Tiramisu Poke Cake
Tiramisu Poke Cake is when tiramisu meets poke cake in a creamy, coffee flavored dessert. Fluffy cake, vanilla pudding and whipped cream with a light dusting of cocoa powder!
A COFFEE INSPIRED DESSERT
Tiramisu Poke Cake brings together the classic flavors of the traditional Italian dessert with the fun surprise and ease of a poke cake. Poke cakes are so easy to make and can pack a punch of fabulous flavor! A soft, tender French vanilla cake is soaked with espresso topped instant pudding and is finished off with homemade whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder. If you’ve been around a while, you know my love for poke cakes and this one is quickly climbing the ranks to favorite!
This was ridiculously good! Everyone commented how much they loved it and I had several people ask for the recipe. It was a hit!
– Carrie
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I used a Betty Crocker cake mix but any vanilla cake mixes will work. The amount of ingredients was based on the box recommendation so other mixes may require different ingredients.
If you’re using a white cake mix instead of vanilla, it may say to use egg whites. For the purposes of this recipe, use the whole egg option. This will give you a denser cake that will hold up better when adding the pudding.
Absolutely! You would remove the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar from this recipe and substitute with an 8 ounce tub of whipped topping (Cool Whip).
Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can freeze this cake. I would recommend slicing it prior to freezing so that you only remove the pieces that you need. To do this, the cake must be chilled completely. Slice and place in a single layer in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge when you are ready to enjoy a slice.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- French vanilla cake mix– also, a white cake mix or yellow can be used.
- milk – I am using milk instead of water but you can use water.
- eggs – if you have time, allow the eggs to come to room temperature. This will help them mix into the batter easier.
- oil – use your oil of preference. Generally I use vegetable oil but you use your preference.
- instant vanilla pudding– be sure to grab the instant vanilla pudding mix, the Cook and Serve will not provide you with the correct type of results for this recipe. I used Jello vanilla instant pudding, but any brand will work- as long as it’s INSTANT pudding. Be very careful when looking at the boxes, the writing can be very small but if you accidentally grab cook and serve, this will not turn out and the pudding will not set up.
- espresso powder– instant or finely ground. This brings the flavor that is known in tiramisu. You can’t have tiramisu without espresso powder. But if you really don’t like the flavor, I suppose you could leave it out- but I don’t know what you’d call this cake then, ha. If you’ve never bought it before, you can grab espresso powder from Walmart (not a paid affiliate link) or online retailers like Amazon sell espresso powder (paid affiliate link).
- heavy cream – I am making a homemade whipped cream here but you could certainly grab a tub of Cool Whip instead of making it homemade.
- powdered sugar
- sour cream– Tiramisu is made with mascarpone cheese. I am using sour cream to mimic that tangy flavor. If you don’t like sour cream in the topping, feel free to leave it out.
- unsweetened cocoa powder
HOW TO MAKE TIRAMISU POKE CAKE
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it.) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients to make up the cake mix. Whisk until there are no lumps remaining. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake according to the directions on the box. My cake had a bake time of 25 minutes but different mixes may vary. The top and edges of the cake will be light golden brown. Remove from the oven and while the cake is still warm, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes throughout the cake. Leave at least an inch to an inch and a half of space between each hole. Set aside to cool completely.
Once the cake is cool, start on the pudding. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the instant vanilla pudding with milk until there are no more lumps and pudding starts to thicken a bit. Pour the pudding over the top of the cake making sure to aim for the holes. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to spread it around and gently push into the holes if necessary.
Sprinkle the espresso powder over the top of the pudding. Place the cake in the fridge to set for 10-15 minutes. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a handheld electric mixer), beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and sour cream for 3-5 minutes or until you have stiff peaks of cream. Smooth the whipped topping over the layer of espresso.
Use a small sieve to sprinkle the cocoa powder over the top of the entire cake. Chill the cake for 1 hour.
Slice when read and serve chilled.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 3.4 ounce box INSTANT vanilla pudding
- 2 cups milk (I prefer whole milk)
- 2 teaspoons finely ground espresso powder
For the topping:
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it.)
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 1 box Betty Crocker French vanilla cake mix, 1 cup milk, 3 large eggs and 1/3 cup oil. Whisk until there are no lumps remaining. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake according to the directions on the box (on the middle oven rack). My cake had a bake time of 25 minutes but oven times can vary. The top and edges of the cake will be light golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and while the cake is still warm, use the handle of a wooden spoon (or similar size object) to poke holes throughout the cake. Leave at least an inch to an inch and a half of space between each hole. Set aside to cool completely.
- Once the cake is cool, start on the pudding. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 3.4 ounce box INSTANT vanilla pudding with 2 cups milk until there are no more lumps and pudding starts to thicken a bit. Pour the pudding over the top of the cake making sure to aim for the holes. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to spread it around and gently push into the holes if necessary.
- Sprinkle 2 teaspoons finely ground espresso powder over the top of the pudding. Place the cake in the fridge to set for 10-15 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a handheld electric mixer), beat the heavy cream, powdered sugar and sour cream for 3-5 minutes or until you have stiff peaks of cream.
- Smooth the whipped topping over the layer of espresso.
- Use a small sieve to sprinkle the cocoa powder over the top of the entire cake. Chill the cake for 1 hour before slicing and serving chilled.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- This makes 12-15 servings depending on how big you cut the slices.
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.
Hi! I haven’t made this yet-just have a question… Does the espresso powder sprinkled on the pudding start to dissolve or will there still be a grit to it? I frequently add instant coffee crystals to sugar free instant vanilla pudding to make coffee pudding! I use heavy cream instead of milk so it’s more like a mousse. It’s sooo good!!
Have you used espresso powder before? It is super fine, not like instant coffee 🙂
Yes I have used it but not sprinkling and leaving it so I didn’t know if it dissolved just sitting there or if it still left the powder?
Still wondering??
So good!! Everyone absolutely raved!
So, so good. Will definitely be making this again!
We love all your Poke Cakes. This one is a top contender.
Hi I am wondering if you can make this one as a gluten free version, since a number of people lately I have met only eat gluten free. Plus is there anything else I would need to change in this recipe.
I’m not familiar with gluten free baking but perhaps someone on here can help you with that! 🙂
Another winner Brandie! We love all your recipes!
This was ridiculously good! Everyone commented how much they loved it and I had several people ask for the recipe. It was a hit!