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Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake

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close up shot of a slice of Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake topped with mini marshmallows and m&ms on a plate
Enjoy the taste of Christmas this holiday season with this Christmas red velvet poke cake - full of creamy goodness and a moist cake, it will be a welcome addition to your holiday table.Original recipe from Yummiest Food.
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Table of Contents
  1. Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake Ingredients
  2. Substitutions And Additions
  3. How To Make This Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake Recipe
  4. How To Serve
  5. Storing This Holiday Poke Cake Recipe
  6. More Recipes You’ll Love
  7. JUMP TO RECIPE

This delightfully festive Christmas red velvet poke cake will make all your holiday dreams come true. Moist red velvet cake filled with bursts of creamy pudding that is finished off with a fun green topping and red and green candies is decadence at its finest.

close up shot of a slice of Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake topped with mini marshmallows and m&ms on a plate

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake Ingredients

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake raw ingredients that are labeled
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You’ll need:

For The Red Velvet Cake:

  • 1 (15.25-ounce) box of red velvet cake mix
  • 1¼ cup of water
  • ½ cup of vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs

For The Pudding Filling:

  • 3¾ cups of cold whole milk
  • 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes of cheesecake-flavored instant pudding mix

For The Whipped Topping and Decoration:

  • 10-12 drops of green food coloring
  • 2 (8-ounce) tubs of Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
  • 3 cups of mini marshmallows
  • ¼ cup of red M&M’s
  • ¼ cup of green M&M’s
  • red sprinkles

Substitutions And Additions

CAKE MIX: We used red velvet cake mix in this recipe, but you could use another flavor of boxed cake mix, such as chocolate or vanilla.

There are plenty of different options for the type of cake mixes you can get in the store. 

WHIPPED TOPPING: If you would prefer to make your own whipped cream, check out our homemade stabilized whipped cream recipe.

PUDDING: If you can’t find cheesecake pudding at the grocery store, you can also use vanilla pudding, French vanilla pudding, or white chocolate pudding instead in this easy recipe.

How To Make This Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake Recipe

For The Red Velvet Cake

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with baker’s spray (Baker’s Joy or generic version). Set it aside.

STEP TWO: Using a medium bowl and a handheld mixer on medium speed, prepare the cake mix according to the box directions.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of cake mix ingredients in a bowl

STEP THREE: Pour cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of cake mix batter in a baking dish before and after being baked

STEP FOUR: Using a rounded handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake about ½-inch apart. Set it aside to cool.

PRO TIP:

It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm because as it cools, the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of holes poked in red velvet cake

For The Pudding Filling

STEP ONE: Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the dry pudding mix and the cold milk for 1 to 1½ minutes, just until the pudding starts to thicken.

STEP TWO: Evenly pour the pudding mixture over the prepared cake. Use a spatula to smooth the pudding over the cake.

PRO TIP:

When you’re pouring the pudding into the holes, tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and make sure the it fills the holes completely.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of pudding poured over the red velvet cake

STEP THREE: Tightly cover the cake and chill in the refrigerator for four hours.

PRO TIP:

You can shorten the chill time to two hours, but to ensure the pudding properly sets, the longer you leave the cake in the fridge, the better.

For The Whipped Topping Layer

STEP ONE: Using a spoon, stir in the green coloring into the thawed whipped topping. Stir until the color is uniform.

PRO TIP:

Depending on how dark or light you want the tinted whipped topping layer, you can substitute green food coloring gel. 

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of green food coloring added to whipped topping and stirred together

STEP TWO: Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Evenly spread the tinted whipped topping over the pudding layer.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of whipped topping spread over pudding layer

STEP THREE: Evenly sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the tinted whipped topping layer.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of mini marshmallows sprinkled on top of the cake

STEP FOUR: Evenly sprinkle the red and green M&M’s and the red sprinkles.

PRO TIP:

Add white chocolate curls on top of your cake. To make the white chocolate curls, you can use a white chocolate candy bar or white almond bark and a vegetable peeler.

Carefully use gentle downward pressure against the side of the candy bar. 

