Hot Chocolate Poke Cake with Marshmallow Fluff and Chocolate Fudge

Hot Chocolate Poke Cake

Hot Chocolate Poke Cake is the dessert that makes a whole table go quiet for a moment. A soft chocolate cake gets poked full of little holes, and every hole is filled with marshmallow fluff.

A glossy chocolate fudge layer goes on next, then a whipped cream topping made with instant hot chocolate mix, and finally a generous pile of mini marshmallows.

If you love a mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows floating on top, this cake is that exact feeling in slice form.

Poke cakes are famously moist, because every hole becomes a small pocket of filling. This one is simple to put together yet wonderfully decadent, and it looks right at home on a Christmas table beside the cookies and the pies.

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I started craving something deeply chocolatey the moment the first cold snap arrived. Everyone around me was sharing pumpkin and apple recipes, and I wanted the opposite, a rich chocolate dessert that tastes like the hot cocoa I stir together on gray afternoons.

That is how the idea came together. Take the flavors of hot chocolate, the cocoa, the cream, the marshmallows, and build them into a chocolate cake instead of a drink.

The finished cake is a chocolate lover’s dream, easy enough for a beginner working from a box of cake mix, and impressive enough for a party, a potluck, or a holiday gathering.

One pan serves 12 to 15 people, so it feeds a crowd without much fuss.

What You Need to Make This Recipe

There are four simple parts to this cake: the cake itself, the marshmallow filling, the chocolate fudge filling, and the hot chocolate whipped cream on top. Here is what each one asks for.

• Chocolate cake mix plus the ingredients listed on the box. The box will call for oil, eggs, and water. Devil’s Food cake mix is the one to reach for here, because it is super rich and fudgy on its own, and it becomes even richer and more moist once the fillings soak into it.
• Marshmallow fluff. Two cups. It needs a short trip through the microwave with a little water so it turns smooth and pourable, which is exactly what makes it easy to slide into the holes.
• Semisweet chocolate chips. One cup for the fudge filling. If you do not have chips on hand, a finely chopped baking chocolate bar works just as well.
• Sweetened condensed milk. One 14 ounce can. Combined with the chocolate chips and a little heavy cream, it turns into a thick, glossy fudge that spreads like a dream.
• Heavy whipping cream. Two cups for the topping, plus two tablespoons for the fudge filling.
• Instant hot chocolate mix. Two envelopes, and this is the little trick that makes the topping taste like an actual mug of cocoa instead of plain whipped cream.
• Vanilla. One teaspoon, beaten into the cream.
• Mini marshmallows. Two to three cups, scattered over the top to echo the marshmallows you would drop into a cup of hot chocolate.
• Hot fudge sauce. Optional, for drizzling over slices right before serving.

Nothing here is hard to find. Most of it comes home in one grocery run, and the cake mix does a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

How to Make Hot Chocolate Poke Cake

Here is the whole process, step by step.

1. Prepare the cake mix as the box directs and bake it in a 9 by 13 inch dish. Let it cool in the pan.
2. Once the cake is baked, poke holes about an inch apart using the handle of a wooden spoon. Do not push all the way to the bottom. Stop at about two thirds of the height so the fillings stay inside the cake.
3. Place two cups of marshmallow fluff in a microwave safe bowl with two tablespoons of water. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until the mixture is smooth. Pour it slowly into the holes, or place it in a zip top bag, cut off a corner, and pipe it in for a cleaner, more complete fill. Spread whatever remains over the top of the cake, then slide the pan into the fridge.
4. For the fudge layer, put one cup of semisweet chocolate chips, the can of sweetened condensed milk, and two tablespoons of heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth, then spread it over the chilled cake. Return the cake to the fridge and chill until the chocolate is cooled completely and set.
5. For the topping, beat two cups of heavy whipping cream with one teaspoon of vanilla and two envelopes of instant hot chocolate mix until stiff peaks form. Spread it over the chilled cake and finish with two to three cups of mini marshmallows.
6. If you like, drizzle chocolate fudge sauce over the top before serving.

Piping the warm fluff from a zip top bag with the corner snipped off fills the holes more completely than pouring, and it keeps the top of the cake looking tidy.

