German Chocolate Cake is one of the greats. Just think about that combination of rich chocolate cake and fudgy frosting and the even richer coconut pecan frosting… yum! But dare I say, this poke cake version might be even better than the original. It has all the same components, but because it’s a poke cake, the flavors permeate every single bite. It’s oh-so-moist and it’s easy to make (no layers to deal with!), but it’s not so easy to stop eating.
If you’re not familiar, a poke cake is a sheet cake wherein you poke holes all over the cake to allow the filling to seep down into every bite. And that’s just the case here. You start with a box of cake mix to make your life easy, but you bump up the flavor a bit by mixing in some yogurt and chocolate pudding mix. Once the cake has baked, you poke it all over…
FOR THE CAKE:
1 box dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 (3.4 oz) box chocolate fudge instant pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
FOR THE FILLING:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
FOR THE GANACHE:
4 oz chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
FOR THE FROSTING:
1 can coconut pecan frosting
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, eggs, yogurt, vegetable oil, milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until combined and pour into prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and poke holes all over the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk all over the cake and allow to soak into the holes. Let cool.
While cake is cooling, place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream in a saucepan until just beginning to bubble around the edges. Pour over chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, stir until chocolate melts. Allow ganache to thicken 5 to 10 minutes before spreading over the top of the cake.
Spread coconut frosting over the ganache, serve and enjoy!