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This Ice Cream Poke Cake is an easy poke ice cream cake made with chocolate cake mix and filled with ice cream. It’s a fun dessert to make for birthday parties or any time you want a delicious dessert! It’s everyone’s favorite cake and ice cream dessert combined in an easy poke cake.
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What is Ice Cream Poke Cake?
I love a great poke cake and one of my favorites is a poke cake filled with ice cream! Something magical happens when a cake is filled with something melty – it gives the cake a gooey texture that makes it less like “cake” and more like something, well, awesome.
Maybe you’ve seen poke cake recipes using cake mixes filled with pudding, pie filling, or jello? Well, this is the same idea except you use ice cream. Who doesn’t love cake and ice cream?
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It starts with a box of cake mix although you can use your favorite homemade chocolate cake as long as it’s a 9×13” cake. I love the chocolate cake mix because it’s just so easy.
- Once you’ve baked the cake you poke holes in it and fill them with melted ice cream. I love to top the chocolate melted ice cream cake with sundae ingredients – whipped topping, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and cherries on top!
- What I love best about this recipe is that you can literally make all kinds of variations. Just change the flavor of the cake and ice cream. For this version we’re going with classic chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream, but let your imagination run wild – there are so many possibilities.
It reminds me of the 90s ice cream cake that seemed to appear at all the birthday parties! It’s such a fun dessert that’s great for a crowd – think potlucks, birthdays, or any time you need a cake to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth.
Ingredients in Melted Ice Cream Cake
- Chocolate cake mix plus the ingredients needed to make the cake
- Ice cream: Use your favorite flavor
- Whipped topping or whipped cream
- Toppings: chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, and cherries
How to Make Poke Ice Cream Cake
- Make and bake the 9×13” cake as instructed on the box. While the cake is in the oven, place the ice cream in a large bowl and set it near the oven so it melts.
- Allow the cake to cool for about five minutes before poking holes in it. The easiest way to do this is to use the handle of a wooden spoon. Poke about 30 holes evenly across the cake.
- Pour the melted ice cream over the top of the poke cake and spread it so it fills the holes. Let the cake cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate it for at least two hours or, ideally, overnight.
- Once it’s chilled, frost the poke ice cream cake with whipped topping and drizzle chocolate and caramel sauces over the top. Add the sprinkles, cherries, and then slice and serve it.
Variations
There are many ways to make a melted ice cream cake, so get creative to make your special version. If you need some tips, here are some variations that would be great:
- Chocolate Mint: Use chocolate cake mix and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
- Strawberries and Cream: Make a strawberry cake and fill it with vanilla ice cream.
- Cookies and Cream: Vanilla cake with cookies and cream ice cream would be a great combo!
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: Chocolate cake and peanut butter ice cream!
- Lemon Berry: Use a lemon cake mix and fill the cake with berry ice cream.
- Peaches and Cream: White cake mix with peach ice cream would be so good, too.
- Funfetti Ice Cream Cake: Pair funfetti cake mix with vanilla ice cream.
- Chocolate Peppermint: Make a chocolate cake and add peppermint ice cream for a holiday twist!
Expert Tips
- You can make ice cream cake from scratch in any flavor you like as long as it’s a 9×13”.
- If the ice cream isn’t fully melted by the time the cake is done, just pop it in the microwave to finish melting it.
- The longer you let this poke cake chill the better! I like to make it a day in advance so it can chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- Wait to add any toppings until you are ready to serve the cake.
- Leftover ice cream melted cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days. Just keep it covered with plastic wrap.
Other Favorite Cake Recipes
Have you tried this recipe?
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Ice Cream Poke Cake
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 ounce box chocolate cake mix plus ingredients listed on the box to make the cake
- 2 cups of your favorite ice cream
- 1 8 ounce tub whipped topping or whipped cream
- Chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, and cherries for topping
Instructions
- Prepare cake as directed on the box using the water, oil, and eggs called for to make a 9×13” cake. Bake the cake in a 9×13” pan (that has been sprayed with cooking spray) according to the package directions.
- While the cake is baking, place the ice cream in a large bowl and set it near the stove so it can melt.
- When the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool 5 minutes. Then, using the back of a wooden spoon, poke several holes (about 30 or so) in the top of the cake. Hopefully by now your ice cream is mostly liquid. If not, microwave it for a few seconds until it’s all liquid or just some lumps of ice cream remain.
- Pour melted ice cream over the top of the cake, making sure it gets in all the holes. Let the cake cool on the counter, then cover and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. (It gets better the longer it sits!)
- Before serving, frost the top with whipped topping or whipped cream and drizzle with ice cream toppings like chocolate and/or caramel sauce, sprinkles, and cherries.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Recipe Nutrition
I’m pretty sure everyone will love this melted ice cream cake when you make it – all that melted ice cream gives the cake a gooey texture that is so good. It’s so simple but the result is fantastic! Give it a try soon, and enjoy!
I live behind a Mexican super market that has a fantastic bakery. My favorite dessert to get from there is a tres leche cake and your cake reminds me of them. I have never come across an ice cream poke cake. And ice cream is my favorite food ever. I can`t wait for the weekend to be over so I can make this
Holy moly! This is seriously awesome! What a perfect summer dessert!
I stopped watching American Idol a few years ago, but now I need to Google for that video! Although once you watch it, you can’t un-watch it. I’m afraid it will ruin me. Lol. This poke cake is genius – PERFECT for summer.
Love love love this poke cake.
Okay, I had no idea that NKOTB performed, so naturally I Googled it. Yea, it was pretty horrible. This poke cake is PURE GENIUS and I am 100% certain I will be making this for the next office birthday!
Right? Absolutely horrid!! Thanks Julianne!
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