Easy Red Velvet Poke Cake — ❤️🙌 If you like red velvet, you’re going to LOVE this EASY red velvet cake recipe!! Super soft, moist, topped with luscious cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips! Perfect for holidays and special events!!
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Easiest Red Velvet Poke Cake Recipe
I usually only make a red velvet dessert about once a year, usually for Christmas or Valentine’s Day, but this easy red velvet poke cake recipe reminded me that I need to do it more often.
It’s fast, easy, and it’s a poke cake so it’s automatically super soft and moist which is the only way I want my cake.
Any time a cake is infused with sweetened condensed milk, it’s going to be moist and tender and this one definitely is. The tangy cream cheese frosting perfectly complements the red velvet flavor, as do the mini chocolate chips.
Everyone will be stuffing their faces with this moist red velvet poke cake. It’s perfect for holidays, parties, and special events.
Ingredients in Red Velvet Poke Cake
To keep this cake super easy, I made the recipe using red velvet box cake mix. Once it’s doctored up with chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk, it tastes homemade!
Here’s what you’ll need for the poke cake:
- Red velvet cake mix – I used Duncan Hines (you’ll also need whatever ingredients are listed on the box)
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Cream cheese – use brick-style cream cheese and not the kind that comes in a tub
- Unsalted butter
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips – regular may be substituted
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Red Velvet Poke Cake
It doesn’t get much simpler (or tastier!) than this red velvet dessert. Here’s an overview of how the cake is made:
- Make the boxed red velvet cake mix as instructed on its packaging (you’ll likely need to add oil, eggs, and water).
- Once baked, poke the cake all over with the end of a wooden spoon and drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over top.
- Pop the red velvet cake into the fridge to cool a bit before spreading the homemade cream cheese frosting on top.
- Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.
- Return to the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
Poke Cake FAQs
Poke cakes get their name because after baking you poke holes in the cake and drizzle in sweetened condensed milk and sometimes caramel sauce, but with this one I just used sweetened condensed milk. I’ve made plenty of others including chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, pumpkin, s’mores, turtle, and more.
Yes! Add the eggs, oil, and whatever else the mix calls for and bake it as instructed in a 9×13-inch pan. From there, you can doctor it up per the recipe card instructions in this post!
Yes, you’re welcome to make the red velvet cake from scratch using your favorite recipe. You might be able to double this Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe and bake it as a cake instead of cupcakes as well, but I can’t say for sure if this method will yield the same results.
Of course! You can make scratch cream cheese frosting or to save time use store-bought cream cheese frosting in a tub. It’s okay, really it is, there’s no baking judgment here.
Yes, this red velvet poke cake recipe can easily be prepped in advance. I actually think it tastes better when you let it sit in the fridge overnight! The cake lasts up to 1 week in the fridge, but if serving to guests I recommend preparing it no more than 48 hours in advance.
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Red Velvet Poke Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake
- one 16.25-ounce box red velvet cake mix, I used Duncan Hines
- one 14-ounce can sweetend condensed milk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened (lite okay)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened (half of 1 stick)
- 2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, I prefer mini but regular size may be substituted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Make cake according to package directions (likely adding 3 eggs, water, and oil) and bake as directed (likely about 25 to 28 minutes).
- Remove cake from the oven when it’s done, allow it to cool for about 5 minutes, and then using the blunt end of a wooden spoon, poke holes over the surface of the cake. I didn’t count but I estimate I poked about 60 holes, evenly spaced over the surface.
- Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the holes, taking your time to evenly distribute it so that all the holes receive some.
- Place cake in fridge to cool for at least 10 minutes while you make the frosting or before adding canned frosting so it doesn’t melt.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and handheld electric mixer) add the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, salt, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy. Add additional confectioners’ sugar if necessary for consistency.
- Turn frosting out onto cake and spread into a smooth, even, flat layer using a spatula or knife.
- Evenly sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Refrigerate cake for at least 4 hours, or overnight, before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Red Velvet Desserts:
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting {From Scratch} — Made in 1 bowl, no mixer, so easy, and the cupcakes taste like they’re from a bakery!
