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Home / Recipes

Butter Pecan Dulce De Leche Poke Cake

45 minutes
4.75 from 12 votes
17 Comments
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by: Joanna Cismaru
07.13.19

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This Butter Pecan Dulce De Leche Poke Cake is out of this world. It’s light, delicious and oozing with dulce de leche goodness!

a plate with a piece of poke cake topped with whipped cream, pecans, and toffee bits

Have you guys made a poke cake before? They’re incredible, super easy to make, yet so incredibly good. Always a crowd pleaser so feel free to share!

The advantage with making a poke cake is that the rich filling soaks into every single bite so that you’re left with a dessert that is both delicious and oh so satisfying. I poured rich dulce de leche over a box made butter pecan cake and let me tell you those 2 flavors pair perfectly. So let’s give it a try!

What Is Poke Cake?

True to it’s name, a poke cake literally is a cake that you poke holes in it after you bake it. The holes are then filled with a filling or liquid to infuse extra flavor into every single bite. You can fill them with chocolate cream, pudding, pureed fruit, condensed milk or as I’ve done here, dulce de leche.

What Is Dulce De Leche?

This Latin American specialty is super easy to make and incredibly delicious topped on nearly anything sweet. It involves heating sweetened milk till it turns beautifully buttery brown and develops a caramel like flavor. I used store bought today but if you’d like to go homemade I’ve included directions on just how to do that below.

a poke cake in a pan with a few slices taken out

Ingredients

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Cake mix

  • Cake mix – I used 1 entire box of Betty Crocker Butter Pecan, but feel free to use any brand you’d like. If you can’t find butter pecan cake mix white cake mix will work just fine.
  • Eggs – We’re going to use 3, yes 3 eggs.
  • Oil – We want a light neutral tasting vegetable oil like canola.
  • Water – To get the right consistency with our batter.

Poke cake

  • Dulce de leche – We’re using 1 entire jar, the more dulce the better! You can substitute it for caramel sauce mixed with evaporated milk.
  • Whipped cream – I used cool whip today but if you’d like to make yours fresh more power to you.
  • Pecans – Chop up your pecans to give the whole dish some great crunch and flavor.
  • Toffee – Toffee bits are my secret flavor weapon with this poke cake, they just pair oh so perfectly with butter pecan.

How To Make Butter Pecan Dulce De Leche Poke Cake

  1. Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees and grease a 9″-x-13″ pan with cooking spray
  2. Combine the cake: Prepare the butter pecan cake mix according to package instructions. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Should take about 30 minutes.
  3. Fill the cake: Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake across the entire surface. Microwave the jar of dulce de leche for about 30 seconds, then stir it around, make sure it’s pour-able. Pour the dulce de leche over the top to fill the holes.
  4. Finish the cake: Spread the cool whip or whipped cream over the top of the cake and garnish with the pecans and toffee bits. Slice into squares and serve.
a poke cake topped with whipped cream, pecans, and toffee bits with a fork

What Else Can I Pour Into Poke Cakes?

Poke cakes are a blank canvas for filling with any sweet, pourable thing you can think of! If you’re sick of dry cake that just doesn’t pack much of a punch, I’m so please to introduce you to your new best friend.

  • Sweetened condensed milk – just be sure to combine with milk to ensure the cake absorbs it properly.
  • Pudding
  • Jello
  • Pureed fruit
  • Chocolate cream
  • Frosting
  • Caramel
  • Fruit syrup
a slice of poke cake with whipped cream, pecans, and toffee bits with a fork

Leftovers

If you re making this cake be sure to keep in refrigerated. Sealed with plastic wrap or in an airtight container it will keep for 3 – 5 days in the fridge.

Can I freeze poke cake?

You can freeze poke cake which means you can make it up to a month in advance. Prepare the cake but hold off on adding the whipped cream and toppings. Seal it tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to a month.

Craving More Cake? Try These Delicious Recipes:

  • Tiramisu Tres Leche Cake
  • Zebra Cake
  • Cream Cheese Filled Banana Cake
  • Apple Pie Cake
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
  • Tres Leche Cake
  • Red Velvet Cake
  • Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake

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side view shot of a fork taking a bite of butter pecan dulce de leche poke cake

Butter Pecan Dulce de Leche Poke Cake

4.75 from 12 votes
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 45 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 12
Print Pin Rate
This Butter Pecan Dulce De Leche Poke Cake is out of this world. It's light, delicious and oozing with dulce de leche goodness!

