This vegan poke cake starts with a tender cinnamon sheet cake filled with gooey channels of butterscotch pudding, then gets topped with luscious dairy-free cream cheese frosting. It’s a decadent dessert that’s perfect for birthdays, holidays, or anytime you feel like treating yourself!
If you lived through the 80s, you probably enjoyed a slice of poke cake at one point or another. It was a popular dessert back then, and the idea is simple: bake a boxed cake mix in a 9 x 13 inch pan, poke holes in it, then pour instant pudding or Jell-O over the top so it fills the holes, and finish it all off with frosting. Super easy and fun, in a very 80s processed-dessert kind of way.
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I decided it was time to make a vegan poke cake. Sometimes we get lucky and find that veganized versions of old favorites turn out to be much simpler than the originals. This isn't one of those occasions — we're making everything from scratch. But it's so worth it. This vegan poke cake is about a zillion times better than the kind you probably grew up eating!
This version starts with a cinnamon cake that's super moist and flavorful. I adapted it from my vegan spice cake, but toned down the spices a little because this cake also gets filled with my vegan butterscotch pudding and topped with vegan cream cheese frosting with a touch of cinnamon. It's kind of like a cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting. In cake form. Oh, and with pudding. Yes, it's worth it!
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Flour. I've only tested this recipe with all-purpose wheat flour, so I recommend sticking with that variety.
- Sugar. Lots of conventional granulated sugars are processed using animal bone char, so use organic sugar, which is processed differently, without animal products.
- Cornstarch.
- Spices. You'll need a little nutmeg and lots of cinnamon.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Salt.
- Non-dairy milk. Use any unflavored and unsweetened variety that you might drink, such as almond milk, cashew milk, or oat milk. Read my guide to dairy-free milk if you need help choosing.
- Vegetable oil. Any neutral baking oil will work — corn oil, avocado oil, and canola oil are just a few.
- Brown sugar. Make sure this is also organic.
- Maple syrup.
- Vanilla extract.
- Apple cider vinegar. Need an alternative? Check out my guide to apple cider vinegar substitutes for baking.
- Water.
- Coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk from a can for the richest, creamiest pudding possible.
- Vegan butter. Look for this in the refrigerator case at the store, near the regular butter.
- Whiskey. Totally optional! But it does add some rich, authentic butterscotch flavor.
- Coloring. You can add a yellow tint to your pudding with some yellow food coloring or turmeric, but this is completely optional!
- Vegan cream cheese. I recommend sticking with Tofutti brand here. It generally gives me the best and most consistent results.
- Lemon juice. Optional, but it will enhance the flavor of your frosting.
- Powdered sugar. Just like with the other sugars, make sure this is organic.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Steps 1 & 2: Prepare. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and greasing the inside of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Step 3: Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together your flour, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: Combine wet ingredients. In a separate container, stir together the milk, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar.
Step 5: Mix the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, then stir until the ingredients are combined and form a batter. It doesn't need to get perfectly smooth.
Steps 6 & 7: Pour and bake. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan, then pop it into the oven for about 24 to 26 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean when it's done.
Step 8: Cool. Let the cake cool completely on a cooling rack.
Steps 9 & 10: Begin the pudding. First, stir some cornstarch and chilled non-dairy milk together in a small container. Next, whisk together the brown sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer, reduce the heat, and let it cook for about 5 minutes. No stirring!
Steps 11 & 12: Finish the pudding. Now, whisk in the coconut milk, then the cornstarch mixture. Bring the pudding back to a simmer and let it cook until it thickens. Remove the pot from heat, then add the vegan butter, whiskey (if using), vanilla, and coloring (if using).
Step 13: Cool. Give the pudding an occasional whisk to prevent a skin from forming as it cools. You want to get it to a slightly warm temperature. It'll thicken too much if you let it cool completely.
Step 14: Poke. Use a utensil with a thick handle, like a wooden spoon, to poke holes in your cake. Space them about an inch or slightly further. We've got lots of pudding, so you'll want lots of holes!
