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Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake is a moist chocolate cake with a smooth peanut butter filling soaked into the holes and topped with a light, flavored whipped topping. Peanut butter cups and a drizzle of fudge make this cake nearly impossible to pass up!
If you’ve never had a poke cake, you’re missing out!!! I love a good poke cake – Turtle Poke Cake, Hot Chocolate Poke Cake, Berry Cheesecake Poke Cake….the flavor combos are truly endless. But when I got a hankerin’ for something with chocolate and peanut butter, this is what I dreamed up. And boy, am I glad I did!!!
Moist chocolate cake, a smooth peanut butter filling, flavored whipped topping and peanut butter cups to top it off. It’s gorgeous. And rich. And just freakin’ delish.
What ingredients do I need?
- Devils Food Cake Mix (+ eggs, oil and water listed on the box) OR my Homemade Chocolate Cake recipe ingredients
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- Whipped Topping
- Peanut Butter Cups
- Additional Peanut Butter and Fudge Topping, optional
How do you make Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake?
First, you’ll make the chocolate cake. You can use a boxed cake mix or use my Homemade Chocolate Cake and bake it in a 9×13″ pan. Boxed mix is a little quicker, but I love the moistness and deep chocolate flavor of the homemade version!
While the cake is baking, you can stir together the sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup of the peanut butter. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, you’ll poke holes in the cake and slowly pour this mixture overtop.
NOTE: I’ve had several people comment on this recipe saying that this mixture is too thick to pour. This can happen as different peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk brands have slightly different viscosity. It’s an easy problem to fix!
- Mix up the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. If it’s a touch too thick (wouldn’t be able to seep into the holes), microwave it for 30 seconds.
- If it still seems too thick, add some milk. Add one tablespoon at a time until you get a nice pourable consistency.
- Lastly, be sure to pour this one the cake while the cake is still really warm so it’s easier for the mixture to really seep into the cake!
One extra note for Canadians: Sweetened Condensed Milk comes in smaller cans in Canada. Be sure to use 14 ounces (or about 415 mL).
Once the cake has had some time to cool (at least to room temperature), mix the whipped topping and remaining peanut butter. Then spread it over the cake and top with chopped peanut butter cups, peanut butter and fudge sauce!
Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and serve!! Mmmmm it’s SO SO SO good!!!
How do you store leftover poke cake?
Poke cakes do need to be refrigerated, due to the whipped topping. Therefore, be sure to cover the cake with a lid or plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Some of my other favorite recipes with chocolate and peanut butter…
- Best Ever Scotcheroos
- Butterfinger Cake
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Texas Sheet Cake
- PB Chocolate Cobbler
- Oh Henry Bars
Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×13-inch pan
Ingredients
- 1 box devil's food cake mix and ingredients to prepare (listed on package) OR my homemade chocolate cake
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter divided
- 1 8-ounce tub whipped topping
- peanut butter cups, additional peanut butter and fudge topping for garnish
Instructions
- Bake cake mix according to the package instructions in a 9×13" pan. (OR make my Homemade Chocolate Cake baked in a 9×13" pan.1 box devil's food cake mix and ingredients to prepare (listed on package) OR my homemade chocolate cake
- While the cake is still hot, poke holes in the cake with the end of a wooden spoon.
- In a small bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup of peanut butter. (See notes below if it seems too thick to pour)1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, 0.5 cup creamy peanut butter
- Pour over the cake slowly, allowing the mixture to soak into the holes; let cool.
- Stir together the whipped topping and remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter and spread over the cooled cake.1 8-ounce tub whipped topping
- Top with additional peanut butter, fudge sauce and peanut butter cups.0.25 cup creamy peanut butter, peanut butter cups, additional peanut butter and fudge topping
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Mix up the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. If it’s a touch too thick (wouldn’t be able to seep into the holes), microwave it for 30 seconds.
- If it still seems too thick, add some milk. Add one tablespoon at a time until you get a nice pourable consistency.
Just made and haven’t tasted it yet. Question!! The peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk was to thick to pour on, so I microwaved it for 30 seconds, still a little thick. Did you thin this combo down with anything to make it more pourable?
Huh….that is odd! I wonder if my peanut butter was just a bit softer? I didn’t thin mine out at all, but microwaving is a great option. If it’s still a bit thick, you can add a tablespoon or two of milk! I hope you love the cake! 🙂 -Kelsey
The same this happened to me. I believe it’s because I beat the peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk while the cake was baking and then let it sit. Next time (because let’s be honest, there WILL be a next time), I will prepare that when I’m ready for it.
I had the same problem as several people. The peanut butter and condensed milk is too thick to soak in. Not a fan of this recipe.
I made this for my nephew’s birthday and it was devoured by the whole family. Deliciously decadent!
