Looking for an easy and festive fall dessert? Look no further than this Candy Corn Poke Cake Recipe! It’s cute, sweet, and easy to make. Even novice cooks will have no trouble whipping it up. Serve it at your next party and watch it disappear in no time!
Do you love fun and festive desserts to celebrate Halloween? Look no further than this candy corn poke cake! This easy cake is made with yellow cake mix and a cream cheese frosting.
The colors of candy corn come together to create a delicious autumn treat. Topped with candy corn for a sweet and colorful dessert. Enjoy!
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Candy corn is a ubiquitous symbol of the Halloween season, but how often do you see it show up in dessert form? This poke cake is a fun and easy way to get your candy corn fix, and it’s perfect for parties or potlucks.
The recipe is simple: just combine a box of yellow cake mix with some orange and yellow food coloring, then top with whipped cream/cream cheese frosting and more candy corn. So good, no one will be able to resist! It is perfect for all those serious candy corn lovers out there.
candy corn cake
Here are some commonly asked questions
What is candy corn?
Candy corn is a popular Halloween candy that is made from sugar, corn syrup, and wax. The candy is shaped like a kernel of corn and has a white end and a yellow end. Candy corn is often used in Halloween decorations and as a treat for Trick-or-Treaters.
What is a poke cake?
A poke cake is a cake that has holes poked in it after it is baked. These holes are then filled with a filling, such as pudding or fruit. Poke cakes are often decorated with icing or frosting.
How to store this poke cake
Leftover poke cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Ingredients for Candy Corn Poke Cake
Cake
- white cake mix + ingredients to make according to package directions
- orange gel food coloring
- yellow gel food coloring
- sweetened condensed milk
Frosting
- confectioner’s sugar
- cream cheese – softened
- vanilla extract
- heavy cream
What do you poke a poke cake with?
This will depend on the size of holes you want in the cake – those will be your pockets of flavor. So you can either use a chopstick for smaller holes or go with the handle of a wooden spoon (most common) for larger ones.
I find that the chopstick works better when making jello since the liquid is thinner. The larger wooden spoon handle works best for pudding because it has a thicker consistency.
Can this poke cake be made with pudding instead of sweetened condensed milk?
Yes – this poke cake can be made with instant pudding instead of the sweetened condensed milk mixture. In fact, it is quite common to do so. Using the pudding makes it ultra-creamy. For this cake – try a white chocolate pudding flavor.
Just use a 4-serving-sized box of instant pudding mix and 2 cups of cold milk. Whisk those together until smooth and pour it over the top of the cake just like you would the sweetened condensed milk. Then refrigerate for several hours before adding the frosting. This will help firm up the pudding before continuing.
Can you make poke cake the day before?
Yes, you can make a poke cake the day before. Just make sure to cover it tightly and keep it in the dish you baked it in until you are ready to serve.
How to Make Candy Corn Poke Cake
Cake
- Lightly grease a 13×9 pan. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake mix according to package directions and then divide the batter equally into 3 bowls (about 1 ½ cups of cake batter in each).
- Add yellow food coloring to one of the bowls, and orange coloring to another, the third will be left white.
- Pour the yellow batter evenly across the bottom of your prepared pan and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. (make sure it is on a level surface).
- Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the orange batter on top of the yellow layer and smooth it evenly to cover. Place the pan back in the freezer for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and spread the final white layer across the top of the orange layer.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Allow the pan of the layered cake batter to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Bake the cake according to the package directions.
- While the cake is still warm use a chopstick or a handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in even rows about an inch apart all over the cake.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake making sure to pour it into all of the holes.
- Cover the cake and place it in the refrigerator overnight. (or at least 8 hours)
Frosting
- Before starting place the mixing bowl in the freezer for about 15 min, this helps the whipped cream whip up easier.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until creamy and blended.
- Remove the chilled bowl from the freezer.
- Add the heavy cream and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, increase the speed to high and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream and mix for 1-2 minutes or until well combined. Take care to not over-mix, you don’t want to deflate the whipped cream.
Decorate
- Spread the frosting into an even layer on top of the refrigerated cake.
- Top with candy corn.
- Cut into 12 pieces and serve chilled.
candy corn recipes
Can candy corn poke cake be frozen?
Yes – of course. Just like any other cake, you can freeze this poke cake. Just make sure to wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container before freezing. Use it within 3 months.
I do recommend adding the candy on top when serving as it will taste best if it wasn’t frozen first.
Don’t miss these other tasty poke cake recipes!
- Jello Poke Cake
- Coconut Poke Cake
- Raspberry Cream Poke Cake
- Walnut and Toffee Chocolate Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake
- Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake
- Chocolate Mint Poke Cake
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Poke Cake
- Caramel Macchiato Poke Cake
- Coconut Cream Poke Cake
Ingredient Notes
- Cake mix – Regular vanilla cake or white cake mix will work for this recipe.
- Eggs – Should be at room temperature.
- Oil – Vegetable oil or any neutral-flavored oil will work. Unsweetened apple sauce can be used instead.
- Heavy Cream in the Frosting – make sure it is SUPER COLD to get the right consistency.
- This cake and frosting can be made with keto-friendly/low-carb options. Start with a keto cake mix, use a confectioner’s sugar alternative and omit the candy on top of the cake. Still super cute – with the layers of cake colors.
DON’T MISS THESE HOLIDAY E-BOOKS!
This Fall Poke Cake recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made a poke cake before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love this. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this delicious dessert recipe. (you can also SHOP MY FAVORITES in my store)
If you love this easy candy corn poke cake recipe, you’re going to love these other fall holiday treats too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
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Candy Corn Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 white cake mix + ingredients to make according to package directions
- orange gel food coloring
- yellow gel food coloring
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
Frosting
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese – softened
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
Cake
- Lightly grease a 13×9 pan. Set aside.
- Prepare the cake mix according to package directions and then divide the batter equally into 3 bowls (about 1 ½ cups of cake batter in each).
- Add yellow food coloring to one of the bowls, and orange coloring to another, the third will be left white.
- Pour the yellow batter evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes. (make sure it is on a level surface).
- Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the orange batter on top of the yellow layer and smooth it evenly to cover. Place the pan back in the freezer for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and spread the final white layer across the top of the orange layer.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Allow the pan of the layered cake batter to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
- Bake the cake according to the package directions.
- While the cake is still warm use a chopstick or a handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in even rows about an inch apart all over the cake.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake making sure to pour it into all of the holes.
- Cover the cake and place it in the refrigerator overnight. (or at least 8 hours)
Frosting
- Before starting place the mixing bowl in the freezer for about 15 min, this helps the whipped cream whip up easier.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat together the confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese and vanilla until creamy and blended.
- Remove the chilled bowl from the freezer.
- Add the heavy cream and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, increase the speed to high and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream and mix for 1-2 minutes or until well combined. Take care to not over-mix, you don't want to deflate the whipped cream.
Decorate
- Spread the frosting into an even layer on top of the refrigerated cake.
- Top with candy corn.
- Cut into 12 pieces and serve chilled.
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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