Red Velvet Poke Cake
Red velvet cake is infused with sweetened condensed milk and topped with the best cream cheese frosting. A must for Valentine’s Day!
Poke cakes have been around for a long, long time. I remember getting recipes for different versions through email “recipe exchanges” back in the early 2000’s. That’s when they popped onto my radar, and I have a feeling that they had been floating around for decades before that.
This cake was my first go at a completely from-scratch poke cake. I have a deep love for better than sex cake, which features the combination of chocolate cake, caramel topping, Cool Whip, and Heath bits that has been popular for ages, but in anticipation of Valentine’s Day in 2013, I wanted to go all-in on homemade cake. This red velvet poke cake is based on my red velvet cupcake recipe, is infused with sweetened condensed milk (ahh, shades of tres leches cake!) and topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting.
I doubled the recipe for my red velvet cupcakes and baked it in a 9×13-inch pan. Once it came out of the oven, I poked holes all over the top using a metal skewer and poured a can of sweetened condensed milk over top. The idea is to let the sweetened condensed milk slowly seep into the cake, giving it a boost of flavor and keeping it incredibly moist. You can’t have red velvet without cream cheese frosting, so once the cake cooled completely, I slathered cream cheese frosting over the top and showered it with some pretty pink, red and white sprinkles.
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This is the red velvet cake of dreams. I made it again a couple of weeks ago for Sunday dinner dessert and everyone loved it. Those dinners are a great way for me to gauge how good a recipe is – our family is made up of quite a varying array of tastes and preferences, so if I serve something that EVERYONE goes nuts over, then I know it’s a for-sure winner.
Watch How to Make Red Velvet Poke Cake (video):
What’s YOUR favorite poke cake recipe? There are still a million I want to try!
One year ago: King Bundt Cake
Five years ago: Red Velvet Cheesecake
Red Velvet Poke Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- 2¼ cups (281.25 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 14 ounce (396.89 ml) can sweetened condensed milk
For the Frosting:
- 1 cup (236.59 g) salted butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3½ cups (420 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- On medium-high speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to high and add the eggs. Scrape down the bowl and beat until well incorporated.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, vanilla extract and red food coloring to make a thick paste. Add to the batter and mix on medium speed until completely combined. You may need to stop the mixer to scrape the bottom of the bowl, making sure that all the batter gets color.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add half of the buttermilk. Add half of the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl and repeat the process with the remaining milk and flour. Beat on high until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Again, reduce the mixer speed to low and add the salt, baking soda and vinegar. Turn to high and beat for another 2 minutes until completely combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, smoothing the top into an even layer with a spatula. Bake until a thin knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and immediately poke holes all over the top of the cake. You can use the end of a wooden spoon, a skewer, the tines of a fork, etc. Slowly pour the can of condensed milk all over the top of the cake, making sure to drizzle it evenly all over the top. If it pools along the edges, use a spoon to scoop it up and redistribute it on top. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting and decorating.
- Make the Frosting: Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the butter and cream cheese on high speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the bowl down as necessary. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar until all is incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Increase the speed to medium high and whip for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Spread the frosting evenly over the top of the cake and decorate as desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
It seems no one makes a good red velvet without the red dye, even bakeries don’t know how to do this anymore… It’s a lost art…. And the only thing you really did different is the cocoa. With Dutch cocoa, buttermilk and vinegar, it turns red all by itself. And it usually has a cooked icing which is wonderful, but few ever use it.
I have
1. never made a poke cake
and
2. never made a red velvet cake though I have sampled many a slice :-)
I made this recipe last night to bring into work and it has been a massive hit!
I had to cut into it at home this morning as my two little girls were begging to try it (the sprinkles did it for them!) and they loved it! My 6 year old kept raving about the cake more than the frosting which is a rarity!
It baked in the recommended 25 minutes but I must confess that I’m not sure about the texture though the cake looks just like your picture. It’s a bit dense (but not solid) and kinda fudgy but definitely moist. Is this what the resulting texture should be? Not a typical cake really?
Hi Natasha, Thanks so much for the review, I’m thrilled to hear everyone loved it! Yes, that’s the correct texture, the liquid soaks in and gives it a fudgy type of texture.
red velvet it to me, the best cake flavor, so was love that part already, but also must admit my complete ignorance of any/all “poking” relating to baking, so am very pleased to have you include this technique for infusing even more flavor into the cake, thank you for this recipe!
The cake came out beautifully! I just used a tablespoon of food coloring and the rest water. I don’t know why some people had issues with baking…mine was perfectly baked at 25 minutes! Perhaps because I used a scale instead of volumetric measurements? I cut half the butter out of the frosting because I prefer a more cheesy Cream Cheese frosting and then cut back on the sugar as well. It obviously made less frosting than the recipe, but that was PLENTY for this cake. I definitely think the amount of vanilla was a typo. I added about 1 1/2 teaspoons and that was the perfect amount (probably about 2 t if I made the full frosting recipe).
I did the same. Only one stick of butter. I cut the vanilla back to 1T and that was plenty.
Made this for Valentine’s day yesterday. WOWZA! It is fantastic. And easy! I halved the recipe because I didn’t think we needed that much, but we do. Oh, yes we do!
Made this cake last night. The family and I were not impressed. It took almost 45min for the center of the cake to be cooked which caused the edges of the cake to be over baked and too dry. This was my first recipe that required the salt, baking soda, and vinegar to be added at the end. I think all the extra mixing resulted in a tougher cake. I will try adding all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients the next time for a moister and finer textured cake.
Made this red velvet cake as a Valentine’s Day treat. Big hit with both my family and my coworkers. Super easy/simple to make but seems decadent. Absolutely recommended for one of those occasions when you don’t want to fuss too much but want it to seem like you went to some special effort.
Just made this today; followed the recipe exactly. Mine also took a little longer to bake approx. 40 minutes. I don’t know if it is the condensed milk, but the cake is extremely dense and heavy. I did not put quite as many holes in it as you did. Icing is a little too sweet for our taste, will cut back on the sugar and vanilla the next time.
Try an original red velvet cooked icing instead of what we use currently. The cooked icing is wonderful and not as sweet but very complimentary to the red velvet. You can also skip the dye by using the ingredients to naturally make it red. :)
Yes! I actually prefer that icing on my red velvet.
Just made this last night. It is so moist and delicious – oh my! I used just one bottle of the Wiltons Red Food Coloring and it looks perfect. My cake took around 40 minutes to bake all the way through. Can’t wait to serve this to the kids tomorrow!!
I made this recipe yesterday for an early Valentine’s Day dinner. Made it with my 5 and 7 year old boys and our 10- year old neighbor. We had a ball making it and it was absolutely delicious – so moist!! A perfect Valentine’s Day cake!
I made this recipe a few days ago and everyone loved it! I used 3 heart-shaped pans (instead of a 9×13) and halfed the recipe and it turned out great. I’ve made the typical chocolate poke cake with whipped cream topping, but this one is so much better (must be the cream cheese frosting). Will definitely make again.
I will be making the red velvet poke cake for Valentines Day and will be mixing cream cheese with the condensed milk for the filling. Can this be frozen for a day or two prior to frosting or will it become mushy? Thank you
Hi Barbara, You don’t need to freeze the cake. I would recommend making it one day in advance, and you can just refrigerate.
I’ve never made a poke cake before. They look so good!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/
Is there a natural substitute for Red Food coloring? Thank you for the amazing recipes.
Sorry just read through the comments, some of them, and it was suggested to use beet root juice.
Just use the ingredients that naturally make it red. Dutch cocoa, buttermilk and vinegar. It’s not a deep red but it is red compared to regular chocolate cake…
Looks perfect. :) adding to the menu
Totally LOVED the cake. Just out of the oven. Super soft and extremely tasty. I pressure cooked 1 beetroot and ground it to a paste and used that instead of the red food coloring. So delicious even without the frosting. I made one portion of the batter into cupcakes and the other portion is a regular cake (added the sweetened condensed milk just now). Don’t have an electric beater and so I beat the butter/sugar and then the eggs all by hand. Totally worth the effort!!
Hi Resham, made this cake for Woman’s Day and the family was raving about it. Unfortunately I didnt had time to make the frosting and used a bought one… just as good. Was absolutely delicious!! This one is a keeper!! thank you!
also what are the specifications for baking in a microwave?
I have never baked a cake in the microwave and a 9×13-inch pan would not fit in most microwaves. The microwave wouldn’t really BAKE it as it would steam it, so I really wouldn’t recommend.