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of m&ms sprinkled on top of the cake

STEP FIVE: Cut twelve 3-inch x 3-inch squares.

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake process shot of a slice cut out of the cake

How To Serve

Enjoy this festive dessert with a delicious scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream on the side.

This would be a fun and indulgent treat to serve with our Grinch punch on Christmas Eve after enjoying a special meal before welcoming Santa.

All the red and green and sweet components are sure to get you in the holiday spirit.

Check out more of our poke cake recipes with our jello poke cake and coconut poke cake. They are some of our favorite desserts because the cake comes out so moist.

Storing This Holiday Poke Cake Recipe

IN THE FRIDGE: Keep any leftovers of this moist holiday cake covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.

IN THE FREEZER: You can also freeze this red velvet Christmas poke cake recipe.

Tightly cover with plastic wrap and then cover with aluminum foil for up to three months. Allow the cake to thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

close up shot of a slice of Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake topped with mini marshmallows and m&ms on a plate

Once you take a bite of this delicious cake, you will have sugar plums dancing in your head. Moist decadent cake with creamy bursts of pudding in every bite is enough to make anyone smile. Adding sweet and colorful toppings will take this confection over the top.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a poke cake?

It’s an easy cake that you poke holes into the warm cake after baking. The holes are then filled with a liquid or filling — like condensed milk, pureed fruit, chocolate cream, or pudding. It makes a moist and delicious cake.

What do you use to poke holes in poke cake?

The end of a wooden spoon handle is the best size to poke large holes in the cake.

Can I freeze this poke cake?

This great recipe will keep in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months.

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close up shot of a slice of Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake topped with mini marshmallows and m&ms on a plate

Christmas Red Velvet Poke Cake

5 from 1 vote
Enjoy the taste of Christmas this holiday season with this Christmas red velvet poke cake – full of creamy goodness and a moist cake, it will be a welcome addition to your holiday table.
Original recipe from Yummiest Food.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

Red Velvet Cake

  • 15.25 ounce box red velvet cake mix
  • cups water
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs

Cheesecake Flavored Instant Pudding Mix

  • cups cold whole milk
  • 6.8 ounces cheesecake flavored instant pudding mix (3.4-ounce packets)

Whipped Topping and decoration

  • 10 to 12 drops green food coloring
  • 16 ounces whipped topping thawed (8-ounce tubs)
  • 3 cups mini marshmallows
  • ¼ cup red M&M’s
  • ¼ cup green M&M’s
  • red sprinkles

Instructions
 

Red Velvet Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with baker’s spray (Baker’s Joy or generic version). Set it aside.
  • Using a medium-sized mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium speed, prepare the cake mix according to the box directions.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.
  • Using a rounded handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake about ½ inch apart. Set it aside to cool.

Cheesecake Flavored Instant Pudding

  • Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mixes and the cold milk for 1 to 1½ minutes, just until the pudding starts to thicken.
  • Evenly pour the pudding over the prepared cake. Use a spatula to smooth the pudding over the prepared cake.
  • Tightly cover the cake and chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Whipped Topping Layer

  • Using a spoon, stir in the green food color into the thawed whipped topping. Stir until the color is uniform.
  • Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Evenly spread the tinted whipped topping over the pudding layer.
  • Evenly sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the tinted whipped topping layer.
  • Evenly sprinkle the red and green m and m’s and the red sprinkles.
  • Cut twelve 3-inch x 3-inch squares.

Video

Notes

  • It’s best to make the holes in the cake while it is still slightly warm because as it cools, the crust on top of the cake will crumble more easily.
  • When you’re pouring the pudding into the holes, tap the pan on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles and make sure it fills the holes completely.
  • You can shorten the chill time to two hours, but to ensure the pudding properly sets, the longer you leave the cake in the fridge, the better.
  • Depending on how dark or light you want the tinted whipped topping layer, you can substitute green food coloring gel. 
  • Add white chocolate curls on top of your cake. To make the white chocolate curls, you can use a white chocolate candy bar or white almond bark and a vegetable peeler. Carefully use gentle downward pressure against the side of the candy bar.

Nutrition

Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 2mg
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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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