Easy Dreamy Red Velvet Cream Cheese Poke Cake is one of the easiest desserts you can make for a family after dinner dessert.  Are you a cake lover?  Have you ever had a poke cake?  Whoa!  If not, you're missing out on all the dreaminess of a poke-filled cake! 

Poke cakes are generally filled with sweetened condensed milk or pudding that soaks in the cake poked holes and then the whole cake is topped with a fluffy whipped cream or frosting.  Sounds pretty yummy, right?  YEAH!! 

They are best eaten the next day, so this is perfect to make ahead of time, so you can focus on other things and then pull it out when you're ready to dive in!

What is really cool about poke cakes are you can mix and match cake mixes, puddings, whipped cream flavors, frostings and toppings to color coordinate for your special occasion or favorite flavors. Get as creative as you want!

Other cream cheese filling versions:  This poke cake uses sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese for the poke filling, but you can also use cheesecake pudding or vanilla pudding and add some softened cream cheese to still make it cream cheese flavored because, seriously, does anything go better with red velvet? 

For the cheesecake pudding, I would use 2 of the small packages and add the milk as directed on the package instead of one package, to get a lot of pudding, versus not enough.  

If you use the vanilla pudding and cream cheese, whip softened cream cheese, add in 1 box of vanilla pudding and 1 ½ cups of milk and boom!  

Other Tips:  If you choose to add a frosting or ganache to the top of your pudding/condensed milk layer, you should make sure the frosting/ganache is sort of melty because it will tear up the cake and it will be hard to frost. 

For frostings in a tub you purchase from the store, remove the lid and seal from the frosting and microwave for 15-20 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until the frosting can be poured, but not bubbling.  If you cook it too much, the frosting will break down and it won't set up properly.

Our family absolutely love poke cakes!  Our favorites include...

Easy Boston Cream Poke Cake

Easy Caramel Cream Chocolate Poke Cake

Reese’s Peanut Butter Devil’s Food Chocolate Poke Cake

Strawberry Creme Passion Poke Cake! {True Luv}

Easy Dreamy Red Velvet Cream Cheese Poke Cake

Kim Lange

Easy Dreamy Red Velvet Cream Cheese Poke Cake is one of the easiest desserts you can make for a family after dinner dessert.  Don't miss out on all the dreaminess of a red velvet cream cheese poke-filled cake! 

3.61 from 28 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 15 Servings

Calories

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Easy Dreamy Red Velvet Cream Cheese Poke Cake
• 1 Red Velvet Cake Mix + ingredients called out on box recipe
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 8 oz very softened cream cheese
• 12 oz tub of whipped cream or 5-6 cups of whipped cream can also use 8 oz for 3 cups, but we prefer more whipped cream

Instructions

 

• Bake cake as directed on cake box directions using ingredients called out for a 9x13 cake.
• After cake has baked, let it cool, then poke with holes.
• Using a whisk or mixer, beat softened cream cheese (microwave 30 seconds if not softened) then add in sweetened condensed milk and mix well.
• Pour over holes in cake and smooth out into holes as much as possible.
• Frost cake with whipped cream and place in fridge overnight or up to 6 hours.
• Cut and devour!

Notes

Other cream cheese filling versions: This poke cake uses sweetened condensed milk and cream cheese for the poke filling, but you can also use cheesecake pudding or vanilla pudding and add some softened cream cheese to still make it cream cheese flavored because, seriously, does anything go better with red velvet?

For the cheesecake pudding, I would use 2 of the small packages and add the milk as directed on the package instead of one package, to get a lot of pudding, versus not enough.

If you use the vanilla pudding and cream cheese, whip softened cream cheese, add in 1 box of vanilla pudding and 1 ½ cups of milk and boom!

Keyword cake, easy dessert, poke cake, red velvet, red velvet dessert

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!