Poke cakes, often made by pouring instant Jell-O or boxed pudding mix into a sheet cake poked with holes, became popular in the U.S. in the 1970s as a way of combining convenience food items into a fast and easy dessert. While many poke cakes feature fruity fillings, we chose the more indulgent combination of chocolate and peanut butter. Our homemade poke cake recipe may require a few more steps than the original, but the from-scratch chocolate cake, rich peanut butter ganache filling, and fluffy peanut butter frosting are worth the extra effort.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan.
To make the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
To make the peanut butter ganache: In a large glass measuring cup, combine the peanut butter, chocolate, and cream. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute on medium power. Stir to combine into a smooth, shiny mixture. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave for another 30 seconds at half power and stir again. (The mixture will be thin.) Alternatively, the filling can be prepared on the stovetop: Heat the cream over medium heat until simmering, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour it over the peanut butter and chocolate, combined in a glass measuring cup. Let the filling sit for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke about 45 holes in the cake about 1" apart (in a 9 x 5 pattern), taking care to poke all the way to the bottom.
Drizzle the peanut butter ganache into the holes until they are all filled, and then pour the remaining ganache on top. Use an offset spatula to spread the ganache into an even layer, topping off any holes as needed in the process.
Let the poke cake continue cooling, uncovered, on a cooling rack at room temperature until the bottom of the pan is completely cool to the touch, about 2 hours.
To make the topping: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the cream and vanilla until many small bubbles begin to form on the surface, about 20 seconds.
Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the cream, then whisk until soft peaks form; the whisk should leave defined tracks in the cream.
Fold the peanut butter into the whipped cream until fully incorporated. The whipped cream will deflate somewhat during this process; that’s OK, but the mixture should be homogeneous and spreadable.
Dollop the topping onto the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the nuts and mini chocolate chips evenly over the top of the poke cake, for garnish. Cut into slices and serve at room temperature.
Storage information: Store leftover poke cake, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Tips from our Bakers
For the best results, use smooth peanut butter for this recipe, not chunky. Natural peanut butter and sunflower seed butter work; just be sure they are well mixed and homogenous before using in the recipe.
Looking for a gluten-free version of this recipe? Double our Gluten-Free Cake Pan Cake Recipe and bake it in a 9" x 13" pan for 30 to 34 minutes, until a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Follow the rest of the poke cake recipe as written.
