Better-Than-Anything Cake — Worthy of its name and one of the BEST cakes you will EVER eat!! Doesn’t get any better than chocolate, caramel, whipped topping, and candy in an easy, no-mixer cake!! A must-make!!
Classic Chocolate Poke Cake Recipe
I’m sure you’ve heard of this cake. It’s been around since the 1970’s and goes by another name. I’m refraining from the full name so the recipe doesn’t end up in spam folders or mis-categorized by Google.
It’s an amazing tasting cake, worthy of its alter-ego name, and one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had. The first three chocolate cakes in the Related Recipes below are my other top picks.
It’s so easy. I had the cake made, baked, and assembled in about 30 minutes.
This is an automatic hit kind of cake. I made it for a party and it was the star recipe of the evening and people kept coming by to ‘straighten the rows’ and take another nibble.
What’s in Better-Than-Anything Cake?
I kept the ingredients list for this chocolate poke cake recipe short and sweet (no pun intended!). Here’s what you’ll need:
- Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Caramel sundae topping
- Whipped topping
- Candy bars of choice (toffee bits are traditional, I used Twix and Crunch bars)
Can I Make the Cake Batter From Scratch?
Yes, of course! I used a boxed mix for this particular chocolate poke cake recipe but you can double this scratch recipe if you’re so inclined.
What Boxed Cake Mix Brand Do You Recommend?
Duncan Hines never steers me wrong, so that’s what I used to make this recipe.
How to Make Better-Than-Anything Cake
Start by making a chocolate cake and after the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes with the blunt end of a wooden spoon over the surface.
Those holes absorb a mixture of sweetened condensed milk and caramel sundae topping that’s poured over the cake before finishing it with whipped topping and diced Twix and Crunch candy bar pieces.
Because the sauce seeps into the holes, this is one of the moistest cakes you’ll ever eat.
The candy topping choices are where I deviated from the classic recipe because I couldn’t find the more traditional Heath Bar bits at my usual grocery store and thought Twix and Crunch Bars would work beautifully and they did.
The caramel in the Twix and the crispness of the shortbread coupled with the crunchiness of the Crunch is the perfect complement to the tender, luscious, soft cake. You could use M&M’s, peanut butter cups, sprinkles, or most any diced candy bar.
Tips for Making Better-Than-Anything Cake
You’ll need to make the cake according to the package directions (likely adding water, oil, and eggs). I recommend lining the baking dish with foil to make cleanup a breeze.
Note that this recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk. They’re two different products!
I recommend making this chocolate poke cake recipe a couple hours before you plan on serving it. It will last up to five days in the fridge but is best enjoyed within 48 hours.
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Better-Than-Anything Chocolate Cake
Worthy of its name and one of the BEST cakes you will EVER eat!! Doesn't get any better than chocolate, caramel, whipped topping, and candy in an easy, no-mixer cake!! A must-make!!
Ingredients
- one 15.25-ounce box devil’s food chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines but you can double this scratch cake recipe
- one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- one 12-ounce jar caramel sundae topping
- one 8-ounce container whipped topping, thawed (I used fat-free)
- about 1 cup Crunch candy bars, diced into small pieces
- about 1 cup Twix candy bars, diced into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Make cake according to package directions (likely adding 3 eggs, water, and oil) and bake as directed.
- While the cake bakes add the sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping to a medium bowl and stir to combine; set aside.
- Remove cake from the oven when it’s done (probably about 25 to 30 minutes) and using the blunt end of a wooden spoon, poke holes over the surface of the cake. I didn’t count but I estimate I poked about 60 holes, evenly spaced over the surface.
- Slowly pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel mixture over the holes, taking your time to evenly distribute it so that all the holes receive some.
- Place cake in the fridge for about 10 minutes to cool slightly before adding the whipped topping so it doesn’t melt.
- Remove cake from the fridge, evenly spread the whipped topping over the surface, and evenly sprinkle the Crunch and Twix bars.
- Cover cake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best) before slicing and serving.
Notes
Storage: Cake will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 382Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 170mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 40gProtein: 6g
More Easy Chocolate Cake Recipes:
The Best Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache – The best chocolate cake I’ve ever had and the easiest scratch cake to make! Nothing fussy or complicated and delivers amazing results every time!
The Best and The Easiest Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes — One bowl, no mixer, so easy! The warm, gooey, fudgy chocolate center is heavenly! Better than any restaurant versions!
Slow Cooker Hot Fudge Chocolate Cake — Super soft, gooey, rich, and fudgy!! The cake makes its own hot fudge sauce while cooking in the slow cooker! The easiest cake you’ll ever make and it tastes amazing!!
The BEST Triple Chocolate Cake — This is the chocolate layer cake to beat out all others. It’s rich, decadent, and everything you want in a triple chocolate cake!
Coca-Cola Cake — One can of Coke in the cake and another can of Coke in the frosting! Easy no-mixer cake that’s supremely moist! Tastes like a Texas sheet cake spiked with Coke!
Turtle Chocolate Poke Cake – The flavor of the famous candy in a decadent chocolate cake with tons of caramel and pecans! Easy, super soft and moist, and a crowd favorite!
S’mores Poke Cake – A supremely moist and decadent chocolate cake topped with graham crackers, marshmallows, and hot fudge! Campfire not required for this fun and easy twist on smores!
Wow awesome Chocolate Cake, Will try this :D bookmarking this page. Hope my mom will help me to make this :D heeheh Thanks Averie <3
As a man, and lover of chocolate cake, and an experienced cook, I recommend this. Don’t let the “triple layer” aspect intimidate you. You can always make cupcakes out of it, instead. Good luck, and have fun.
So glad you’re a big fan of this cake, too, Douglas!
This looks so yummy. I will be making this for labor weekend!!
Sounds amazing! Will definitely be making this for Mother’s Day. Just a heads up, but the print link for this recipe isn’t working – takes you to a random page rather than the recipe.
Thanks for letting me know. I am having my web designer take a look.
Seriously just give me the pan and a fork. I’d eat the whole thing!!
I gotta try this. I love any dessert with twix, thanks for sharing
I’ve obviously heard of this cake before but never actually knew what it was. I guess i just assumed it had a ton of chocolate in various forms or something.
I’ll have what she’s having. (said in the tone of the lady at the table over in When Harry Met Sally)
It’s early so I was a little slow to catch on….and I completely forgot that heath bits are the usual topping. This looks fabulous though– a fun way to give an “old classic” a new identity. Sweetened condensed milk and caramel topping soaked in together–wowza!!
We loved this cake so much and I can see why it’s been a classic all these years!
I am a big fan of straightening out cake rows. And chocolate cakes are the most frequent cakes that I’ll do that too, because they’re irresistible. Especially when chilled. I love cold cake. :) And the candy bars on top are just an added bonus!
If you love chilled cake, this is one to try. As is the Tres Leches I posted last Friday. Both are chilled cakes and both are…so.darn.good. Row-straighener cakes, for sure!