Name: Chocolate Marshmallow Poke Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 15.25 ounces devil’s food cake mix; 7.8 ounces instant chocolate pudding ((2 3.9-ounce packages)); 4 cups milk; 35 marshmallows

5 from 2 votes

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Chocolate Marshmallow Poke Cake – chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and toasted marshmallows in a fun, retro recipe that the whole family will enjoy!

There must be at least a thousand different kinds of “poke” cakes. You do know what that is, right? Just in case you’ve never heard of them, poke cakes are basically one 9×13 layer with holes poked all over it and something, usually jello or condensed milk, poured over it and then topped with whipped cream.

Whatever you’ve poured over the cake seeps down into all the holes and makes the cake incredibly moist. It’s a real retro recipe since it was first created in 1969 to increase sales of jello gelatin. Is it fine cooking? Ha! Hardly. Is it fun? Oh, yeah.

Most poke cakes are made with a yellow or white cake and flavored gelatin. This Chocolate Marshmallow Poke Cake takes a little different turn with a chocolate layer and chocolate pudding, then it’s topped with toasted marshmallows instead of whipped cream.

And it’s so yummy…boxed mixes and all. Now if you want to make a chocolate cake from scratch, a chocolate pudding from scratch and homemade marshmallows for this, by all means be my guest.

However, packaged products are the hallmark of the recipe and homemade components kind of defeat the purpose of a retro style poke cake :-)

Have some fun and enjoy this blast from the past. Be sure to check the other recipes at the end of the post for links to lots more poke cakes.

How to Make Chocolate Marshmallow Poke Cake:

Let’s Go Step-by-Step

I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the recipe card.

Prepared chocolate cake mix in a 9x13 baking dish.

Prepare and bake the cake mix according to package directions for baking in a 9×13 pan.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake going all the way down to the bottom.

Pouring pudding mix over the cake layer.

Combine the pudding mix and cold milk in a large bowl. Whisk for two minutes. Pour half of the pudding over the cake so that it runs down into the holes made with the spoon.

Let the remaining pudding stand for 5 minutes so that it thickens. Pour the remaining pudding over the cake and spread evenly over the top.

Top the cake with marshmallows and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When ready to serve, remove cake from refrigerator and heat the broiler. Place the cake in the oven and broil until marshmallows are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into squares to serve.

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A serving of chocolate marshmallow poke cake on a blue plate.

Questions? I’m happy to help!

If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!

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