Oreo Poke Cake
What’s better than a poke cake? How about an Oreo poke cake? Sweetened condensed milk is added to a baked black cocoa cake and then topped with a mousse-like frosting for a sweet and tasty Oreo dessert. Sweetened condensed milk makes this cake super moist, but be warned—this cake is for people with a sweet tooth, and people with a sweet tooth ONLY!
If you LOVE Oreo and cookies and cream desserts, then, same! I have so many fun and delicious Oreo desserts for my fellow Oreo lovers. Keep it simple with Oreo Cake Pops or this No Bake Oreo Dessert. Or, go the extra mile (and make something extra delicious) like Oreo Red Velvet Cake or Oreo Cupcakes. Want to try them all? Save my Oreo Dessert Recipes post for future reference. Now, onto this Oreo poke cake recipe!
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy poke cake. For the best poke cake, we are making the cake base from scratch. BUT! Don’t let that scare you! It’s a super simple cake baked in one 9×13 pan. No separating eggs, whipping egg whites, or any other complicated steps. Then all you have to do is poke the top, let that sweetened condensed milk seep into the holes of the cake, and whip up the easiest mousse you’ve ever made (hint: we’re using instant pudding mix).
- Best OREO poke cake. This is not just a chocolate poke cake. This chocolate poke cake recipe uses black cocoa instead of regular cocoa or Dutch-processed cocoa for authentic Oreo flavor. I buy my black cocoa from Amazon. That being said, you can totally use Dutch-processed cocoa for this cake if that’s all you have—it won’t quite be a chocolate Oreo poke cake, but it will still be a delicious cake!
Ingredient Notes
- Cake flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which leads to fluffier, softer cakes. You can use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have, just be aware the texture will be slightly different. Or, make your own cake flour! Measure out 1 cup of AP flour, then remove 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour and sift them together. Voila! Cake flour! Repeat this process until you get the amount you need.
- Black cocoa powder: Black cocoa powder is key for how to make an Oreo cake. It not only provides the black color of Oreos, but it gives a cake authentic Oreo flavor. If regular cocoa powder is all you have, that’s fine. For most of my Oreo baked goods you don’t need a ton of black cocoa powder, so I do recommend buying some!
- Vegetable oil: This helps make the cake super moist.
- Sour cream: I recommend using full-fat sour cream, which like the vegetable oil, helps make this cake deliciously moist and tender.
- Buttermilk: The acidity of buttermilk will interact with the baking soda in this cake and help it rise. It also adds additional fat for a tender crumb.
- White vinegar: Like the buttermilk, this acidic ingredient aids in the rise of this cake. It also will add some tang to balance out the sweetness.
- Sweetened condensed milk: Poke cake is generally made with either Jell-o or sweetened condensed milk, although some may consider Tres Leches cake a poke cake. For this Oreo cake, we’re going with a sweetened condensed milk poke cake.
- Oreo instant pudding: We’re adding additional Oreo flavor by using Oreo pudding mix to create our cake topping.
- Heavy cream: Instant pudding mix is whipped with heavy cream for a frosting that’s really more like a mousse with an incredible fluffy texture and delectable flavor.
- Oreos: You can’t have an Oreo poke cake without adding Oreos somewhere! Here, we’re chopping them and sprinkling them over the top.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×13 in pan, then set it aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer or another large mixing bowl, whisk together 1¾ cups of cake flour, 1¼ cups of granulated sugar, ⅔ cup of black cocoa powder, ¾ teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Mix wet ingredients. In a separate small bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together ½ cup of vegetable oil, ½ cup of sour cream, ½ cup of buttermilk, 2 large room temperature eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon of white vinegar.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients. Add the bowl of liquid to the dry ingredients in the stand mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment (or a hand mixer if you’re using a large bowl), mix wet and dry ingredients together at low speed until combined. You may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and incorporate all the ingredients. Do not overmix!
- Bake cake. Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake it in the oven for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
- Poke the cake. Using a wooden skewer, straw, or handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake. Leave about a half inch between each hole.
- Add sweetened condensed milk. Drizzle a 14.5-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk all over the still warm cake. Cover and chill the cake in the fridge for 2 hours, during which time the condensed milk will seep into the holes in the cake, making the whole thing sweet, moist, and delicious.
