Chocolate Mint Poke Cake begins with a chocolate cake mix base that’s baked and filled with melted chocolate, covered with creamy pudding, and finished with a peppermint-flavored, fluffy whipped topping and mint chopped candies.
Andes Mint Chocolate Poke Cake
Our Chocolate Mint Poke Cake recipe uses a simple cake mix shortcut plus a packet of instant pudding to make this cake so easy to prepare.
A soft chocolate sheet cake is baked from a box, poked and infused with pockets of melted chocolate, covered with pudding, topped with a fluffy mint-flavored whipped cream, and sprinkled with mint chocolate candy.
Use a wooden spoon handle (I won’t tell if you use your pointer finger!) to poke holes into the baked cake, then fill them with liquid, and cover it all with layers of pudding and Cool Whip – now you’ve created the ultimate Andes mint chocolate fudge cake that’s tastes like your favorite mint cookies and cream flavored treat.
What Is A Poke Cake?
A poke cake is a freshly baked cake, either from a box or from scratch, poked with holes and filled with a liquid or creamy filling to infuse flavor. Popular fillings include condensed milk, pureed fruit or preserves, pudding, chocolate cream, caramel or chocolate sauce, or jello.
Why We Love Andes Mint Chocolate Mint Cake Recipes
- Quick and easy to make with shortcut steps.
- Uses a handful of simple ingredients.
- The chocolate cake is moist and light, with the fresh flavor of peppermint in the pudding covering and whipped cream frosting.
- Each poked piece has the best chocolate and mint flavors in every forkful.
- Delicious dessert can be customized with your favorite cake mix and filling flavors.
- Perfect for Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, holiday parties, potlucks, or when you crave a mint chocolate combination.
Chocolate Mint Poke Cake Ingredients
- Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix: I used Duncan Hines, but you can use your favorite brand.
- Water
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Hershey’s milk chocolate bars
- Whole milk
- Instant chocolate pudding mix: I used Great Value, you can use your favorite brand.
- Whipped topping or Cool Whip
- Green gel food coloring: I used Sunny Side Up brand leaf green food coloring.
- Pure peppermint extract: You can use pure mint extract if you prefer.
- Mint chocolate candy: I used Andes Creme De Menthe Thins, but you can substitute finely chopped York Peppermint Patties or make my Copycat Andes Mints.
- Chocolate syrup (optional garnish)
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Choose Your Chocolate Cake : I used a box of Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, but you can also try a Devil’s Food cake mix, use your favorite chocolate cake mix, or bake your cake from scratch.
- Cover Your Cake: Sprinkle any kind of chopped mint chocolate candy or crushed cookies over the whipped topping layer. Peppermint Patties, Andes Mints, Thin Mint cookies, and mint-flavored Oreos all contain the classic chocolate mint combination.
How to Make Chocolate Mint Poke Cake
- Bake The Cake: Beat together the cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil and then pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-27 minutes.
- Poke The Holes: Poke holes in the cake, spaced 1 inch apart.
- Make The Chocolate Mixture: Microwave the sweetened condensed milk and Hershey bar pieces for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave for another 15 seconds. Stir until the chocolate mixture is smooth, then pour it into the holes in the top of the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.
Pro Tip: You may have to make 2-3 passes over the holes in the cake to fill the holes completely. The warm cake will soak up the chocolate mixture. - Prepare The Pudding: Mix together the milk and instant pudding mix until the pudding has thickened but is spreadable. Spread the pudding over the cake. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour or until the pudding is set.
- Tint The Topping: Add the green food color gel and the peppermint extract to the thawed whipped topping. Stir until no green streaks are visible. Spread the tinted whipped topping over the chocolate pudding layer.
- Slice And Serve: Sprinkle with chopped candy, cut 3 slices x 4 slices, cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Tips For Making The Best Chocolate Mint Poke Cake
- I used Duncan Hines brand Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix. I followed the directions on the box for mixing and baking. Using a different brand of cake mix may call for slightly different ingredients or proportions, so you need to follow the directions according to the box brand you are using.
- You will know your cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted comes away clean, and the top bounces back when gently tapped. Every oven cooks differently, so begin checking the cake at the 22 to 23-minute mark.
- When poking the holes into the warm cake, be sure that you poke many large holes all over the cake. You don’t necessarily want to poke all the way to the bottom of the cake, but you do want big, deep holes so that the melted chocolate mixture has plenty of areas to seep into the cake.
- To poke holes, I recommend using a large round wooden spoon handle or other similar-sized object so that the holes are fairly big and the chocolate has plenty of room to seep down in between.
- Refrigerating before serving allows the flavors to meld together and the pudding layer to set, making the cake easier to slice and serve.
