chocolate & caramel ice cream topping over the cool whip.
This recipe has become a family favorite. However, I use only 1 box of the pudding. The family likes it that way as it’s not too rich. I also crush the cookies with the blender to crumbs & cover the entire cake top with them.
The possibilities for a poke cake are endless. I made one many years ago with shredded coconut. I have since lost that recipe. I will just wing it. It seems that one cannot go wrong with a poke cake.
Poke cakes are always fun to make and eat. So glad you made this work for you. I also have a Coconut Poke Cake that may work for you. Thank you for letting me know how much you enjoy this cake.
One of my favorite cakes ever! Made it for one of my brothers bdays & we all thought it was fabulous! I'm thinking about making it for my son's 2nd bday coming up. He loves chocolate & I think her love this. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Made this last night as my entry for our departmental thanksgiving potluck/dessert contest. LOVED IT!!! Was able to get the Oreo pudding here in FL this past weekend, so they are still making it! Thanks for the recipe, we will definitely be having this again! 🙂
This cake is pretty good. Be sure to top it with whipped cream and crushed Oreos..it needs the texture and the extra sweetness, believe it or not. Also…I would add something to the cake (chocolate chips, toffee chips or SOMETHING) to make it sweeter. It just was not sweet enough for my taste. I used Devil's Food cake mix, so maybe that's why it tasted a little bland. I will try the banana poke cake next time.
If you add condensed milk over the top of the warm cake in the holes then mix pudding and cool whip together it’s much better
Sounds good to me! It would be super sweet but that’s not a problem for me! 🙂
I would love for you to publish a cook book. I would so purchase it. 😀 If you never made and actual cook book how about an e-book on amazon? Just an idea. Thanks for your blog, I read your blog several times a week. My birthday is coming up and I can't wait to try the Coca-Cola Cake recipe.
Thanks,
Tanesha