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This Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake is loaded with flavor and very easy to make. It’s the perfect dessert for any fall gathering!
I absolutely love baking, and I think I mentioned before that I love to serve several desserts at holiday gatherings. They’re all a little different, but the one thing they have in common is that they’re not complicated at all.
I’ve been making poke cakes for a long time, and not only are they super easy, but they’re also incredibly delicious. And, the flavor combinations are practically endless. But we’re focusing on Thanksgiving here, and this one’s all about that incredible pumpkin spice flavor.
Since this is the start of the holiday baking season, I headed to Walmart to begin stocking up on baking essentials. I know from experience that these begin to fly off the shelves the closer it gets to Thanksgiving.
I was able to find everything I needed in the baking aisle, and I loaded up the cart with several of my favorite products from NESTLE®.
I bought a few cans of LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin, 15 oz, just because I use it a lot, in everything from smoothies to muffins and of course, desserts! And since it’s loaded with antioxidants, fiber and Vitamin A, I don’t feel too guilty whenever I nibble on treats made with pumpkin.
I also purchased NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk, 15 oz, to add some extra creaminess to the cake and a couple of bags of NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Morsels, as well. These little guys are only around in the fall, and they definitely go fast, so if you’re planning on using them in your Thanksgiving desserts, you may want to grab a few bags now.
Usually, I use a cake mix whenever I make poke cakes, but I’ve found that sometimes the yellow mixes don’t hold the filling as well as cakes from scratch do. So I went with my go-to recipe for a yellow cake, except this time I added pumpkin, and I used the evaporated milk in place of regular milk.
When the cake was cool, I used a straw to poke holes all over the cake.
The cake only has a half cup of pumpkin in it, so the flavor is subtle. I wanted the filling to add the pumpkin spice flavor, so I melted the morsels with about a cup of the evaporated milk and some brown sugar.
This, my friends, makes a pumpkin spice syrup that’s creamy, smooth and tastes incredible!
I poured the syrup all over the cake and then put it into the refrigerator for an hour or so to set.
I used whipped topping to frost the cake, but you could make your own whipped cream if you wanted.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake
Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup NESTLE® CARNATION® Carnation Evaporated Milk
- ½ cup LIBBY'S 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-natural applesauce
- 1 cup NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
- 1 bag NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Pumpkin Spice Morsels
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- Add the pumpkin, applesauce, vanilla, eggs, evaporated milk, and mix until batter is smooth.
- Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch baking pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool, and then use a straw or tip of wooden spoon handle to poke holes evenly over the cake.
- In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 cup of evaporated milk, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and the morsels on low heat, stirring frequently until the morsels are melted and mixture is thick.
- Pour syrup over the cake and into the holes until completely saturated. Use any leftover syrup as a garnish when serving.
- Refrigerate cake until ready to serve, and frost with whipped cream or whipped topping.
- Garnish with additional morsels and fall sprinkles.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family absolutely loved this Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake. Even the ones who aren’t that crazy about pumpkin said it had just the right amount of flavor, so I can’t wait to serve this on Thanksgiving!
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This may sound crazy, but your cake actually looks very light and refreshing to me. Like the perfect dessert after a heavy Thanksgiving meal. Crazy, right?
I am honestly not normally a fan of pumpkin flavored things but these pictures just make me want to try it. It looks delicious! I may have to make it and test it out! I will definitely be pinning and sending it to my sister though because she is a pumpkin fiend. She even makes her own puree.
Oh my! This sounds delicious. Adding it to my Thanksgiving menu. Pinning.
What a fun seasonal dessert!
Thanks for the sweet compliment and for the invite!
Thanks so much, Fabby. Same to you! 🙂
Delish! Thanks for the recipe pretty girl.
See you when I get back in December.
Happy Thanksgiving.
FABBY
This is so neat! Thanks for sharing it! Please feel free to hop on over and check out my site, I have a link-up going on right now and would love to have you join! 🙂
They are so good! Seriously, you need to go grab a few packages! 🙂
Oh this is a divine inspiration – it looks awesome! I have never even heard of those pumpkin spice morsels, I am so excited to try this! Thank you ever so much, Dee for yet another awesome recipe.
Hugs!