Ingredients

For Cake Mix

  • 15.25 oz butter pecan cake mix (1 box), I used Betty Crocker
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water

For Poke Cake

  • 15 oz dulce de leche (1 jar)
  • 32 fl oz cool whip or whipped cream
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees and grease a 9″-x-13″ pan with cooking spray.
  • Prepare the butter pecan cake mix according to package instructions. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Should take about 30 minutes.
  • Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the cake across the entire surface. Microwave the jar of dulce de leche for about 30 seconds, then stir it around, make sure it’s pour-able. Pour the dulce de leche over the top to fill the holes.
  • Spread the cool whip or whipped cream over the top of the cake and garnish with the pecans and toffee bits.
  • Slice into squares and serve.

Video

Recipe Notes

If you can’t find butter pecan cake mix, white cake mix will work. Substitute melted butter for vegetable oil.
Dulce de leche is a thick caramel sauce made with sugar and milk. It can be substituted for caramel mixed with condensed milk.
If you don’t like cool whip then substitute with equal amounts of whipped cream.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 380kcal (19%)Carbohydrates: 50g (17%)Protein: 6g (12%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 11g (69%)Cholesterol: 66mg (22%)Sodium: 341mg (15%)Potassium: 139mg (4%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 29g (32%)Vitamin A: 220IU (4%)Calcium: 172mg (17%)Iron: 1.1mg (6%)
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:Butter Pecan Dulce De Leche Poke Cake, cake recipe, poke cake
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!

Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Tina says

    February 26, 2021 at 9:53 pm

    5 stars
    Out of this world—delicious! We enjoyed every bite. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      February 27, 2021 at 10:08 am

      I’m so glad to hear this!

      Reply
  2. Elizabeth Y. says

    February 3, 2021 at 9:47 pm

    5 stars
    This cake was so delicious. I didn’t have a wooden spoon so I used a chopstick which worked perfectly. Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      February 4, 2021 at 9:40 am

      Awesome! You are so welcome 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lori Stowe says

    February 3, 2020 at 8:46 am

    Do you wait for the cake to cool before adding the dulce de leche?

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team says

      February 3, 2020 at 10:15 am

      Nope! It’s best to do while the cake is still warm.

      Reply
  4. Savy says

    March 20, 2019 at 1:26 pm

    5 stars
    The cake turned out very nice. Thank you for the recipe.
    I felt the holes could be smaller and liquidating the caramel will give a better shape for the cake.
    Loved the taste!

    Reply
  5. Barb says

    March 17, 2018 at 7:39 pm

    Do you beed to put it in the refrigerator before putting the cool whip on

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      March 18, 2018 at 10:33 am

      Oh yes, definitely store it in the fridge.

      Reply
  6. Trixie says

    May 16, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    Dulce de leche + butter pecan = mind BLOWN. I can’t wait to try this cake. I’ve got a family function coming up that it would be perfect for.
    Just one thing though – on Step 3 of the instructions, you say to poke the holes using the “back” of the wooden spoon. Could I suggest saying “handle” instead? Maybe it’s just me, but I pictured using the back of the round part of the spoon, and to save my life I couldn’t figure out how the heck that would work. If it wasn’t for the video I’d probably still be staring at the instructions with a dumb look on my face LOL

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      May 16, 2017 at 2:06 pm

      Ha! Which is why I have a video! LOL Thanks, updated the instructions.

      Reply
  7. Cristina says

    May 10, 2017 at 1:50 am

    Hi! We don’t have “butter pecan cake mix ” here. What can I use instead? 🙁

    Reply
    • Fenne Kieken says

      May 10, 2017 at 11:55 am

      You can probably find a pecan cake mix without the butter or you can use any white cake mix for this dish and you could add some ground pecans into the cake mix if you want. This cake is so light that it is worthy of whipped topping on top and the crushed pecans.

      Reply
  8. JOAN HARRIS says

    May 8, 2017 at 5:10 pm

    jO, YOUR RECIPES ARE TO DIE FOR! I’VE GAINED A FEW POUNDS LATELY. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. SO WILL HAVE TO MAKE SOME OF THE LESSER FAT ITEMS. I MAY SNICK IN SOME ONE DAY. THANKS FOR SENDING THEM. LOVE YA, JOAN

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      May 8, 2017 at 5:17 pm

      Thanks Joan! 🙂

      Reply
  9. thalia says

    May 8, 2017 at 4:07 pm

    this cake looks so good! i love anything with dulce de leche, one of my favourite sweet things. perfect!

    Reply
  10. Sara @ Last Night's Feast says

    May 8, 2017 at 12:49 pm

    This looks INCREDIBLE!

    Reply

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I'm Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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