How to Store Chocolate Mint Poke Cake
- To Store: This poke cake can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this cake as the pudding does not freeze and thaw well.
More Poke Cake Recipes
Other Easy Cake Recipes
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Chocolate Mint Poke Cake
Serves — 12
Chocolate Mint Poke Cake is perfect combination of moist cake, milk chocolate filling, creamy pudding, and whipped topping in every poked piece.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chill Time and Rest Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces (or 432-gram) box of Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix I used Duncan Hines, but you can substitute Devil’s Food cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 14 ounces (or 396-gram) can sweetened condensed milk
- 3.1 ounces (2 1.55-ounce -or- 43-gram) Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, broken into rectangular pieces
- 1¾ cups cold whole milk
- 3.9 ounces (or 111-gram) box of instant chocolate pudding mix I used Great Value, you can use your favorite brand
- 8 ounces (or 226-gram) container of whipped topping thawed
- 1-2 drops green gel food coloring I used Sunny Side Up brand leaf green
- ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- ¾ cup finely chopped mint chocolate candy I used Andes Creme De Menthe Thins, but you can substitute finely chopped York Peppermint Patties
- Chocolate syrup optional drizzle garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 (or 13×9) baking dish with bakers spray (Baker’s Joy or a generic version)
- Add the cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil to a medium-sized mixing bowl (2-3 quarts). Use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix the ingredients just until no dry cake mix lumps are visible. Evenly spread the cake batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25-27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes away clean. (Every oven cooks differently, so begin checking the cake at the 22 to 23-minute mark)15.25 ounces (or 432-gram) box of Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, 1 cup water, 3 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil
- Once the cake has come out of the oven, use the rounded end of a wooden spoon to poke holes almost to the bottom of the cake. Be sure to space the holes 1 inch apart.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and the broken Hershey bars to a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, on high power, stir and microwave for an additional 15 seconds. (Remember, the wattage of every microwave is different, so keep a close eye on the chocolate mixture.) Stir until the chocolate mixture is smooth.14 ounces (or 396-gram) can sweetened condensed milk, 3.1 ounces (2 1.55-ounce -or- 43-gram) Hershey’s milk chocolate bars, broken into rectangular pieces
- Use either a spoon, candy drizzling spoon, or small ladle to pour the melted chocolate mixture into the holes in the top of the cake. (You may have to make 2-3 passes over the holes in the cake to completely fill the holes. The warm cake will soak up the chocolate mixture) Allow the cake to cool completely.
- Once the cake has cooled, add the cold milk to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer on medium speed to mix in the instant pudding mix. Continue to mix for 1-1½ minutes or until the pudding has thickened but is spreadable.1¾ cups cold whole milk, 3.9 ounces (or 111-gram) box of instant chocolate pudding mix
- Use an offset spatula to spread the pudding over the cake. Allow the cake to chill in the refrigerator for about an hour or until the pudding is set.
- Add the thawed whipped topping to a small bowl (or you can leave the whipped topping in its own container). Add the green food color gel and the peppermint extract. Stir until the whipped topping is a uniform color and no green streaks are visible.8 ounces (or 226-gram) container of whipped topping, 1-2 drops green gel food coloring, ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- Use an offset spatula or a silicone spatula to evenly spread the tinted whipped topping over the chocolate pudding layer.
- Evenly sprinkle the chopped mint chocolate over the whipped topping layer. Cut 3 slices x 4 slices. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.¾ cup finely chopped mint chocolate candy
Jenn’s Notes
Storage:
- To Store: This poke cake can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this cake as the pudding does not freeze and thaw well.
- I used Duncan Hines brand Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix. I followed the directions on the box for mixing and baking. Using a different brand of cake mix may call for slightly different ingredients or proportions, so you just need to follow the directions according to the box brand you are using.
- You will know your cake is done baking when a toothpick inserted comes away clean and the top bounces back when gently tapped. Every oven cooks differently, so begin checking the cake at the 22 to 23-minute mark.
- When poking the holes into the warm cake, be sure that you poke many large holes all over the cake. You don’t necessarily want to poke all the way to the bottom of the cake, but you do want big, deep holes so that the melted chocolate mixture has plenty of areas to seep into the cake.
- To poke holes, I recommend using a large round wooden spoon handle or other similar-sized object so that the holes are fairly big and the chocolate has plenty of room to seep down in between.
- Refrigerating before serving allows the flavors to meld together and the pudding layer to set, making the cake easier to slice and serve.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 525kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 379mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 2mg
need recipe before I can leave a comment .
Hi Sue – Click on the link and scroll down to the recipe card, or click on “jump to recipe” at the top of the page. All of the ingredients and amounts are there as well as step-by-step instructions.