Carrot Poke Cake

Looking for a new twist on carrot cake? This delicious gooey Carrot Poke Cake is loaded with carrots, coconut and pineapple. Then topped with a buttermilk glaze and cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect twist on Carrot Cake and a great Easter dessert that can be made ahead.

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This Gooey Cinnamon Carrot Poke Cake is INSANE. It’s is over the top. It is that cake where you say, “Gimme a fork.” Then demolish the whole entire thing. Well, maybe not that whole thing, but I sure did think about it!

This yummy carrot poke cake is just to die for! With a soft and smooth cream cheese frosting and an incredible homemade glaze, the flavor is out of this world. We love to make this recipe around Easter, along with other carrot cake favorites like carrot cake cookies or carrot bundt cake.

Make a big sheet cake for your next party and slice it up to serve. It’s moist, flavorful and actually pretty easy to make. Skip the box cake mix and bake cake from scratch that is super simple and delicious with every single bite!

Why You’ll Love Carrot Poke Cake

• You can make this entire cake from scratch in under an hour. Cake mix, glaze, frosting and all!
• Adapt and change this recipe to add extra things or match dietary needs that you have. It is a wonderful basic recipe!
• This is the most moist carrot cake, wonderful for bake sales and parties. It’s always a crowd favorite.

Ingredients for Carrot Poke Cake

• Buttermilk – If you do not have buttermilk, you can use whole milk if you prefer.
• Crushed pineapple – Pineapple is my secret ingredient to making the best carrot poke cake.
• Light corn syrup – Thicken up the tasty glaze for this poke cake with a light corn syrup.
• Brown sugar – Sweeten this rich and delicious dessert with some brown sugar.
• Vanilla extract – You’ll need vanilla extract for the cake batter, the glaze and the cream cheese frosting. So make sure you’ve got plenty on hand!
• Baking soda – Baking soda will act as a rising agent to make the cake light and fluffy. It’s really important since there is a lot of moisture from the glaze.
• Cream cheese – Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before mixing it with the other ingredients to make a classic cream cheese frosting.
• Sugar – Using both brown sugar and white sugar will make this cake perfectly sweet.
• Ground cinnamon – Delicious warming spices like ground cinnamon add tons of flavor to carrot cake.
• Salt – Use a pinch of salt to help balance out the sweetness in this recipe.
• Butter – You will need butter for both the frosting and the glaze. Salted and unsalted butter will both work!
• Large eggs – Allow eggs to come to room temperature before mixing together with the other ingredients.
• Sweetened flaked coconut – This is the BEST topping for this super easy carrot poke cake.
• Vegetable oil – You’ll need some oil to help combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. If you don’t have vegetable oil, any other neutral oil will work.
• Peeled and grated carrots – Peel and grate fresh carrots for the best flavor.
• All purpose flour – For best results, use a high purpose all purpose flour. It will give the cake the best texture!
• Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar not only sweetens the cream cheese frosting but it also helps to thicken the frosting.

How to Make Buttermilk Carrot Poke Cake

There’s quite a few steps to get to the finished product of a delicious carrot cake poke cake, but just follow these instructions! You’ll be able to easily make this delicious recipe:

Make the Cake Batter

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then spray a 9×13 inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it to the side.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set it aside. Then combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Then gently fold in the carrots, coconut and pineapple. Pour the batter into the previously prepared baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until cake springs back to the touch.

Make the Glaze

Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and combine sugar, buttermilk corn syrup and baking soda.

Stir the mixture vigorously for about 8 minutes until it turn a light amber color. Then stir in the vanilla extract and set it to the side.

Remove the cake from the oven and use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes in it.

Immediately pour the buttermilk sugar glaze over the cake and allow it to cool completely.

Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat together butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until light and fluffy. Then mix in brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract until combined.

Add powdered sugar slowly and mix until smooth.

Once the cake has cooled, spread the frosting over the top. Top the cake with toasted coconut, slice and serve!

How to Store Leftover Carrot Cake

For best results, storing this cake in the refrigerator to keep it set. You can either wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap or transfer leftovers to an airtight container.

