Nothing says fall more than pumpkin spice! I have been wanting to share this mouthwatering Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake with you for awhile and now that fall is right around the corner, it’s perfect timing. This is the only poke cake recipe you will need from now until Christmas. It’s soft, fluffy, and overflowing with melted cream cheese frosting and caramel. Be sure to pin and save this recipe for when you’re in the mood to bake.
Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake
If you like cake, if you like caramel, cream cheese frosting, and if you like all things pumpkin spice, then this recipe is for you! My family loves this cake and it is truly one of my favorites.
What is a poke cake?
A poke cake is where you poke holes into a freshly baked cake and then drizzle all sorts of yummy flavors into it. I have a wonderful Red Velvet Poke Cake that you should check out next.
To start off, you will need the following ingredients: spice cake mix, pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling), 2 eggs, a little bit of water, caramel dessert topping, mini chocolate chips, and caramel chips.
A couple of other ingredients you’ll need to have on hand: Non-stick spray, pumpkin spice seasoning, and Cool Whip (yes, cool whip!). The cool whip will actually be thawed and used towards the end of the recipe. It is amazing!
Instead of following the directions on the back of the spice cake, we do our own thing with it. Instead, you’ll combine the powder cake mix, eggs, pumpkin purée, and a little water. I think it’s best to use an electric mixer.
After that, prepare a 9X13 baking dish (or any size will do!) with non-stick cooking spray. Add the batter to the baking dish and bake it for about 28-35 minutes, or until you stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. Check the back of the cake mix box to get a better idea of your pan size and baking time.
At this point, your house is going to start to smell AMAZING! Everyone who comes around will ask what you’re baking. Once the cake is done, let it cool for a few minutes. Then, using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke several holes into the baked cake.
At this point, you’ll do something with cream cheese frosting that will blow everyone’s minds! Remove the lid and peel off the foil lining. You’re going to place the frosting in the microwave and melt it into a liquid form. It’s SO cool!
Once the cream cheese frosting is melted, it’s time to add some pumpkin spice seasoning. Just a bit of stirring… it’s so simple!
This is where the poke cake magic begins! Pour the melted cream cheese pumpkin spice frosting alllllll over the cake. 
It will fill in the holes all by itself and infuse the pumpkin cake with ooey-gooey goodness. Kids are really good at doing this job!
Did you know that you can thaw Cool Whip? You can! After the melted frosting that you drizzled into the cake has cooled, you’ll add an entire tub of thawed Cool Whip on top for the ultimate fluffiness. Kids love this part of the job too.
Finally, you will sprinkle mini chocolate chips and caramel chips on top. The final step is drizzling caramel dessert topping over the entire cake.
This mouthwatering pumpkin spice poke cake recipe will change your life! You’ll never be able to eat a plain spice cake EVER again. Why bake a regular cake with you can just as easily make an irresistible poke cake?
Pumpkin spice and everything nice! Happy fall y’all!
Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake
Print Here
You Will Need
- 1 box of spice cake mix
- 15 oz can of pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup of water
- Caramel dessert topping
- 1 plastic container of pre-made cream cheese frosting
- 1 Cup of mini chocolate chips (more or less, as desired)
- 1 Cup of caramel chips (more or less, as desired)
- 2 Teaspoons of pumpkin spice seasoning
- 8 oz container of thawed Cool Whip
- Non-stick spray
Other supplies needed:
- 9×13 baking dish (or any size you prefer)
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Spoon
- Electric mixer
- Wooden spoon
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°
- Take Cool Whip out of the freezer and let it begin to thaw
- In a mixing bowl, combine the spice cake powder, water, eggs, and pumpkin purée with an electric mixer until smooth
- Prepare a baking dish with non-stick spray
- Add the cake batter to the baking dish and bake for 28-35 minutes or until you stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean. Check the back of the spice cake box for an idea of baking times for your size dish. I used a 9×13 glass dish and it takes about 30 minutes.
- Let the cake cool for 5-10 minutes
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke several holes in the cake
- Remove the lid and peel off the foil lining from the frosting container. Microwave for 30 seconds.
- Add the pumpkin spice seasoning to the melted frosting and stir until combined
- Microwave the frosting for another 10 seconds
- Pour the melted frosting over the cake
- Let the cake cool for at 20 minutes
- Using a spatula, frost the top of the cake with the thawed Cool Whip
- Add chocolate chips and caramel chips on top
- Drizzle with caramel dessert topping
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m going to take it to our church cook out after Sunday service.☺?