Carrot Cake Poke Cake Recipe – carrot cake soaked in sweetened condensed milk and caramel and topped with a quick homemade cream cheese frosting. SO good! Boxed carrot cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, water, caramel sauce, sweetened condensed milk, butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and toffee bits. Effortless to make and tastes AMAZING! This is a great dessert for potlucks and Easter dinner.
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Pin This RecipeCarrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Poke Cakes are one of my favorite desserts because I can make them a few days ahead of time and they get better the longer they sit in the fridge. This Carmel Carrot Cake Poke Cake is no exception. The star of this recipe might be the quick homemade Cream Cheese Frosting! OMG! It really puts this poke cake over the top!! You must give this easy cake recipe a try. One bite and it is sure to become a favorite!
How to Make Carrot Cake Poke Cake with Caramel
This cake is super easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Prepare a box of carrot cake cake mix according to the package directions. Pour batter into a 9×13-inch baking pan and bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
In a medium bowl, whisk together caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk. Poke holes over the warm cake with a chopstick or wooden spoon handle. Pour the milk mixture over the cake and cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on low speed until creamy. Sprinkle toffee bits over the top of cake. Spread frosting over the cake and top with more toffee bits. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make poke cake in advance? Yes! This cake is actually better the day after you make it. Letting it sit in the fridge overnight gives the cake time to soak up all that yummy caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk. It is hard to wait overnight to eat the cake, but it really is better if you can muster up the will power to wait.
- Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to the cake batter or frosting for extra flavor.
- Can substitute chopped pecans or walnuts for toffee bits. Chopped white chocolate or coconut is also delicious.
- Store the cake dish covered in the fridge. The cake will keep 3 to 4 days.
How to Serve Carrot Cake
This cake is a favorite at our house. We make it for dinner parties, potlucks, tailgates, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It is so easy to make and everyone loves it. This is a rich cake, so a little goes a long way. Perfect when you need to feed a crowd. Give it a try! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
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Carrot Cake Poke Cake
Ingredients:
Cake
- 1 box Carrot Cake cake mix plus ingredients to make cake
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12.25-oz) jar Smucker's caramel ice cream topping
- 1 cup toffee bits
Frosting
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Bake cake in a 9×13-inch pan according to direction on the package.
- While cake is baking, mix milk and caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it’s still hot, poke holes in it with a fork or straw. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely.
- To make frosting: Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.
- Sprinkle half of the toffee bits over cake. Spread cream cheese frosting over the top, then sprinkle the remaining toffee bits on top. Chill.
Notes:
- Can I make poke cake in advance? Yes! This cake is actually better the day after you make it. Letting it sit in the fridge overnight gives the cake time to soak up all that yummy caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk. It is hard to wait overnight to eat the cake, but it really is better if you can muster up the will power to wait.
- Add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to the cake batter or frosting for extra flavor.
- Can substitute chopped pecans or walnuts for toffee bits. Chopped white chocolate or coconut is also delicious.
- Store the cake dish covered in the fridge. The cake will keep 3 to 4 days.
Steph
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This Recipe
What size jar of caramel ice cream topping?
I used a 12.25-oz jar of Smuckers Ice Cream Topping