White Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake is bursting with peppermint flavor and is so delicious. It’s perfect for your holiday parties. I love making poke cakes for parties. They can be made well in advance and you don’t have to worry about them going stale.
What Is A Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a cake baked in a 9×13-inch pan that has been poked with holes which are then filled with a liquid or filling. They are typically topped with Cool Whip or whipped cream.
Poke cakes are great for beginner bakers. There is no possible way to end up with a dry cake.
Homemade Cake Batter
Most of the poke cakes I make are made with a box of cake mix, but this one is a homemade batter with peppermint extract and melted white chocolate added in. I saw this recipe in a Paula Deen Magazine and knew I had to add it to my poke cake repertoire.
Two boxes of pudding mix make this peppermint poke cake super moist. I use one box of white chocolate pudding mix and one box of cheesecake pudding mix. (The original recipe calls for 2 boxes of cheesecake pudding mix.)
On top is a thick layer of Cool Whip. You could certainly whip some heavy cream if you don’t want to use Cool Whip.
Sprinkle some crushed peppermints on top and you have a wonderful Christmas dessert!
Should I Let The Cake Cool Before Poking The Holes?
Let the cake cool slightly, but not all the way before poking the holes. If it completely cools first, the cake will crumble more when you poke the holes.
Recipe Tips
- The crushed peppermint candies will bleed into the Cool Whip over time. If this bothers you, add the peppermints just before serving.
- Instead of using peppermint candies for the topping, try using Andes Mints Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips.
Storage
Can be kept in the refrigerator for 4 days.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItTry These Other Holiday Cakes:
- Coconut Celebration Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Italian Cream Cake
- Andes Layer Cake
- Lane Cake
- White German Chocolate Cake
- White Cake with Maraschino Cherry Frosting
White Chocolate Peppermint Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 2 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons peppermint extract, divided
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups milk,, divided
- 1 (4-ounce) bar white chocolate, melted
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box white chocolate instant pudding mix
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box cheesecake instant pudding mix
- 1 (16-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 12 peppermint candies, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with baking spray with flour.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes,
- Beat in egg whites and eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Add 2 teaspoons peppermint extract.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with 1 1/2 cups milk. (The remaining milk is for making the pudding mix.) Add flour in 3 additions and milk in 2 and beat just until combined after each addition.
- Stir in melted chocolate. Spoon batter into prepared dish, spreading it evenly.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If it starts getting too brown on top, cover with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- Let cake cool 10 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes every 1/2-inch.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 pudding mixes, remaining 3 1/2 cups milk, and 1 teaspoon peppermint extract until it starts to thicken and is smooth. Don’t let it thicken too much or it will not seep down into the cake.
- Slowly pour pudding mixture over cake and smooth it and ease it down into the holes with a spatula.. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
- Spread whipped topping over cake and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Cooking With Paula Deen
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
Can I use regular pepperment cake mix instead of scratch with the puddings and how much milk? Thanks so much. I want to bake the cake right now.