The cake can be served right after the whipped cream goes on. Any leftovers should go back into the fridge.

Marshmallow Chocolate Poke Cake

Marshmallow Chocolate Poke Cake is an easy dessert aimed squarely at serious chocolate lovers.

If the marshmallow filled style of this cake is your kind of treat, that one is a friendly next bake to keep in mind for a lazy weekend.

Hot Chocolate Lasagna

Hot Chocolate Lasagna is a tasty no bake dessert that works beautifully for parties and for feeding a crowd.

It is a good one to remember when you need a dessert that serves a whole table without much last minute work.

Ingredients

Cake

• 1 box Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
• The oil, eggs, and water listed on the box

Marshmallow Filling

• 2 cups marshmallow fluff
• 2 tablespoons water

Chocolate Fudge Filling

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Topping

• 2 envelopes instant hot chocolate mix
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 to 3 cups mini marshmallows
• Hot fudge sauce, optional, for decoration

These amounts fill one 9 by 13 inch pan and make a cake that serves 12 to 15 people, which is why it works so well for a crowd.

Instructions

1. Bake the cake in a 9 by 13 inch dish according to the directions listed on the box.
2. When the cake is baked, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes about an inch apart. Do not poke all the way to the bottom, only about two thirds of the height.
3. Place 2 cups of marshmallow fluff in a microwave safe bowl and add 2 tablespoons of water. Microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Pour it from a jug, or place it in a zip top bag, cut off the corner, and pipe it into the holes. Spread the remainder over the top, then place the cake in the fridge.
4. Next, place the chocolate chips, the sweetened condensed milk, and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 20 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Spread it over the cake and chill until the chocolate is cooled completely.
5. Beat 2 cups of heavy whipping cream with the vanilla and the instant hot chocolate mix until stiff peaks form. Spread it over the chilled cake and garnish with mini marshmallows.
6. Drizzle with chocolate fudge sauce before serving, if desired.

A quick note on the timing between layers. Let the fudge set completely before the whipped cream goes on, otherwise the cream will slide around instead of sitting in a soft, fluffy layer on top.

Recipe details

Preparation takes about 30 minutes and baking takes about 35 minutes. The recipe makes one 9 by 13 inch cake and serves 12 to 15 people, and any leftovers are best kept in the refrigerator.

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Hot Chocolate Poke Cake Hot Chocolate Poke Cake is the dessert that makes a whole table go quiet for a moment. A soft chocolate cake gets poked full of little holes, and every hole is filled with marshmallow fluff.

• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12–15 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cake
1 box Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
ingredients listed on the box (oil, eggs, water)

Marshmallow Filling
2 cups marshmallow fluff
2 Tablespoons water

Chocolate Fudge Filling
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Topping
2 envelopes instant hot chocolate mix
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2–3 cups mini marshmallows
hot fudge sauce, for decoration

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Instructions

1-Bake the cake in a 9 x: Bake the cake in a 9 x 13-inch dish according to the directions listed on the box.
2-When the cake is baked, using the: When the cake is baked, using the handle of a wooden spoon poke the cake, making the holes about an inch apart. Do not poke it all the way to the bottom just about 2/3 of the height.
3-Place 2 cups of marshmallow fluff in: Place 2 cups of marshmallow fluff in a microwave-safe bowl and add 2 Tablespoons water. Microwave in a 20-second interval and stir until smooth. You can pour it from a jug or place it in a zip-lock bag, cut off the corner, and then pipe it into the holes. Spread the remaining on top. Place the cake in the fridge.
4-Next, place chocolate chips sweetened condensed milk,: Next, place chocolate chips sweetened condensed milk, and 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Spread over the cake and chill until the chocolate is cooled completely.
5-Beat 2 cups of heavy whipping cream: Beat 2 cups of heavy whipping cream with vanilla and instant hot chocolate mix until stiff peaks form. Spread over the chilled cake and garnish with mini marshmallows.
6-Drizzle with chocolate fudge sauce before serving,: Drizzle with chocolate fudge sauce before serving, if desired.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 35 min
• Method: bake