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Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

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This easy Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake topped with a fluffy cheesecake mousse, graham cracker crumbs, and fresh strawberries will make you the star of every summer picnic. 

A blue plate with a square of strawberry cheesecake poke cake with a strawberry on top

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By now you know that I am slightly obsessed with poke cakes.  It all started with this Chocolate Coconut Cake years ago, and I haven’t been able to stop making them. Or eating them…

There is just something about the chilled cake drizzled with milk and topped with a fluffy mousse frosting that gets me every single time.

If you love tres leches cake, you will adore a poke cake. They have the same gooey consistency.

Overhead picture of two plates with strawberry cheesecake poke cake on them

Every time I post a poke cake recipe, I get emails and comments asking what exactly is a poke cake.

What is a Poke Cake?

It’s exactly like it sounds. You bake the cake and then poke the heck out of it with a fork or the end of a wooden spoon.   Nothing complicated about it at all.  

After you have a cake full of holes, you drizzle it with sweetened condensed milk and top it with Cool Whip.  Easy peasy right?

Other things to pour on poke cakes:

  • Jell-O
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Pudding
  • Cream of Coconut
  • Frosting
  • Peanut Butter
  • Pureed fruit

Basically any liquid that you can pour and that will soak into the warm cake is fair game.

Four pictures showing how to make a strawberry cheesecake poke cake

If you want to get a little bit crazy with the cake, you can add extra ingredients to the sweetened condensed milk or the Cool Whip topping.  

This strawberry poke cake gets an extra shot of strawberry from the strawberry ice cream topping.  

Adding pudding and cream cheese to the container of Cool Whip takes it over the top.  It is seriously so delicious!

A blue plate with a piece of strawberry cheesecake poke cake on it and more cake behind it

How to make a Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake:

  1. Bake a strawberry cake mix according to the box directions. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. (printable recipe card at bottom)
  2. Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
  3. Slowly drizzle a can of sweetened condensed milk over the top. Let it soak in.
  4. Pour a jar of strawberry ice cream topping on top of the cake. Use a spatula to smooth it out and press it into the holes. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
  5. Beat cream cheese until creamy. Whisk together milk and instant cheesecake pudding mix; let set. Beat into the cream cheese.
  6. Fold in Cool Whip and spread over the top of the chilled cake.
  7. Right before serving sprinkle with graham cracker chunks and top with strawberry slices.

My oldest son loves to judge and rate my desserts.  He inhaled a piece of this strawberry cake in record time and declared it the best poke cake yet.  I would have to agree with him too.  

So, take our word for it and make one for your family this week.  I think they will love it just as much as we did.

A blue plate with a piece of strawberry cheesecake poke cake and a fork on it

Other poke cake recipes you may like:

A piece of strawberry cheesecake poke cake on a blue plate with more cake behind it

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Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

Yield: 24 pieces of cake
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 28 minutes
Total Time: 53 minutes

This easy Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake topped with a fluffy cheesecake mousse, graham cracker crumbs, and fresh strawberries will make you the star of every summer picnic. 

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 1 strawberry cake mix
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (11.75 ounce) jar strawberry ice cream topping

For the Topping

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 (3.3 ounce) box instant cheesecake pudding
  • 1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed
  • 1/2 cup graham cracker chunks
  • fresh strawberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Mix the strawberry cake according to the back of the package. Bake for about 28 minutes.
  3. Cool for 3-4 minutes and then poke the top of the cake with a large fork, creating a grid of holes over the entire top.
  4. Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the cake. Let the milk soak in. Pour the strawberry ice cream topping over the top of the cake.
  5. Use a spatula to move the mixture back and forth so it seeps into the holes made from the fork. Refrigerate until chilled.
  6. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese creamy. Whisk together the pudding mix and milk. Add to the cream cheese and beat again.
  7. Fold in Cool Whip gently using a spatula to turn the mixture over and over until incorporated. Spread over the top of the cooled cake.
  8. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Top with graham cracker chunks and sliced strawberries right before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 76Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Jocelyn @ Inside BruCrew Life
Cuisine: American / Category: Cakes & Cupcakes

Two pictures of strawberry cheesecake poke cake collaged together with a blue text box

*The post for Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake was first published on July 2, 2013. The photos and post were updated and republished July 20, 2020.

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Comments

  1. Gee says

    I would like to know what size cake mix, as I am not a baker. (Strawberry Cheesecake Poke Cake). I look forward to your response. \
    Thanks….
    Gee

    Reply

    • Jocelyn says

      I usually buy the Pillsbury cake mixes. They usually run about 15.25 ounces. But honestly, with a poke cake it doesn’t matter because you are just baking it by following the box direction, then adding the toppings.

      Reply

  3. Phyllis says

    I like poke cakes and this looks really good so I am going to make for this 4th. I use a chopstick to poke my holes because it is not as big as handle of wooden spoon and is bigger than fork.

    Reply

    • Jocelyn Brubaker says

      Sorry about that…I fixed the recipe to show the size. You will want to use the 3.3 ounce box. It is the small box of pudding that makes 4 servings. I hope you enjoy the cake!

      Reply

    • Jocelyn Brubaker says

      They would definitely work as cupcakes. The only thing I would suggest is using foil cupcake liners so the sweetened condensed milk doesn’t soak through. I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply

  9. Sarah says

    OK, what did I do wrong: I only got about half the condensed milk mixture to seep into the cake….? :/ Is there any way I can get the other half to absorb at this point?

    Reply

    • Jocelyn Brubaker says

      This particular one won’t absorb all the way because the strawberry topping makes it thicker. It will still be absolutely delicious though. I let it sit overnight before adding the Cool Whip topping. Can you do that? Also, bigger holes seems to help with this one…you can use the end of a wooden spoon next time.

      Reply

      • Sarah says

        So it’s ok to put the cool whip on top of a layer of the condensed milk mix? Whew! :o) I poked about a million holes with a fork because I don’t have a wooden spoon, but I guess I shall pick one up for future poke cakes :o)

        Thanks for the response!

        Reply

        • Jocelyn Brubaker says

          How long did you let the cake sit with the condensed milk? It will thicken and soak in more if you have time. Mine did have a little layer of milk even after sitting in the refrigerator all night.

          Reply

          • Sarah says

            It’s sat for about an hour with half the mixture on it…and I just added the rest about twenty minutes ago after poking more holes with a fork.

          • Jocelyn Brubaker says

            I poured all of it on slowly after it came out of the oven, then I let it cool completely before putting it in my fridge overnight. I added the Cool Whip topping the next morning. You could use a straw to make bigger holes for the mixture to get down into the cake if you want. I used a fork too though.

          • Sarah says

            Poked more holes with a straw this morning, after letting it sit all night, and more was able to seep in, I think. It sure does look delicious so I’m sure it’ll be a hit today! :o)

  16. Nancy says

    Beautiful and absolutely delicious-looking! Do you remember the lemon poke cake you used to eat growing up?

    Reply

  19. Mary. says

    This the prettiest of poke cakes, to take to a picnic! Sine it’s “national ice cream month” can you, or dorothy (crazy for crust) or whoever, re-post those “26 ice cream recipes” again?

    Reply

  21. Holly says

    Great minds think alike!! Joce, I JUST made us a Strawberry cake on Sunday for our anniversary! Posting it tomorrow! lol Yours looks SO GOOD!!

    Reply

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