Boston Cream Poke Cake
A Boston cream poke cake with every flavor of the classic pie in one 9-by-13 pan: a yellow cake poked while warm and flooded with instant vanilla pudding, then topped with a glossy two-ingredient chocolate ganache. Twenty minutes of work, an overnight chill, and it cuts into twelve clean squares.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 3 large eggs or as the box directs
- 1 cup water or as the box directs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or as the box directs
Pudding Layer
- 2 packages instant vanilla pudding mix 3.4 ounces each, not cook-and-serve
- 3 cups cold milk whole or 2 percent
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or a chopped 6-ounce bar
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Equipment
- 9x13-inch Baking Pan
- Wooden spoon handle or similar tool
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Medium saucepan
- Spatula
Instructions
Bake the Cake
- Mix the batter. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Tip the cake mix into a large bowl and crack in the eggs.
- Add the liquids. Pour in the water and the oil, then whisk for about 2 minutes until the batter is smooth with no dry streaks.
- Bake. Pour the batter into the dish, level it, and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, until warm rather than hot.
Poke and Fill
- Poke the holes. Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes over the whole cake about an inch apart, stopping a half inch from the bottom. Wiggle the handle so each hole is wider than a pencil.
- Whisk the pudding. Whisk the pudding mixes with the cold milk and vanilla for about 1 minute, just until it starts to thicken. Do not let it set in the bowl.
- Fill the cake. Immediately pour the pudding over the warm cake and spread it with an offset spatula, pushing it down into the holes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Ganache and Chill
- Make the ganache. Put the chocolate chips and butter in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it steams and bubbles at the edge, pour it over the chocolate, wait 3 minutes, then stir from the center until glossy. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Top the cake. Pour the ganache over the chilled pudding layer and spread it to the edges with a spatula.
- Chill and cut. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the ganache is firm. Cut into 12 squares with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped between cuts.
Notes
Make ahead: the cake needs at least 4 hours to set after the ganache goes on and is at its best after an overnight chill. Bake and fill up to 2 days ahead and add the ganache the night before.
Storage: keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours, because of the milk-based pudding. Freeze cut squares, wrapped, for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Substitutions: a butter golden or French vanilla mix in place of yellow; a chopped 6-ounce chocolate bar in place of the chips; a 16-ounce tub of chocolate frosting, warmed until pourable, in place of the ganache. Use instant pudding only, never cook-and-serve.
Doneness: the ganache should feel firm and cool with no give, and a knife should cut through all three layers cleanly. If the pudding oozes, chill it for another hour.
Nutrition values are an estimate.
Nutrition
Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2mg