Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke (Printable)
Moist chocolate cake with creamy peanut butter pudding and whipped cream topped with rich chocolate-peanut butter drizzle.
# What You Need:
→ Cake Base
01 - 1 box (15.25 oz) chocolate cake mix with required eggs, oil, and water
→ Peanut Butter Filling
02 - 1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
03 - 2 cups cold whole milk
04 - 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
→ Whipped Cream Topping
05 - 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream
06 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
07 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Chocolate Peanut Butter Drizzle
08 - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
09 - 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
10 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream
→ Optional Garnish
11 - 1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
12 - Mini peanut butter cups, halved
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan thoroughly with cooking spray or butter.
02 - Prepare chocolate cake mix according to package directions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
03 - Let cake cool for 10 minutes. Using handle of wooden spoon, poke holes all over cake at 1-inch intervals.
04 - Whisk pudding mix and cold milk in medium bowl for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in peanut butter until completely smooth.
05 - Pour peanut butter pudding evenly over cake, spreading to fill all holes. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
06 - Beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream over chilled cake.
07 - Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and heavy cream in small bowl for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, adding 10 more seconds if needed.
08 - Drizzle chocolate mixture over whipped cream. Garnish with chopped peanuts and halved peanut butter cups if desired.
09 - Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The combination of warm cake holes filled with cool peanut butter pudding creates incredible texture contrast in every bite
- It looks impressive but comes together in under an hour with mostly pantry staples
02 -
- Poking the holes while the cake is still warm helps the pudding penetrate deeper, but waiting exactly 10 minutes prevents the cake from falling apart
- The whipped cream layer will start to weep if the cake sits at room temperature for more than 2 hours, so keep it chilled until serving
03 -
- Warm your knife under hot water and wipe it dry between cuts for perfectly clean slices through all those layers
- If your kitchen is particularly warm, freeze the cake for 15 minutes after spreading the whipped cream before adding the chocolate drizzle