Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake made with a cake mix, pumpkin, caramel and a simple cream frosting on top! Deliciously decadent poke cake recipe that is perfect for fall.
WHAT IS CARAMEL PUMPKIN POKE CAKE?
Poke cakes are cakes that are baked and then (literally) poked, usually by the end of a wooden spoon. After that, they are covered with a wet liquid (in this case caramel sauce) and then topped with a whipped cream topping and placed in the fridge to chill. This recipe uses a spice cake mix that is topped with caramel sauce and a frosting made of Cool Whip and cream cheese.
Ingredients in Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
Spice cake mix – Should be around 15-18 oz, but any brand of spice cake mix will work great. If you don’t have a spice cake mix on hand, you can use a yellow or white cake mix and then just add 1-2 Tbsp of pumpkin pie spice to add more flavor in there!
Pumpkin – Just use an entire 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree or you can use a homemade version if you prefer.
Water – You’ll need a cup of water to add moisture to the cake.
Eggs – You’ll need 3 large eggs to bind everything together.
Oil – Vegetable oil or canola oil work great, but you can use coconut oil too. Or even melted butter if you prefer!
Caramel topping – You will need to divide the 3/4 cup needed for the recipe. Most of the caramel topping will be drizzled over the poked holes in the cake, but you’ll use a little bit to drizzle on the very top when the cake is completed. It’s easier to drizzle if you warm it up a little bit first!
Cream cheese – Any type of cream cheese will work (low-fat, non-fat or regular). Just make sure to soften it to room temperature before mixing with the other ingredients.
Milk – Helps to thin out the topping. Any type of milk will work great!
Powdered sugar – Adds a little sweetness to the topping!
Cool Whip – Make sure to thaw the Cool Whip before mixing into the topping. Or you can make stabilized whipped cream instead.
How to make Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cake mix, pumpkin, water, eggs and oil until well combined. Pour the batter into a greased 9X13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool cake for 10 minutes and then poke holes about an inch apart all over the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Heat 1/2 cup caramel topping for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Pour warm caramel all over the holes in the cake.
Allow the cake to cool completely before making the topping.
To make the topping, beat the cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar together until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip and mix completely. Spread topping over the cooled cake.
Use the remaining caramel sauce to drizzle across the top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve!
Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 Spice cake mix
- 15 oz can pumpkin
- 1 cup water
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup oil
- ¾ cup caramel topping divided
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cake mix, pumpkin, water, eggs and oil until well combined. Pour the batter into a greased 9X13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake for 10 minutes and then poke holes about an inch apart all over the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.
- Heat 1/2 cup caramel topping for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Pour warm caramel all over the holes in the cake.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before making the topping.
- To make the topping, beat the cream cheese, milk and powdered sugar together until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip and mix completely. Spread topping over the cooled cake.
- Use the remaining caramel sauce to drizzle across the top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve!
Nutrition
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CAN YOU REPLACE THE COOL WHIP?
Cool Whip is the best “whipped topping” to use in this recipe. However, if you can’t find Cool Whip where you live or you prefer not to use it in recipes, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead. If you just use regular whipped cream, the consistency will be too light and the cream will not hold up very well. It’s very simple to make your own stabilized whipped cream and it just takes a few minutes!
See Homemade Whipped Cream recipes here.
HOW DO YOU MAKE STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM?
To make stabilized whipped cream, you will need the following ingredients:
- 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Beat the whipping cream just until soft peaks form.
- Add in the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high until mixture is smooth.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days.
A little tip for making whipped cream faster: use a metal bowl and place the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will significantly decrease the amount of time that you will need to beat the whipped cream – the process will go much faster!
MORE DELICIOUS POKE CAKE RECIPES TO TRY
- LEMON STRAWBERRY POKE CAKE
- PEANUT BUTTER POKE CAKE
- PEPPERMINT OREO POKE CAKE
- OREO POKE CAKE
- CARAMEL APPLE POKE CAKE
- COCOA PUFFS PUDDING POKE CAKE
- PEACHES AND CREAM POKE CAKE
- MINT CHOCOLATE POKE CAKE
- BOSTON CREAM PIE POKE CAKE
- FRUITY PEBBLES POKE CAKE
- STRAWBERRIES & CREAM POKE CAKE
- PINA COLADA POKE CAKE
- PUMPKIN POKE CAKE
- CHOCOLATE CARAMEL PEANUT BUTTER POKE CAKE
- CHRISTMAS JELLO POKE CAKE
Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake made with a cake mix, pumpkin, caramel and a simple cream frosting on top! Deliciously decadent poke cake recipe that is perfect for fall.
Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake made with a cake mix, pumpkin, caramel and a simple cream frosting on top! Deliciously decadent poke cake recipe that is perfect for fall.
Sinziana says
This cake looks absolutely fabulous! I have saved it and I will try it 100%…I am not a big cook, my mother helps me due to my very busy schedule but I really enjoy being in the kitchen.
Gina says
Love that this cake recipe uses an entire can of pumpkin – hate having a tiny bit leftover! Wonderfully moist and perfectly sweet!
Chrissy says
This is so good and so easy to make! Love the caramel and pumpkin combo 🙂
Joan says
Could you substitute Splenda for the powdered sugar?
Jessica says
Yes- just make sure to stir the topping mixture well so that it fully dissolves!
Kimberly says
Thank you for sharing this on Traffic Jam Weekend! It had the most views during last week’s link party. Therefore, it is a part of this week’s party features that went live on Thursday at 5:00 pm CST.