Pumpkin Poke Cake
This rich pumpkin poke cake starts with a doctored up cake mix, for a moist cake filled with caramel, topped with the best cream cheese frosting and a crunch topping. It’s a perfect better than sex pumpkin cake, that’s delicious to eat all autumn long.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Chill Time4 hours hrs
Total Time4 hours hrs 35 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: autumn, fall, Pumpkin Poke Cake
Servings: 16
For the Pumpkin Cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 eggs
- 15 oz pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Caramel Filling:
- 12 oz caramel syrup
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
For the Topping:
- 1 cup chopped Heath bits
- caramel topping
For the Pumpkin Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together the cake mix, sugar, oil, water, eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Stir for 2 minutes until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes (approx. according to package directions) until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Allow the cake to cool for about 10 minutes.
Poke the cake all over the top with the bottom of a wooden spoon.
For the Caramel Topping:
Combine the caramel topping, and condensed milk in a medium sized bowl.
Pour the caramel sauce all over the top of the cake to fill all the holes with the caramel. Spread the caramel around with a rubber spatula.
Place the cake in the fridge to cool for 1 to 2 hours.
For the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer) for about 1 minute until smooth.
Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and stir in.
In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks are formed.
Fold together the cream cheese and whipped cream carefully, until smooth.
Spread the whipped ream cheese frosting over the top of the cake.
For the Topping:
Drizzle caramel sauce over the cream cheese frosting, and sprinkle evenly with Heath Bits.
Cover the cake and place in the fridge to chill for another 2 hours, up to overnight. Then slice and serve.