Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake

Large slice of caramel chocolate cake on a white plate with a fork.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate caramel poke cake

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 35

Chilling Time: 3

Servings: servings

Calories: 437kcal

Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream

This chocolate caramel poke cake is a moist chocolate cake with caramel sauce soaked into the warm cake, then everything is covered with a rich chocolate frosting.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch processed cocoa-see FAQs in the post for questions)
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup unsalted butter, melted but not hot (1 stick)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
3 large eggs (closer to room temperature)
½ cup strong brewed hot coffee (or hot water if you prefer)

For the caramel glaze: (see notes on how to make this cake a little less sweet if wanted)

2 (16 ounce) jars caramel sauce or topping

For the frosting: (see notes on how to make this cake a little less sweet if wanted)

1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 pinch of salt
5 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk (may add another tablespoon or two if needed)

Instructions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Spray or grease a 13x9 inch baking pan or dish.
In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugars). Mix well with a whisk.
In another bowl, add all the liquid ingredients (except for the hot coffee) and whisk well. Don't worry if the butter clumps up a little.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium with an electric mixer only until the ingredients are just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 5-10 seconds more.
Add the hot coffee (or hot water) and mix until well combined. Be careful not to over-mix at this point. Once well combined, stop mixing. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for about 5-10 seconds only.
Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake at 325 degrees F for approximately 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean, but no raw batter.
Once the cake is baked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for only about ten minutes and follow the directions below for the glaze.

For the caramel glaze: (see notes on how to make this cake a little less sweet if wanted)

While the cake is cooling, add the caramel sauce to a bowl and warm in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
Once the cake has cooled for about 10 minutes, poke holes into the cake with a wooden skewer, then pour the caramel sauce over the cake. (Reserve about a ¼ of the caramel sauce to drizzle over the top of the cake after the frosting has been added.)
Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until it's cooled down (about 2-3 hours).

For the frosting: (see notes on how to make this cake a little less sweet if wanted)

While the cake is cooling, make the frosting. Mix the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Add the cocoa powder and salt and mix on low until combined, then on medium until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
Add in 3 cups of confectioner's sugar. Mix on low until combined, then on medium until fully incorporated.
Add 2 tablespoons of milk, the vanilla extract and the last 2 cups of confectioner's sugar. Mix on low until combined, then on medium until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then mix again.
Check the texture of your buttercream and if it's too thick, add milk only a teaspoon at a time, and mix after each addition.
Once desired consistency is achieved, mix on medium-high for a couple minutes to make it light and fluffy.
Add the frosting to the cooled cake, then drizzle on the remaining caramel sauce.

Notes

*This cake is very sweet. If you don't like really sweet cakes and desserts, you may want to make these adjustments to suit your taste preferences: Use 1 can of caramel sauce instead of two. The cake won't have as much caramel flavoring, but it will cut down on the sweetness. You may also choose to make only ½ the chocolate frosting and have a thinner layer of it on the top of the cake. Another option is to omit the chocolate frosting and just cover the cake in whipped cream instead.

Storage: This cake should be stored covered and in the refrigerator and can last up to about 4 days.

How to serve: This cake is best served at room temperature. If cold, microwave slices for about 10-15 seconds and serve. (If you've used whipped cream instead of frosting for the cake, do not microwave.)

Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which may answer questions you may have about ingreients, substitutions, mixing method and more.

Nutritional values are an estimate.
*This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition