Red Velvet Poke Cake

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My red velvet poke cake is made with a moist and tender chocolate base topped with fluffy cream cheese frosting. This easy recipe is made with pantry staples and ready in just about 35 minutes!

Poke cakes are the unsung hero the baking world: moist, delicious, and so easy too. I've previously shared Boston Cream Poke Cake, pina colada poke cake, and Oreo Poke Cake. This easy red velvet poke cake is my new go to. It's made from scratch but still easy enough to bake that it comes out perfect every time. We love it for Valentine's Day and Christmas dessert too.

Why This Recipe Works: A Sprinkle of Food Science

• Super Moist For Days: Condensed milk seeps into the cake and prevents it from drying out.
• Butter Not Oil: Butter gives a richer flavor and creaming the butter and sugar makes the cake light and airy.
• Acid Base Chemistry: Vinegar (an acid) reacts with baking soda (a base) which releases CO₂ to help the cake rise.

Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips

• Flour: Measure correctly by spooning your flour into your measuring cup and then leveling with a knife. Avoid dipping your measuring cup into your flour as you'll overmeasure which leads to a dry dense cake.
• Butter: Make sure it is softened. I like to cut it into cubes 20-30 minutes in advance. In a rush? Heat water in a glass measuring cup. Dump our water and put the cup upside down on plate over top of the butter.
• Eggs: Use room temperature eggs to help everything come together smoothly? Forgot? No worries, you can place the eggs in a cup of warm not hot water for 5-10 minutes.
• Cocoa Powder: Use natural not Dutch processed cocoa powder. This will react with the baking soda. It also gives a brighter red color.
• Buttermilk: You can also use whole milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
• Vinegar: Don't leave this out! You won't taste it but its necessary for the cake to rise and have the correct texture.
• Cream Cheese: Soften by cutting into cubs and leaving at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Short on time? You can also place it in a cup of warm water inside the foil wrapper or 5-10 minutes.

Krystle's Tips: Steal My Culinary School Secrets

1. Cream Butter and Sugar: Mix for a few minutes until it is light and fluffy like you're making cookies. This will give a light, airy cake.
2. Don't Overmix: This can overdevelop the gluten and lead to a tough cake.
3. Poke Carefully With the Back of a Wooden Spoon: Aim for around every 1 inch or so. If they're too close together the cake will lose its structure, but we want it to be close enough together that you can some filling in every bite.
4. Poke When Warm not Hot: Allow to cool for around 5 minutes. If the cake is too cool it won't absorb the filling, but it its piping hot it tends to be crumbly.
5. Don't Overbake: A toothpick with just a few moist crumbs=done. If you wait until the toothpick comes out clean the cake will be overdone and dry.

More Cakes To Try

Pecan Pie Cake

Chocolate Sour Cream Bundt Cake With Ganache

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Dr Pepper Cake

Chocolate Poke Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

Butterfinger Poke Cake

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📖 Recipe

Easy Red Velvet Poke Cake

Melt in your mouth chocolate cake topped with a rich cream cheese frosting. The easiest and prettiest cake for your Valentine!

5 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cake

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 15 Slices

Calories: 374kcal

Author: Krystle Smith

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Ingredients

For the Red Velvet Poke Cake

• ▢ 8 Tablespoon Butter Softened
• ▢ ½ Cup White Sugar
• ▢ ¼ Cup Red Food Coloring
• ▢ 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 2 Eggs
• ▢ 2 ¼ Cup All purpose Flour
• ▢ 5 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder I used Hersheys
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ 1 Cup Buttermilk
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• ▢ 1 Can 12 Ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ▢ Sprinkles and Mini Chocolate Chips If Desired

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
• ▢ ½ Cup Butter Softened
• ▢ 8 Ounces Cream Cheese Softened
• ▢ ¼ Teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Whole Milk

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Instructions

For the Red Velvet Poke Cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and dust a 9x13 inch pan with flour.
• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, vanilla extract, vinegar,,red food coloring, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.
• Alternate adding buttermilk and flour a little at a time until just combined. Do not over mix.
• Evenly spread batter into prepared ban. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Immediately, poke holes all over top of cake using the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour sweetened condensed milk over cake. Cool completely.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Stir in salt and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar a little at a time. Alternate with milk as needed until you reach your desired consistency.
• Spread over cake. Top with sprinkles, and mini chocolate chips if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 637IU | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

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