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This Cereal Milk Poke Cake is simple poke cake recipe with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal milk in the cake and pudding filling. You can taste Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal throughout every bite! This cake is easy, moist, and SO good!
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cake
Cereal milk treats have been so popular lately, so I wanted to try a recipe using it myself! This cake tastes just like the leftover milk in your bowl – what’s better than that? I love poke cake recipes, and this cinnamon toast crunch poke cake adds a new twist you’re going to love: cereal!
This semi-homemade cinnamon cake is made with cake mix and cereal milk, pudding, whipped topping, and topped with your favorite crunchy cinnamon squares. It’s a great cake to make ahead because it needs to chill in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, so it’s perfect for parties and potlucks – everyone will love it!
Ingredients & Variations
- Cold Milk: For the cake and pudding. While you can use nondairy milk in the cake no problem, it’s tricky to do so in the pudding. The rule is to use 3/4 of the amount of nondairy milk called for (see recipe notes).
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal: You can use brand or generic – or use ANY flavor cereal (fruity pebble poke cake would be fantastic).
- Yellow Cake Mix: White cake mix or really any flavor that goes with cinnamon can be used.
- Vanilla Pudding: Make sure it’s instant vanilla pudding – cheesecake or white chocolate flavor would also work.
- Cool Whip: Make sure it’s thawed, and you can use any variation (low fat, sugar free, etc.) You can also make homemade whipped cream using heavy cream and sugar.
How to make Cereal Milk Cake
1. Make Cereal Milk: Add 4 cups of cereal to 5 cups milk to a large bowl and allow to soak. It needs at least 10 minutes but you can do this several hours ahead and refrigerate, then strain and discard soaked cereal.
2. Make Cake: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, cinnamon, eggs, cereal milk, vanilla extract, and butter. Mix on high speed. Bake as directed.
3. Cool the cake in the pan for 30 minutes. Once it’s cooled, poke holes in the top using the end of a wooden spoon.
4. Make the pudding with cereal milk mixture.
5. Pour pudding over the top of the cake. Cover and refrigerate the cake for at least two hours. Before serving, frost with whipped topping and decorate with more cereal.
Expert Tips
- The cereal can soak several hours if you want – just store in the refrigerator.
- You can use whole milk, 2%, or fat free milk for the cake and pudding. See recipe notes to substitute nondairy milk.
Storage
Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator. The cake needs to soak, so you can make it ahead of time, up to 24 hours. It will last a few days if stored properly. I don’t recommend freezing this cake.
Cereal Milk Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups (1.18L) cold milk
- 4 cups (184g) Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal (plus about 2 cups/92g additional for topping)
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 3.4-ounces each packs instant vanilla pudding mix
- 8 ounce container Cool Whip , thawed
Instructions
- Add 4 cups cereal to 5 cups milk and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes (if you have longer, you can do this several hours ahead of time and store in the refrigerator). Once it's soaked, strain the cereal from the milk and discard soggy cereal.
- Prepare a 9×13 cake pan with nonstick cooking spray (or grease and flour it). Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, add cake mix, cinnamon, eggs, 1 cup cereal milk, vanilla extract, and oil and mix until well incorporated.
- Pour cake batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven as directed on cake box (approximately 27-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean).
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool 30 minutes.
- Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes throughout the top of the cake.
- Prepare instant pudding with remaining cereal milk in a mixing bowl, then pour slowly over top of cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Top with container of whipped topping, then sprinkle additional cereal over top.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- To use nondairy milk, use 1 cup for the cake but you’ll only need 3/4 of the amount for the pudding (3 cups).
- This recipe can be done with ANY kind of cereal. Besides Cinnamon Toast Crunch, my favorites are Fruity Pebbles or Cocoa Puffs.
- Canola oil or melted butter may be substituted for the vegetable oil.
- You can really use any flavor pudding mix you want, as long as you use 2 (3.4 ounce) boxes. Just mix and match flavors with your cereal.
- Any flavor cake mix can be used. Use a box of cake mix made for a 9×13-inch pan.
- This is easy to make (almost) sugar-free – use sugar free cake mix, pudding mix, and whipped topping.