Ok thank you !
what can i use in place of the egg for the cake? and do cheese spreads give the same consistency and taste for the frosting ? i couldnt find cheese cream here..
Hi Resham, Some folks use applesauce as an egg substitute, but I’ve never used one in this cake, so I couldn’t say for sure. Are you talking about a cream cheese spread? It will have a similar flavor, but it’s softer, so you may need more powdered sugar to get the correct consistency.
Your ingredients are totally wrong. Especially the frosting. Half of the amount is more than enough
Hi Raku, This amount of batter for a 9×13-inch pan is pretty standard – nothing dramatically different. As for the frosting – I find that’s always a matter of personal preference, some people like more and some people like less.
Thanks for the reply. I have replaced the colouring by water and bicarbonate soda. The taste was there but the cake is not fluffy but it’s more like a chocolate. Hehehe. I got no idea what went wrong. Kindly advise. Is it maybe because of oven. Waiting for your reply thank you ;-)
Hi Raku, Not sure what the result/problem was, but if you added more liquid and baking soda that could have absolutely caused an issue with rising and it not being fluffy.
I made this for Valentine’s day today and it was absolutely amazing! Your dessert recipes have never failed me and now I have another great one to add to my recipe book. Thank you!
I tried the frosting and it turned out with a really weird texture. It was runny and never set up and had an interesting taste. I will probably try a different cream cheese frosting next time.
After cake is done and iced. Is it best to be refrigerated before serving? Or left out at room temperature?
Thanks
Hi Colleen, You can leave it at room temperature if you are serving it the same day; for longer term storage, I would refrigerate.
Can you freeze this Cake.
love red velvet cake.yours looks sooo good .Thanks.Betty
Hi Betty, I haven’t tried to do so, but I think that it would freeze just fine.
You said we need to add 1 TBS of vinegar to the recipe. Is there an alternative? Do we have to add vinegar when we already have added buttermilk?
And if I add lemon juice to my buttermilk as I don’t have vinegar what can I substitute the 1 TBS vinegar with?
Hi Anushree, Yes, you still need to add the vinegar along with the buttermilk. I haven’t subbed the vinegar, but you could try lemon juice. I don’t know how it might affect the cake (if at all).
is the recipe all ready doubled or is this the cupcake recipe that needs to be doubled
Hi Nolemama, This recipe posted above is the recipe you need for this cake (it has already been doubled).
The recipe has issues. The extract amount is excessive. I would not use more than 1 tsp. That much extract makes the frosting a yucky color. Next time I will use clear vanilla instead. I tweak cake mixes by subbing water with milk and oil for melted butter, adding an extra egg and 1 tsp vanilla.
I think that the recipe should call for clear vanilla extract. The typical kind makes the frosting a ugly grayish white color
I noticed you said you doubled your cupcake recipe but the amount of sugar doesn’t add up. Was that a typo or intentional? I am making red velvet for the 1st time at the request of my 6 year old birthday girl. Love your recipes!!
Hi Lisa, The amount of sugar in the cake recipe is correct. You are right that the frosting doesn’t include a full duplication of the powdered sugar; that’s because I wasn’t piping the frosting and didn’t need it to be super stiff. Hope that helps and happy birthday to your little girl!
I made this cake last night to take to work. It really makes a lot of frosting. I didn’t make the cake from scratch but doctored a box of red velvet and added the milk once it was baked. I used the frosting recipe which was very good a nd so was the cake. I kept in the fridge all day until I served it and when I went to cut the cake it was very dense and hard because it was cold. It wasn’t as moist as it looks in the picture but I noticed once I left it out for an hour and came to room temperature the texture was better and tasted better. Could I leave it out the cake out or do I have to refrigerate it the whole time? I think it makes a difference when serving this cake if it has been refrigerated.
Hi Juanita, You can leave it out of the refrigerator until you serve it, but if you’ll be storing it for a number of days, then you should refrigerate it. You could take it out an hour or so before serving to bring it to room temperature.
I took it out and left it on the counter to get to room temperature the next day and it was still hard when I cut into it. I had to throw away the rest of it and no one at my office really liked it or finished their piece. I would not make this again. I think it was the can of sweetened condensed milk that made it this way. Next time I will leave it out.