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This Oreo poke cake is an easy dessert recipe that everyone loves! The chocolate cake is stuffed with vanilla pudding, topped with a fluffy Cool Whip frosting, and finished with crushed Oreo cookies.
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How to Make Oreo Poke Cake | 1-Minute Video
If you love cake, or if you love Cookies n’ Cream Oreos, then you’re bound to adore this sweet combination. It’s truly the best of both worlds!
The vanilla pudding keeps this chocolate cake incredibly moist, while the Oreo cookies add just the right crunch on top! The poke cake with Jell-O pudding is a perfect potluck dessert, or even a nice treat to follow dinner on a special evening at home.
What’s Poke Cake?
“Poke Cake” refers to just about any cake that is poked with the end of a wooden spoon and filled with either pudding, Jell-O, sweetened condensed milk, or any other sweet concoction. There are endless poke cake ideas, with flavors ranging from coconut and caramel to lemon, strawberry, and vanilla. This chocolate Oreo version is definitely one of the best poke cake recipes out there!
Ingredients for the Ultimate Oreo Poke Cake
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for an Oreo cake. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Chocolate cake mix: plus the ingredients called for on the box — typically oil, eggs, and water.
- Vanilla instant pudding mix: or sub with instant white chocolate pudding mix.
- Milk: you’ll use this to prepare the pudding.
- Frozen whipped topping: the thawed Cool Whip is the frosting for your cake.
- Oreo cookies: crushed Oreos add flavor and crunch on top of the cake.
How to Make Poke Cake with Pudding
This easy Oreo poke cake comes together quickly, thanks to help from a handful of store-bought shortcuts. I’ve included the detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Bake the cake in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish according to the directions on the back of the box.
- Poke holes in the warm cake.
- Prepare the jello instant pudding according to the package directions.
- Spread the creamy pudding mixture in the holes of the warm cake.
- Chill for about 2 hours.
- Top the pudding layer with Cool Whip, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Use a rolling pin to crush the Oreos, and then sprinkle the cookie crumbs over top of the cake just before slicing.
When you slice into the cake, you see the little pockets of pudding throughout — just like the filling in an Oreo cookie!
Preparation and Storage Tips for Oreo Pudding Poke Cake
- Make Ahead: I would suggest that you make this poke cake at least one (or even 2) days ahead of time. It just gets better as it sits, giving the pudding more time to infuse and moisten the cake.
- How to Freeze: wrap tightly and freeze the pudding poke cake before adding the whipped topping and cookies.
- Storage: leftover cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Recipe Variations
- Any brand of chocolate cake mix or devil’s food cake mix will work.
- Use either vanilla instant pudding, white chocolate instant pudding, or instant oreo pudding. Sugar free or regular varieties are both fine. I do not recommend using the French Vanilla instant pudding flavor, because that pudding is tinted yellow and will not look like an Oreo filling.
- Swap out the Cool Whip for real freshly whipped cream.
- Make this a coconut poke cake by using Coconut Cream flavored instant pudding, a chocolate or a white cake, and a sprinkling of sweetened shredded coconut on top in lieu of the Oreos.
- Caramel poke cake: swap out the pudding filling and instead pour caramel sauce into the holes of the cake. Sprinkle crushed Heath bars or Butterfinger candy bars on top in lieu of the Oreos.
- Prepare a lemon poke cake by using lemon cake mix and lemon pudding.
Tips for the Best Oreo Poke Cake Recipe
- Prepare the poke cake at least one (or even 2) days ahead of time. It just gets better as it sits in the refrigerator, giving the pudding more time to infuse and moisten the cake.
- Spread the pudding into the cake while the cake is still warm. Then allow a couple of hours for the cake to cool completely before adding the topping. Cool Whip will melt if it’s spread on a hot cake.
- Don’t add the crushed Oreos to the top of your cake until you’re ready to serve. The cookies tend to get soft after a day or so in the refrigerator, so it’s best to wait and add them just before slicing.
- Serve each slice of this easy chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent treat!
More Easy Recipes with Cake Mix
Earthquake Cake {with Cake Mix!}
55 minutes mins
Pig Pickin’ Cake {Orange Pineapple Fluff Cake}
40 minutes mins
Watergate Cake
2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins
Oreo Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on cake mix (eggs, oil, water)
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box vanilla or white chocolate instant pudding mix (sugar free is fine, but either will work)
- 2 cups cold milk
- 1 (12 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
- 10 Oreo cookies, crushed
Instructions
- Bake cake in a 9 x 13-inch pan, according to package instructions.
- While cake is still warm, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake.
- In a medium bowl, use the pudding mix and milk to prepare the pudding according to package instructions. Spread pudding onto warm cake, using a spatula to gently push the pudding deep into each of the holes.
- Place cake in refrigerator to cool completely before frosting (about 2 hours).
- Spread whipped topping onto cooled cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with crushed Oreo cookies just before serving.
Video
Notes
- Prepare the poke cake at least one (or even 2) days ahead of time. It just gets better as it sits in the refrigerator, giving the pudding more time to infuse and moisten the cake.
- Spread the pudding into the cake while the cake is still warm. Then allow a couple of hours for the cake to cool completely before adding the topping. Cool Whip will melt if it’s spread on a hot cake.
- Don’t add the crushed Oreos to the top of your cake until you’re ready to serve. The cookies tend to get soft after a day or so in the refrigerator, so it’s best to wait and add them just before slicing.
- Serve each slice of this easy chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a truly decadent treat!
Nutrition
This post was originally published in March, 2013. It was updated in March, 2019.
This cake looks so delicious!
Oh my gosh, it is! Thanks, Karly!
Could you use a cream cheese topping on this? Kids wont eat whipped cream.
Hi, Leslie! Yes, I think any frosting that you like would work well. Hope your kids approve! 🙂
Just took it out of the oven, spread the pudding on top and put it in the fridge to cool. I’m visiting the grandsons tomorrow and will bring it along. I’ll let you know how well it was received.
Wonderful! I hope that everyone loves it! 🙂
Cake was a hit! I used fat free vanilla pudding and skim milk because that’s what I had and I may not have let it set enough. I might try regular instant pudding and a 1 or 2 % milk next time. The pudding looked so nice in the pokes when cut. Thank you for the recipe. I’m looking for my next recipe to try.
Wonderful! Thanks, Donna!!
I’m making this now to take to work for my coworkers to enjoy tomorrow! I am using the Oreo Cookies ‘n Creme pudding for a little twist.
Sounds perfect! I hope you all enjoy it, Susan!
How was it using oreo pudding ???? That’s what I have in my kitchen..
I have always made it with the oreo pudding. Its always a hit.
This is great thank you so much.
Thanks, Charity! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Looks great…… could I use pudding from a Cup snack pack! They happen to be handy!
Hi, Clara! Absolutely! 🙂
I was thinking to pulse some Oreos and fold it into the cool whip ? Do you think it will be okay?
I think that would be really good!
Could I make the topping with real whipping cream instead of cool whip?
Absolutely! 🙂