Red Velvet Chocolate-Swirled Brownie Bars {from scratch, not cake mix} — These easy bars topped with an abundance of chocolate are velvety soft and smooth! They don’t call it red velvet for nothing!
Red Velvet Gooey Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies — The softest, moistest, gooiest cookies ever! They’re so buttery they just melt in your mouth!
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies — Rich, decadent, red velvet brownies topped with tangy cream cheese swirls!! PERFECT for Valentine’s Day, the Christmas season, or anytime you’re craving red velvet! EASIER than you think to make!!
Red Velvet Cookies — Soft and chewy red velvet cookies that are loaded with white chocolate chips in every bite! A classic from-scratch red velvet cookie recipe that’s made in one bowl and EASY to make with PERFECT results every time!
Chocolate-Filled Red Velvet Cupcakes — Tender fluffy red velvet cupcakes stuffed with chocolate truffles and topped with sweet and tangy cream cheese frosting!
Originally posted December 2, 2016 and reposted February 11, 2022 with updated text.
In the recipe you state to pour the sweetened condensed milk “mixture” over the cake. What mixture??? You don’t appear to mix it with anything.
You are correct, it was a typo. It’s just sweetened condensed milk by itself.
Made the red velvet poke cake with cream cheese and chocolate chips. Very delicious and moist. I recommend this cake recipe. I will make it again.
Made the red velvet poke cake with cream cheese and chocolate chips. Very delicious and moist. I recommend this cake recipe. I will make it again.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad it was very delicious, moist, and that you recommend it!
great
I’ve made several poke cakes and my favorites are the ones with SCM and caramel. I feel like one can doesn’t make it gooey enough. I’m wondering if two cans would work or one can and some else…
You don’t need two cans of SCM in my opinion for this one, maybe a can and a half. I feel like two cans would be too soggy but you can see how it looks and take it from there. The frosting helps to keep it super moist and gooey.
I have other poke cakes too in case you want to check these out https://www.averiecooks.com/tag/poke-cake/ The Salted Caramel Carrot Cake one is ridiculously moist! And Pumpkin Caramel but it’s not pumpkin ‘season’ right now.
Lush & delicious!
Lush & delicious!
just curious about the reason for lining the pan with aluminum foil…
To save on cleanup time but it’s optional.
I love this!! Red velvet is one of my favorites…and I could drink SCM so soaking a cake with it, perfection.
When I was a kid I used to drink SCM, not kidding. Ahhh, the metabolism of youth :)
I’m in the same boat as you with making one red velvet dessert a year! I’ve never made a poke cake before, but I think I may start with this one. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
It’s a great poke cake to start with!
What a delicious cake! Poke cakes are the best, always so moist!!
OH BABY. I think you have just enough frosting and chocolate chips on top! This is a gorgeous poke cake, Averie!
Thank you! :)
Just starting with Red Velvet Poke Cake looks super even this time of morning. Let my hubby sleep, got on the computer and found all these luscious desserts. Are those choc chip red velvet cookies not to gooey that you can pick them up in your hand or do you need a fork? Been looking for some new recipes to try including anything with peanut butter (house favorite) I must try this cake, even tho admit to being a chocolate lover, but the cake looks yum.
I didn’t look ahead to see if the recipes are printable hope ,so. Susan
Yes they are all printable. Click the PRINT button within the recipe section. Enjoy the recipes and you can pick the cookies up.
I wrote a peanut butter cookbook with 100 recipes so I understand about being a PB lover https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1620876213/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1620876213&linkCode=as2&tag=lovvegyogruna-20
Averie, whenever you make anything red velvet you do a great job photographing it. The red color is so vibrant in your sweets. This year you made a number of poke cakes! :) have a great day
I had a really busy year and they are fast and easy to make, and people love them :) Thanks for the photography compliments!
I didn’t think red velvet cake could get any better but you did it!!! It looks amazing–I can imagine how good it tastes.☺
Thanks, Paula! This was one really good cake if I do say so :)