Who wouldn’t love this combination!? I’m a big fan of poke cake recipes… I gather up as many as I can!! Easy, and delicious, from a laid back causal style! all the way to fancy! Ready to fit any occasion 😉 Thank you for sharing this beautiful recipe 💗
I couldn’t agree more – I just love a good poke cake and this one is certainly no exception!! Hope you get a chance to try it! 🙂 ~Kelsey
I had the same issue as Marcia above, with the peanut butter and sweet & condensed milk mixture being quite thick. I even added milk, but didn’t want to add too much just in case. Once the cake came out, I poked the holes, and poured the mixture, it didn’t soak in all the way. Will it still be enjoyable to just top with the cool whip mix and call it good?
So I have the same issue with it being too thick and not soaking in, is it still good ?
When using your homemade chocolate cake recipe, is it still baked for 35-45 minutes at 350 in a 9×13? Thank you!
Hi Leslee! Here’s my recipe for a 9×13! 🙂 (Same recipe, just different pan size!) https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/chocolate-cake/
ITS THE BOMB!!!! MADE IT FOR A OFFICE BIRTHDAY PARTY AND OMG. WILL MAKE IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
So so so happy to hear!!! 🙂 -Kelsey
My sister and I used your recipe too! While we’re no where near experienced bakers all went well until we had to add the pb and condensed milk and it was thick. We put it on before we thought about thinning it out and then we read all the other reviews that had similar experiences. Other than that it’s a great recipe!
Hi Jose – I just updated this blog post to give some tips on making sure the filling is the right consistency! I hope this helps! 🙂 ~Kelsey
I ended up using the exact same ingredients/brands and I did have to add a good bit of milk to make it thin enough to look like yours in the picture. But once I did that it was absolutely perfect and poured into all of the holes so well there isn’t any on top why hopefully is a good sign lol. Haven’t tried yet but it smells divine. Thanks for the recipe!
If you bought the Canadian size sweetened Condensed milk it is a fair bit smaller than the American sized can. Therefore making your mixture too thick to pour.
I made this today for my significant other’s birthday. And it was a huge hit. Everyone loved it. Definitely something I’ll be making again.
Delicious! However, I had the same issues as the others. But the microwave and a little additional milk worked wonders. It was also quite sweet. I think next time, I’ll substitute evaporated milk for the sweetened condensed. I also substituted bananas for the eggs to give it a banana flavor and it was great.
Can u still spread the last topping on the cake if the condensed /peanut butter is a little thick tried to thin it out with milk but to no availe
Hi Linda – You can microwave the filling a bit in order to spread it on a little easier!
What did you do to the peanut butter to get it to drizzle on top? Microwave, add milk….? Also, I made the mistake of just reading the ingredients when adding the peanut butter to the condensed milk and added 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup! Oops! Oh well, hope it’s still good and not too peanut buttery!
I microwaved the peanut butter in order to drizzle it on top! 🙂
That’s what I did as well.
Would it work to make this into a layer cake? Split the batter between two round pans and then ice in between and on top of layers?
Hi Jen – I wouldn’t recommend layering a poke cake, simply because they’re just so moist, I’d worry they’d fall apart! 🙂
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner! This is a FANTASTIC recipe! Such a subtle peanut flavor. Made this several times now and it’s being requested everywhere I go.
Minor change: I found using a 1/2 cup of peanut butter in the evaporated milk made it too thick to spread so I just use 1/4 and it’s PERFECTION!
May I make this a day before eating?
Absolutely!!
I made it for a youth event at church. It was a big hit! Unfortunately, there wasn’t any left for me!
The peanut butter/condensed milk mixture was too thick to pour, so I microwaved it until it was thin enough, about 40 seconds in my microwave.
I agree with all those that had problems with the filling being too thick. I used the correct size of sweetened condensed milk and I mixed it right before trying to pour it over the warm cake. It is too thick and does not pour. Trying to spread it tears the cake. Probably will taste good but I’ll go back to my other cake recipe like this that does pour. Uses less peanut butter and I’m not sure what else.
Thank you for the feedback, Jaclyn. I hope you enjoyed how the cake tasted. I plan to make this one next week and will edit the recipe to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else! 🙂 ~Kelsey
It turned out delicious! I did have a problem with the sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter soaking in all the way. I did microwave it a tad to make it more runny. But it still turned out very delicious!
Can you skip the condensed milk ? Would it still taste good?
Hi Cathy – I wouldn’t recommend skipping the condensed milk. It really gives this poke cake so much flavor and texture! ~Kelsey
Absolutely incredible. Moist chocolate cake and creamy peanut butter drizzle and topping. Worth every calorie 😊
So happy you enjoyed it!!! 🙂 ~Kelsey