Making a Rainbow Pudding Poke Cake is so easy and is truly a showstopper. It takes 20 minutes to prep, 6 ingredients and is so delicious!
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Why this Pudding Poke Cake Recipe is a Keeper
I love this recipe because it’s so fun! You can easily make this recipe for any holiday by using its festive colors.
- 20 Minute Prep: Poke cake is an easy dessert taking just 20 minutes to prepare.
- Easy Ingredients: You will need a handful of ingredients to make this easy dessert.
- Family Friendly: Everyone, especially the kids, will be blown away by how good this jello poke cake is.
- Adaptable: Feel free to customize this recipe by experimenting with other flavors.
- Makes Great Leftovers: Throw any leftover cake in the fridge to enjoy for the next couple days.
If you’re looking for more easy cake recipes, try these Lazy Cake, Vanilla Raspberry Cake and Cotton Candy Cake.
What is the Best Instrument to Poke Holes in a Cake?
The best thing to make holes with is the handle of a wooden spoon. Really, you can make holes with anything that is a similar shape.
Ingredient Notes for Poke Cake with Pudding
You will need just 6 ingredients to make this baked cake. You might even have some in your pantry already!
- Box Cake Mix: Box cake is perfect for this recipe. Instead of white cake, try yellow cake mix.
- Instant Pudding: Use an instant pudding to make this recipe easier. Try different flavors instead of vanilla, such as chocolate pudding or banana, to make a banana pudding poke cake.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Jello Pudding Poke Cake
There are so many different ways you can prepare cake recipes. Make the cake using different flavors and toppings to make it even more unique.
- Candies on Top: Add some different candies on top to complete this poke cake dessert. This easy dessert recipe made the perfect birthday cake!
- Sugar Free Cake Mix: Cut down on some of the sugar in this recipe by using a sugar free cake mix.
- Colored Rows: You can do alternating-colored rows. Depending on how you want the cake to look, you can also alternate the colors in a different order.
Special Equipment Needed
- Wooden Spoon: Using the back of a wooden spoon handle is the perfect size to make holes on the surface of the cake with.
Pro Tip
Opt for a cake recipe that’s slightly denser than your typical fluffy cake. This helps it hold up better to the poking and the infusion of the filling.
How to Make Vanilla Pudding Poke Cake
This moist cake recipe comes together in just 6 simple steps. It’s so easy to make this cake, you will be surprised how good it is.
These are the basic steps for making Rainbow Pudding Poke Cake. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Prep
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 cake pan. Prepare the cake according to package directions on the box of cake mix.
2. Color the Batter and Pour into Pan
Divide the cake mix between 4 small bowls and add 2 drops of food coloring to each bowl. Stir well to mix the color, you should have a bowl for each color.
Add the batter to pastry bags or use a spoon to add batter to the pan. Carefully add batter in rows, alternating the colors in each row.
3. Bake the Cake
Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake according to package directions, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven.
4. Poke Holes and Fill
Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake, about 1 inch apart.
Prepare one box of pudding with 2 cups of milk in a medium bowl, and whisk for 2 minutes. Pour the pudding over the cake, spreading it into the holes and evenly on top of the cake.
5. Mix the Pudding and Whipped Topping
Refrigerate for 1 hour. After 1 hour, prepare the remaining pudding with the remaining 2 cups of milk, and whisk for 2 minutes. Fold in the cool whip, and spread the pudding and cool whip over the top of the cake.
6. Add Sprinkles, Chill and Cut
Add half the sprinkles all over the cake and refrigerate for another 2 hours. The sprinkles soak into the cake a bit due to the moisture, but that’s ok because it makes it colorful. Just add some more sprinkles on top right before cutting.
Slice the cake into 12 slices. When you’re ready to serve, enjoy.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
Keep the cake in an airtight container in the fridge. Good poke cake covered in pudding lasts for a couple days.
Sure! It’s best if you enjoy this cake as soon as possible, but it can be made just a couple days in advance.
Your cake may be too soggy if you added too much milk or made too runny of pudding.
Sure! Use your favorite gluten free alternatives to make this to fit your diet.
A poke cake is a regular cake that you poke holes in after baking to add pudding or jello.
Expert Tips for Making This Poke Cake Recipes with Pudding
- Short Cut: Feel free to a use a premade vanilla pudding from the grocery store.
- Instant Pudding Tip: Help the pudding by using whole milk! This will make the pudding much more delicious for when you let the cake cool to poke the holes almost to the bottom of cake.
- Frosting: Alternatively, frost the top of the cake using your favorite frosting or icing recipe.
- Variation Tip: Cheesecake pudding mix or french vanilla pudding can be used in place of the vanilla. You could also use strawberry jello for this easy pudding poked into the cake.
- Easy Banana Pudding: Make a delicious banana poke cake recipe using instant banana pudding or banana cream pudding, yellow cake mix instead of white cake mix and crushed vanilla wafers and banana slices.
- Easy Chocolate Poke Cake: Make a chocolate pudding poke cake by using chocolate cake mix. When holes are poked, chocolate pudding mix and milk and mini chocolate chips would go great.
More Poke Cake Recipes
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Rainbow Pudding Poke Cake
Equipment
- 4 Small Bowls
- 4 Pastry bags optional
- Wooden Spoon to poke holes
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Ingredients
- 15 ounces White cake mix, 1 box
- Food coloring, 2 drops of each color, 4 colors
- 6.8 ounces Vanilla pudding mix, 2 boxes
- 4 cups Milk
- 8 ounces Whipped topping
- 2-3 tablespoons Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease a 9×13 cake pan. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions.
- Divide the mixture between 4 small bowls, and add 2 drops of food coloring to each bowl. Stir well to mix the color. (You should have 1 bowl of each color).
- Add the batter to pastry bags, or use a spoon to add the batter to the pan. You’re going to do rows of colors, alternating the colors in each row. We did 5 rows, but you could do more, or less, depending on how you want the cake to look.
- Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake according to package directions (we did 25 minutes), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven.
- Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake, about 1 inch apart. Prepare one box of pudding with 2 cups of milk in a medium bowl, and whisk for 2 minutes. Pour over cake, spreading it into the holes, and evenly on top of the cake.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour. After 1 hour, prepare the next box of pudding with the remaining 2 cups of milk, and whisk for 2 minutes. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cake.
- Add half the sprinkles all over the cake and refrigerate for 2 hours. The sprinkles will dissolve a bit due to the moisture, but that’s ok because it’s what makes it colorful. Just add some more sprinkles right before cutting.
- Cut the cake into 12 slices (or more if you want smaller pieces), and enjoy!
Christina’s Notes
- Short Cut: Feel free to a use a premade vanilla pudding from the grocery store.
- Instant Pudding Tip: Help the pudding by using whole milk! This will make the pudding much more delicious.
- Frosting: Alternatively, frost the top of the cake using your favorite frosting or icing recipe.
- Variation Tip: Cheesecake pudding mix or french vanilla pudding can be used in place of the vanilla. You could also use strawberry jello.
- Easy Banana Pudding: Make a delicious banana poke cake recipe using instant banana pudding or banana cream pudding, yellow cake mix instead of white cake mix and crushed vanilla wafers and banana slices.
- Easy Chocolate Poke Cake: Make a chocolate pudding poke cake by using chocolate cake mix, chocolate pudding mix and milk and mini chocolate chips.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.