- Make the mousse topping. To a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add a 4.2 oz package of dry instant Oreo pudding mix, 2 cups of cold heavy cream, ⅔ cup of milk, ½ cup of powdered sugar, and a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Use your hand mixer or stand mixer to mix the pudding mixture on medium speed until smooth, thick, and mousse-like, about 1-2 minutes. Spread the topping on the cake.
- Chop Oreos and decorate. Chop 12 Oreo cookies into chunks (as big or small as you want) and add them to the top of the cake. Please note they will get soft, so if you prefer them to be crunchy, don’t add them to the cake until just before serving.
- Chill, then serve. You can serve this cake right away or keep it in the fridge until ready to serve. I recommend serving it chilled—it makes it extra tasty!
Recipe Tips
If you cannot find black cocoa powder or cake flour, regular cocoa powder and all-purpose flour will do in a pinch. You can also make your own cake flour. Measure out 1 cup of AP flour, then remove 2 tablespoons. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the flour and sift them together. Voila! Cake flour! Repeat this process until you get the amount you need.
To add even more Oreo goodness to this cake, line the bottom of the pan with Oreos or an Oreo crust before pouring on the cake batter and baking!
Adding the chopped Oreos to the top and letting the cake chill in the fridge will make the Oreos soft, which I like, but not everybody does. If you want them to stay crunchy, wait to top the cake until just before serving.
Make this an Oreo “dirt” poke cake by scattering crushed Oreos over the top and adding gummy worms! You can also add other yummy candy like Reese’s, Snickers, etc. Other topping ideas include chocolate chips, hot fudge sauce, or anything else you think might be good!
For more poke cake ideas, try my Lemon Jello Cake, Chocolate Tres Leches Cake, and Mexican Tres Leches Cake.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
Make Ahead: Poke cakes are one of those desserts that gets better with time, as the sweetened condensed milk continues to soak into the cake. Make this cake up to a day in advance.
Storing: Due to the high dairy content in this cake, it MUST be stored in the fridge. Poke cake will last in the fridge for up to 5 days as long as it is tightly covered or kept in an airtight container.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the assembled cake. However, you can bake the cake and freeze it by itself to assemble at a later date! Check out my Freezing Cakes guide for more details on how.
Recipe FAQs
Poke cake is a cake that, after baking, is “poked” all over. Then, a liquid, such as sweetened condensed milk or Jell-o that hasn’t set, is poured over the cake. The poked holes enable the liquid to better seep into the cake, adding flavor and moisture.
I have seen other poke cake recipes with instructions for freezing. I would not recommend freezing this cake, because I think that freezing would affect the texture and flavor in an unpleasant way. Generally, dairy does not do well with being frozen, as it tends to separate after thawing. That being said, you could definitely try it! Let me know how it goes.
Putting too many holes in a poke cake or putting the holes too close together can result in an overly soggy poke cake. That being said, you are adding liquid to the cake, so it is extra moist, which some people may consider “soggy.” Keeping the cake chilled should help the liquid stay in the cake and not seep out.
You should poke your cake while it is still warm from the oven. This helps the sweetened condensed milk soak into it more effectively.
More Oreo Dessert Recipes
- Oreo Cake
- Oreo Muddy Buddies
- Oreo Truffle Brownies
- Halloween Oreo Balls
- Oreo Birthday Cake Cookies
- Oreo Milkshake
Oreo Poke Cake
Ingredients
Oreo Cake
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup black cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream - full fat is preferred, can also substitute plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk - room temperature
- 2 large eggs - at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
Drizzle
- 14.5 oz sweetened condensed milk
Oreo Mousse Topping
- 4.2 oz Oreo instant pudding mix
- 2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
- 12 Oreos - chopped, for topping
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer whisk the cake flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the vegetable oil, sour cream, buttermilk, egg, vanilla extract, and white vinegar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients (using a paddle attachment) and mix on low until ingredients are combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 23-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. (Do your best not to overbake the cake, as that will result in a drier texture). Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Use a wooden skewer, straw, or back of a wooden spoon and poke holes all over the cake, leaving about ½” between each hole. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the entire cake. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment) add the dry Oreo instant pudding mix, heavy cream, powdered sugar, milk (I used 2%) vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer, mix until smooth and thickened, about 1-2 minutes on medium speed.
- Spread the mousse over the cake then sprinkle the chopped Oreos overtop. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
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