This Boston Cream Poke Cake is so light, moist, and scrumptious. It is such an easy recipe with yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, and a chocolate ganache topping.
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Favorite Dessert
Boston cream pie is one of our family’s favorite desserts. We love this no-bake Eclair dessert is easy and fantastic too; made with graham crackers, pudding, and the chocolate ganache on top.
Cake Mix Recipes
Yes, this recipe is one of those easy cake mix recipes. While I can make a delicious cake completely from scratch, sometimes, it is just fun and easy to make a cake with a mix where some of the measuring work is already done for you.
I always have a box or two of cake mixes in my pantry. These crinkle cookies are fun and delicious; made with cake mix.
These Vanilla Blueberry Bars are made with just 5 ingredients and you guessed it, there is a cake mix used here.
Simple Ingredients for This Moist Cake
- One box of yellow cake mix. Any brand is fine.
- Water, eggs, vegetable oil
- Instant vanilla pudding. Make sure that the box says Instant.
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
Two ingredients for the Chocolate Ganache Topping
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heavy cream
Hints to Making this Boston Cream Poke Cake Recipe
Make the cake mix according to the package directions. If you want this cake to taste a bit more like a bakery cake, swap out half of the water with whole milk.
Poke holes in the cake. I used a chop stick to make my holes. Make sure to put them about 1-inch apart.
Make the vanilla pudding and pour it over the cake when it starts to thicken. Spread over the cake to assure that the pudding fills in the holes. Chill to firm and set, about 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Make the ganache chocolate topping. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream stirring occasionally. Make your own double boiler by placing a bowl over a saucepan with about 1 inch of water in the bottom simmering to do the cooking. This helps ensure that the chocolate will not burn.
Let cool a few minutes and pour the ganache over the cake and smooth with a spatula.
Chill the cake overnight, if you can, to allow the chocolate to set.
Make Ahead Dessert
If you are going to a potluck, this is a great dessert to make the day before. It not only goes together quickly, but it is great the next day. However, if your family is like mine, they barely wait for an hour.
Boston Cream Poke Cake
Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
Cake
- 15.25 Ounces Yellow Cake Mix
- 1 Cup Water
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
Pudding
- 6.8 Ounces Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
- 4 Cups Milk
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a mixing bowl, add the cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Pour into a 9 X 13 cake pan that has been prepared with a light spray of oil. Bake for 23-28 minutes. Test with a toothpick. When inserted in center of cake, it should come out clean. You can also test with your finger, if the cake springs back when lightly touched in the middle it is done. Remove and let cool.
- Once completely cool, poke holes approximately 1-inch apart with a skewer or a wooden spoon. Make sure to poke all the way through to allow the pudding to fill up the whole.
Pudding
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix, milk, and vanilla. when the pudding just starts to thicken a bit, pour over the cake in an even, thin layer. Making sure that the pudding gets into the holes.
- Refrigerate the cake to let set up for approximately 1 hour.
Chocolate Ganache
- Cook the chocolate chips, heavy cream, in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.
- Let cool just a few minutes. Pour over the glaze over the cake and smooth. Chill the cake for a few hours so the chocolate has a chance to set up.
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I hope that you liked this recipe. If you are looking for more ideas on what to make, here are a few other recipes that you may enjoy.
You can find Victoria crocheting, quilting, and creating recipes. She has worked in restaurants for many years. Her many crochet patterns and quilt patterns are enjoyed by many. In her professional career, she has worked in management in a wide variety of businesses including higher education as a dean of a division. All the while attending college part-time to achieve her doctorate in higher education with an emphasis in e-learning.