August 14, 2023
Review RecipeStrawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

Table of Contents
Our sensational strawberry cheesecake poke cake is the ultimate dessert. This delicious recipe combines two of your favorite flavors — soft and sweet strawberry cake with tangy and creamy cheesecake pudding — into one amazing, irresistible treat.

Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake Ingredients

If you’re a fan of desserts that tantalize the taste buds, then you’ll definitely want to try strawberry cheesecake poke cake.
This exquisite cake is made with a moist, fluffy strawberry cake that is infused with creamy cheesecake pudding and topped with fresh strawberries.
Each bite delivers a burst of sweet, fruity flavor that’s perfectly balanced with the tangy cheesecake filling.
You’ll need:
For The Strawberry Cake:
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box of strawberry cake mix
- 1 cup of water
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
For The Cheesecake Pudding:
- 2 (3.5-ounce) boxes of instant cheesecake pudding
- 3½ cups of cold whole milk
- 1 (8-ounce) container of Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed
- 1 cup of washed, dried, capped, hulled, and chopped strawberries, optional garnish
Substitutions And Additions
FRESH STRAWBERRIES: You can substitute pink sprinkles, pink nonpareils, or chopped strawberry cookies for the fresh chopped strawberry garnish in this delicious recipe.
COLOR: You can add 1-2 drops of red food coloring if your cake batter is a little bit too light in color.
WHIPPED TOPPING: If you would prefer to make your own whipped cream, check out our homemade whipped cream recipe.
How To Make This Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake Recipe
Once you bake the strawberry cake, you will poke holes in the cake and pour the creamy pudding in. Top with whipped cream and strawberries to finish this cake off in the perfect way.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with baker’s spray (Baker’s Joy or generic version).
STEP TWO: Add the cake mix, water, and oil to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix the ingredients together until well combined.

STEP THREE: Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg until incorporated and no yellow streaks are visible.
STEP FOUR: Pour batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake cake for 25 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes away clean.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.

STEP FIVE: Let cake cool slightly. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the cake about 1 to 1½ inches apart. Allow the cake to cool completely.
PRO TIP:
Once the cake is completely cooled, you can go back and re-poke the cake holes with the end of the spoon. That way, if the crumbs of the cake refill in, you will have a cleaner hole for the pudding.

STEP SIX: Add both packages of instant pudding mix to a medium bowl. Add the cold milk and use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix for about 1 minute until the pudding begins to thicken.

STEP SEVEN: Add 1½ cups to a disposable piping bag fitted with a large 1A decorator’s tip or a quart-size ziplock bag with a corner snipped off.
PRO TIP:
You can also use a long filling tip instead of the 1A decorator’s tip to fill the poke holes. It is a matter of preference.
STEP EIGHT: Pipe the pudding into each hole, filling the holes up completely. If you have any leftover pudding, add it to the remaining pudding for topping.

STEP NINE: Use an offset spatula to smooth the remaining pudding over the top of the cake.

STEP TEN: Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
STEP ELEVEN: Evenly spread the thawed whipped topping over the pudding layer. Sprinkle with the chopped strawberries. Slice and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

How To Serve
Delicious poke cakes are such an easy treat to make, that you don’t need a special occasion to bake one. Serve your piece of cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge sauce.
Add a warm mug of homemade hot chocolate, a cup of coffee, or a refreshing iced tea to drink.
Every bite of these poke cakes is extremely moist, and we are sure once you try one, you’ll want more. Other variations of this popular dessert include our Boston cream poke cake, lemon poke cake, and coconut poke cake.
MORE POKE CAKE RECIPES
Storage
This easy cake is the perfect treat to have stored in your freezer for when company comes for dinner.
IN THE FRIDGE: Store any leftovers of this delicious poke cake covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
IN THE FREEZER: You can freeze the strawberry cheesecake cake after adding the pudding for up to 1 month in an airtight container. Allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before topping it with the thawed whipped topping and strawberries.

Poking holes in the finished cake lets even more sweetness soak in as it sits before being topped with decadent ingredients to finish off your heavenly masterpiece. With a fresh strawberry flavor and tangy cheesecake pudding, this strawberry cheesecake poke cake is sure to be a winner.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
It’s an easy cake that you poke lots of holes into while it’s still hot 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.
The handle of a wooden spoon is the best size to poke holes in the cake. If you don’t have a wooden spoon, a bamboo skewer would also work well.
You can make this easy strawberry poke cake recipe a day or two in advance. Since the cake should chill for at least a couple of hours to give it time for all the liquids to soak in, it is best to make it the day before.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes
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- Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake
- Strawberry Tres Leches Cake
- Cream Cheese Strawberry Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Crazy Cake
- Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake
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- Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake
- Strawberry Poke Cake
- Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Strawberry Angel Food Cake
- Strawberry Roll Cake
- Butterscotch Cool Whip Pie
- Oatmeal Cake
- Strawberry Sheet Cake Cookies
- Eggnog Poke Cake
- Strawberry Sorbet
- Strawberry Crunch Poke Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake
Ingredients
Strawberry Cake
- 15.25 ounces strawberry cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
Cheesecake Pudding
- 7 ounces cheesecake instant pudding
- 3½ cups cold whole milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
- 1 cup chopped starwberries, wash and dried, capped, hulled, and optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baker’s spray (Baker’s Joy or generic version).
- Add the cake mix, water, and oil to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix the ingredients together until well combined.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg until incorporated and no yellow streaks are visible.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes away clean.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly. Use the handle of a wooden mixing spoon to poke holes in the cake about 1 to 1½ inches apart. Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Add both packages of instant pudding mix to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the cold milk and use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix for about 1 minute until the pudding begins to thicken.
- Add 1½ cups to a disposable piping bag fitted with a large 1A decorator’s tip or a quart-size ziplock bag with a corner snipped off.
- Pipe the pudding into each hole, filling the holes up completely. If you have any leftover pudding, add it to the remaining pudding for topping.
- Use an offset spatula to smooth the remaining pudding over the top of the cake.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- Evenly spread the thawed whipped topping over the pudding layer. Sprinkle with the chopped strawberries. Slice and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to check your cake at the lower end of the recommended baking time.
- Once the cake is completely cooled, you can go back and re-poke the cake holes with the end of the spoon. That way, if the crumbs of the cake refill in, you will have a cleaner hole for the pudding.
- You can also use a long filling tip instead of the 1A decorator’s tip to fill the poke holes. It is a matter of preference.
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