Step 15: Add pudding. Pour the pudding over your cake, then spread it out, making sure to get it in all those holes. You'll end up with a thin layer on top. Chill the cake for 2 hours to set the pudding.
Steps 16 & 17: Make the frosting. Start by beating cold vegan cream cheese with room-temperature vegan butter. Add the lemon juice (if using), vanilla, and cinnamon, then begin beating in the powdered sugar, adding a bit at a time until the frosting is thick and creamy.
Steps 18 & 19: Frost and serve. Slather the frosting over your cake, being gentle not to disturb the top layer of pudding. Pop the cake into the fridge or serve it right away — just slice and enjoy!
Variations
- Shortcuts. Feel free to replace any portion of this recipe — cake, pudding, or frosting — with a store-bought version. If you replace the pudding, make sure it's about as thick as that classic instant Jell-O pudding.
- Turn up the spices. Add warming spices to the cake batter, such as ginger, cloves, cardamom, and allspice.
- Frosting swaps. Not into cream cheese frosting? Try this recipe with my vegan chocolate frosting or vegan buttercream frosting.
- Stir-ins. Keeping in mind that this cake already has a lot going on, you're welcome to add stir-ins to the batter, such as vegan chocolate chips or nuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven't tried, so I can't say for sure. If you'd like to take a crack at it, try using an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, and be sure to let me know how it turns out!
Absolutely! Just skip the whiskey. No need to replace it with anything.
I don't recommend it. A 9 x 13 inch pan is really the only type that will give you a nice big flat cake that will take up lots of pudding.
Store your vegan poke cake in the original baking pan, covered tightly in plastic. It will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
More Spiced Vegan Cake Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Butterscotch Cinnamon Poke Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the Pudding
- 1 ½ cups unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk, chilled
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ⅔ cup organic brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons whiskey, optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Yellow food color or turmeric, optional
For the Frosting
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese (Tofutti brand works best), chilled
- ½ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional
- Pinch salt
- 4 ¼ cups organic powdered sugar, plus more as needed (up to 5 ½ cups)
Instructions
- To make the cake, first preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Grease the inside of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir the milk, oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and apple cider vinegar together in a small container or bowl.
- Add the milk mixture to the bowl containing the flour mixture. Stir until the mixtures are combined and a relatively smooth batter is formed. It doesn't need to be perfect — a few lumps are fine.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish.
- Bake the cake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a cooling rack and let it cool in the pan.
- Make the pudding while the cake cools. Whisk the non-dairy milk and cornstarch together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set the mixture aside.
- Whisk the brown sugar, salt, and water together in a medium saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Lower the heat if needed and let it simmer, uncovered and without stirring, for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the coconut milk, followed by the cornstarch mixture. Bring everything back up to a simmer and let it cook, whisking frequently, for a minute or two, until it thickens up.
- Remove the pot from heat and whisk in the butter, whiskey, vanilla, and food coloring or turmeric, if using.
- Let the pudding cool until just a bit warm. The pudding will thicken as it cools, and you want it to remain slightly on the runny side when you add it to the cake. You can speed up cooling by placing the pot in a cold water bath, if desired. Give it an occasional whisk or stir to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.
- Use a large mixing spoon to poke holes in the cake, spacing them about 1 to 1 ½ inches apart. This recipe includes a lot of pudding, so you want plenty of holes.
- Pour the pudding over the cake, spreading it out evenly so it fills the holes. You'll end up with some extra pudding on top of the cake. Spread it out into an even layer. Chill the cake until the pudding feels set, at least 2 hours.
- To make the frosting, first use an electric mixer on high speed to beat the cream cheese and vegan butter together in a large mixing bowl, until creamy. Beat in the cinnamon, vanilla, lemon juice (if using), and salt.
- Begin beating in the powdered sugar at low speed, adding about 1 cup at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Spread the frosting over the cake. The pudding layer on top should be set enough that you can do this without it combining with the frosting, as long as you are gentle.
- Cover and chill the cake until ready to serve, then slice and enjoy.
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