Why is my Poke Cake Soggy?

It is important not to poke the holes too closely in the base of this buttermilk carrot cake recipe. Spread them out evenly across the cake so that there is not one separate section of the cake that is holding more glaze than the other. It is also important to make sure that you cake the cake until it is no longer wet in the middle before removing it from the oven. You can use a toothpick to poke the middle and check for doneness.

How fine should my carrots be grated for carrot cake?

The finer the grate of the carrots, the better. Don’t use chunky carrots because they won’t mix well and won’t bake thoroughly either. Finely grate the carrots so that they can be evenly distributed through the carrot poke cake batter.

This is one of the best carrot cake recipes ever. So moist and delicious!

More Easy Poke Cake Recipes!

• Quick and easy chocolate poke cake topped with caramel icing makes this Better Than Sex Cake to-die-for!
• This Strawberry Vanilla Poke Cake starts with a boxed mix and is topped with Strawberry Jell-O, vanilla pudding and Cool Whip!
• Oreos lovers unite over a quick and easy Oreo Poke Cake! Chocolate Cake on the bottom them topped with Cool Whip and Crushed Oreos!
• Make 4th of July Poke Cake for all of your patriotic holidays!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

 

4.82 from 74 votes

Carrot Poke Cake

Amazingly Moist Carrot Cake Stuffed with Carrots, Coconut, Pineapple, Topped with a  Buttermilk Glaze and Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting!

Prep:20 minutes mins

Cook:35 minutes mins

Total:55 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Cake

• ▢ 2 c. all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ 3/4 c. buttermilk
• ▢ 3/4 c. vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 1/4 c. sugar
• ▢ 2 c. peeled and grated carrots
• ▢ 1 1/2 c. sweetened flaked coconut
• ▢ 8 oz can crushed pineapple drained

Buttermilk Glaze

• ▢ 1 c. sugar
• ▢ 1/2 c. buttermilk
• ▢ 1/2 c. butter
• ▢ 1 Tbsp light corn syrup
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

• ▢ 8 oz cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1/4 c. butter softened
• ▢ 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ▢ 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• ▢ 4 c. powdered sugar

Topping

• ▢ 1/4 c. toasted coconut

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13×9 in pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. For cake, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Place eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sugar in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in carrots, coconut, and pineapple. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed.
• While the cake is baking prepare the glaze. Add sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup and baking soda to medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Vigorously stir mixture for about 8 minutes. The glaze with turn a light amber color. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside until ready to use.
• When the cake comes out of the oven, immediately poke holes in cake. Pour the buttermilk glaze evenly over the top of the hot cake. Let cake cool completely.
• For the frosting mix together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Slowly add powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Spread evenly over cooled cake. Top with toasted coconut.

Tips

• To toast coconut on the stove top simply place coconut in skillet and cook over low-medium heat, stirring frequently until flakes are mostly golden brown.
• To toast coconut in the oven preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread coconut on baking sheet in thin layer. Place in preheated oven and bake for about 5 minutes, stirring once half way through baking. They brown quickly so watching them closely!
• To toast coconut in the microwave spread coconut on microwave safe plate in thin layer. Microwave it in 30 second increment, stirring each time, until coconut is mostly golden brown.
• To make a homemade buttermilk simply place 1 Tbsp white vinegar in a one cup measuring cup. Top off measuring cup with milk. Gently stir and let mixture sit about five minutes. This allows the milk to slightly curdle giving it a buttermilk-like texture and taste.
• We recommend storing this cake in the refrigerator to keep it set.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1, Calories: 695kcal (35%), Carbohydrates: 108g (36%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 28g (43%), Saturated Fat: 20g (125%), Cholesterol: 57mg (19%), Sodium: 410mg (18%), Potassium: 239mg (7%), Fiber: 3g (13%), Sugar: 85g (94%), Vitamin A: 4390IU (88%), Vitamin C: 2.5mg (3%), Calcium: 53mg (5%), Iron: 1.8mg (10%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.

Recipe adapted from: Life’s Simple Measures