Vampire Poke Cake

Name: Vampire Poke Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 15 - 18 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 lb. fresh or frozen cherries, pitted; 1/2 c. (100 g.) granulated sugar; 1/2 c. water; 2 tbsp. cornstarch; 1/4 tsp. kosher salt; Cooking spray; 3 c. (360 g.) all-purpose flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1/2 tsp. baking soda; 1/2 tsp. kosher salt; 1 c. (200 g.) granulated sugar; 3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened; 3 large eggs, room temperature; 2 tsp. almond extract; 1 3/4 c. buttermilk, room temperature, divided; 1 1/2 c. heavy cream; 3 tbsp. powdered sugar; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

By Taylor Ann SpencerPublished: Oct 20, 2022

Approved by the Delish Test Kitchen

4.5

2 Ratings

PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Yields:

15 - 18 serving(s)

Prep Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 30 mins

Jump to recipe

Team Delish lives for cake—and Halloween—so a playfully spooky take on the traditional American poke cake is a natural fit for us. This soft, rich, almond buttermilk cake is infused with a tart cherry sauce (“blood”!) and topped off with a light, fluffy whipped cream for a dessert that’s equally tasty and scary. Trust us when we say this is one time you’ll be craving blood too.

Read on for tips on this Halloween cake. Looking for something savory to serve with it? Try these mummy hot dogs.

What is poke cake?

This traditional American cake is typically a white or yellow cake that’s baked in a single layer (usually in a 13"-by-9" pan) and poked all over with the handle of a wooden spoon just after it comes out of the oven. While the holes in the warm cake are traditionally filled with warm Jell-O, which then sets in the cake as it cools, we’ve opted to use a smooth from-scratch cherry sauce instead. Much tastier.

How do I fill this cake?

Filling a poke cake isn’t difficult, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

Fill the cake while it’s hot. Poking and filling the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven ensures that the sauce can properly settle and be absorbed into the cake as it cools.
Use the right tool and poke with intention. The best tool for poking holes in this cake is the end of a wooden spoon handle. When making the holes, try to space them as evenly as possible, creating a grid of holes no more than 1" apart, and drive the wooden spoon handle so it travels almost to the bottom of the cake, stopping just short of hitting the cake pan underneath.
Fill the holes all the way up and top them off. It’s best to fill the holes as soon as possible after they’re poked (if you wait, even to finish poking the rest of the cake, the first ones you poked may start closing up), and you want to fill them as full as you can without letting them spill over. If, by the time you’ve finished filling the whole cake, the sauce in some of the first holes you filled has already settled, leaving room for more sauce, feel free to top them off. You want the maximum amount of sauce in there.
Let it chill. Make sure to let the cake completely cool and then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours—overnight is better. This allows the sauce to fully set in the cake and prevents it from spilling out too much when you slice it. Don’t worry, you’ll be adding more sauce as decoration, which will give you plenty of opportunity for gory drippage!

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

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Ingredients

Cherry Sauce

1 lb.
fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
1/2 cup
(100 g.) granulated sugar
1/2 cup
water
2 Tbsp.
cornstarch
1/4 tsp.
kosher salt

Cake

Cooking spray
3 cups
(360 g.) all-purpose flour
2 tsp.
baking powder
1/2 tsp.
baking soda
1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
1 cup
(200 g.) granulated sugar
3/4 cup
(1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3
large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp.
almond extract
1 3/4 cups
buttermilk, room temperature, divided

Topping

1 1/2 cups
heavy cream
3 Tbsp.
powdered sugar
1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract

Directions

Cherry Sauce
1. Step 1In a small pot, combine cherries, granulated sugar, water, cornstarch, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to low and cook, mashing occasionally, until cherries are broken down and mixture is thickened, about 2 minutes.
2. Step 2Remove from heat and let cool. Using an immersion blender (or standard blender), puree until smooth.
3. Step 3Make Ahead: Cherry sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.
Cake
1. Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13"-by-9" pan with cooking spray and line with parchment, leaving an overhang on 2 long sides.
2. Step 2In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in another large bowl, using an electric mixer), beat granulated sugar and butter on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition, then add almond extract and beat until combined (mixture may look curdled).
3. Step 3Add one-third of dry ingredients and half of buttermilk to egg mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined, then repeat with another one-third of dry ingredients and remaining buttermilk. Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining dry ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan.
4. Step 4Bake cake until risen and firm to the touch, 25 to 35 minutes. While still warm, using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over cake, spacing about 1" apart and forming a grid of about 12-by-8 holes.
5. Step 5Set aside 1/4 cup cherry sauce for serving. Using a small spoon or a piping bag, fill holes with remaining cherry sauce. (Sauce may soak into cake after sitting a few minutes, leaving room for more sauce; continue to top up holes as much as possible.)
6. Step 6Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
Topping
1. Step 1In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, whip cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until medium peaks form. Using parchment overhang, remove chilled cake from pan.
2. Step 2Spread whipped cream over cake. With wooden spoon, poke holes in whipped cream to resemble fangs, then fill with reserved cherry sauce. Splatter remaining cake topping with remaining cherry sauce as desired.