Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan with baker’s spray. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, mix together the yellow box cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and water according to the directions on the box. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake according to the box directions for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes, then poke holes over the entire surface of the cake. I like to use a round-handled wooden spoon to poke the holes. Allow the cake to continue to cool on the counter while you prepare the pudding mixture.
In a 2 quart-sized saucepan on medium heat, add the cook & serve butterscotch pudding mix, whole milk, and Fireball cinnamon whisky. Bring the pudding mixture to a boil while whisking constantly, and cook for 1-2 minutes once it has started to boil. Remove the pot from the heat and continue whisking the pudding until the mixture starts to thicken up. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
While the pudding is still hot and not fully set, slowly pour it into the holes that were poked into the yellow cake. Once you have filled all the holes in the cake with the warm pudding, you can pour the rest of the pudding over the rest of the cake. You can use an offset spatula or the back of a large spoon to spread out the warm pudding, covering the entire surface of the cake.
Allow the cake and pudding to continue to cool on the counter for another 20 minutes to allow the pudding to start to firm up before spreading on your final layer of the thawed whipped topping.
Spread the whipped topping evenly over the entire surface of the cake. If you choose to add the garnish of red and orange sugar sanding sprinkles, you can add them at this time.
Place the Fireball poke cake into the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of 8 hours or up to overnight. Slice and serve.
Notes
We used Betty Crocker brand Super moist yellow cake mix. Using a different brand of cake mix may call for slightly different ingredients or proportions, so you just need to follow the directions according to the box brand you are using.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your cake as the suggested baking time approaches.
If you are using instant pudding, we suggest working very fast once your pudding starts to firm up to spread your pudding into the holes.
You may need to place the firmer instant pudding into a large piping bag or a gallon-sized zip-top bag with the corner snipped off and gently pipe the pudding into the individual holes. Then, spread the remaining pudding evenly over the surface of the cake.