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This is an easy Coke Cake Recipe that is so fluffy and so delicious! It is made with Cherry Coca-Cola and made easy with a cake mix – it’s a cherry coke POKE cake – and it’s gooey and delicious.

cherry coke cake topped with white topping and a cherry.


Cherry Coke Cake Recipe

This Coke Cake is an ooey-gooey-moist-and-sweet dessert recipe that has a cherry coca cola cake taste. It’s a basic chocolate cake mix but I upgraded it by substituting Cherry Coke for the water in the recipe. 

This cherry Coca Cola cake is so fun to make because you get to pour a bunch of stuff all over the top, increasing the calories and deliciousness by about 1,000x and it’s perfectly acceptable. 

Served up with a side of Coke, this cake is Coca Cola overload.

ingredients in cherry coke poke cake.

Ingredients Needed

  • Cake mix: I’m using a box of chocolate cake mix. This recipe also works well with a gluten-free cake mix.
  • Cherry Coke: or use regular Coca Cola
  • Sweetened condensed milk: fat-free condensed milk works just fine, just be sure it’s condensed milk not evaporated milk.
  • Hot fudge: store-bought or this 5-minute hot fudge recipe 
  • Cherry pie filling: I made the Cherry Pie Filling easily from scratch but you can use a 20 ounce can.  
  • Cool Whip: use any kind of cool whip you prefer

Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

FOR THE POKE

How to make coca cola cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Mix all cake ingredients in a large bowl until smooth. 
  2. Pour into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool your cake to room temperature before pouring in any mixtures.
  3. Stir together sweetened condensed milk and half of the Cherry Coke.
  4. Heat up your hot fudge until liquid (but not too hot!) then stir in the remaining Cherry Coke into the hot fudge liquid.
  5. Poke several holes in the top of your cooled cake. I used the handle of my wooden spoon to do this.
  6. Pour your mixtures evenly over the top of your cooled cake. Starting with the sweetened condensed milk mixture followed by the fudge mixture. Make sure you get them in all of the poked holes. 
  7. Spread cherry pie filling and Cool Whip evenly over the cake
  8. Chill the frosted cake with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours 
cherry coke cake topped with white topping and a cherry.

Expert Tips

  • Use any kind of cool whip you prefer for this
  • This tastes better after it sits for at least 4 hours in the fridge
  • You can use any flavor of cake mix, as long as it goes well with cherry. Vanilla and chocolate cake mix are the best flavors.
  • Use homemade or a can of pie filling.
  • I love using the back of a wooden spoon to poke my holes in the cake.

FAQs

How long does poke cake last?

This Coke cake holds up to one week if stored covered in the fridge.

Does coca cola cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes, this poke cake recipe should be refrigerated since it has a cool whip on top. 

cherry coke cake topped with white topping and a cherry.

Cherry Coke Poke Cake Recipe

5 from 3 votes
This Cherry Coke Poke Cake is full of Cherry Coke Flavor! Chocolate Cake, hot fudge, cherries, and Cherry Coke make this the most decadent poke cake yet!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Yield 20 servings
Serving Size 1 serving

Ingredients
 

For the Cake

  • 1 (approx 15 ounce) box chocolate cake mix
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 ¼ cups cherry coke

For the Poke

  • 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup cherry coke , divided
  • 1 (8-12 ounce) jar hot fudge ice cream topping
  • 1 20 ounce can cherry pie filling
  • 8 ounces Cool Whip topping
  • Maraschino cherries for topping (optional)
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13” pan with cooking spray.
  • Add all cake ingredients to a large bowl and mix, according to package directions, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature before topping.
  • In a small bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk and ¼ cup Cherry Coke.
  • In another small bowl, heat hot fudge until liquid, but not too hot. Stir in remaining ¼ cup of Cherry Coke.
  • Poke several holes in the top using the handle of a wooden spoon.
  • Pour the sweetened condensed milk mixture evenly over the top, being sure to get it in the holes.
  • Do the same with the hot fudge mixture.
  • Spread cherry pie filling over the top of the cake. Spread Cool Whip evenly over cake, cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours before serving.
  • Top with sprinkles before serving, if desired.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

  • Diet cherry coke will also work
  • Use any kind of cool whip you prefer
  • This tastes better after it sits for at least 4 hours.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.05g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 0.004mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Other Poke Cake Recipes


Last Updated on May 21, 2023



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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80 Comments

  1. I was trying to figure out wake to bake for my boyfriends birthday and I had it down to two cakes. My one real hesitance on making this one is that there is no reviews about someone else making it so I was very worried it would come out bad. I ended up picking this one and because of my frustration I will review it!
    THIS WAS A GOD SEND!! it was unbelievable!!! My boyfriend and I ate the whole thing because we weren’t will to share it with anyone!! We have never done that before and we are calorie counters! This was just so amazing! It was a poke cake and had the soda in and and it just soaked it all up and was moist but still easy to cut and not messy! I would and have suggested it to anyone for any special occasion!
    Truly worth the calories!

  2. Omg, could I just say I could eat myself into a food coma with this cake. This is so delicious. Its a must try . Thsnks for sharing

  3. Hi,

    This recipe sounds awesome. I usually make dessert for 125+ kids for our youth group on Friday nights and I was wondering if I could make this without the hot fudge and the ice cream topping? If I can, how would you adjust the recipe? Thanks so much.

    1. The beauty of a poke cake is you can kind of do whatever you want! The hot fudge and Cool Whip give it a finish, but you can leave those off and just poke the holes in the cake and use the coke/sweetened condensed milk. It would still be good. Maybe even serve it with a side of whipped cream or Cool Whip if the kids want it! 🙂

  4. This looks awesome! My husband is the same – the words “too sweet” exist for him, not for me. 🙂 However, he might make an exception for this – he’s a huge cherry coke fan! What a great idea! Yummy!

  5. My guy and I never agree on desserts either! He sticks to candy and the occasional Oreos, while I’m in love with chocolate (his worst nightmare) and ooey-gooey-moist-and-sweet desserts. I wouldn’t have to fight him off for any of your cake; it’s right up my alley! (Okay, maybe he’d try a bite… Just because he drinks Coke every day.)

  6. I’m making the cake right now and planning on serving Saturday. As this is my first poke cake, if like to ask you, should I put it together in the morning, a few hours before I need it ? I’m thinking it ends up sludgy after a day…. am I wrong ? I seriously love your blog and emails. You rock it, sister….lol

    1. Thank you!! You’re so sweet. I actually like the poke cakes best after it’s had some time to sit (even overnight). But it is a very moist cake because of all the liquid, so if you’d rather, I would say make it in the morning for the afternoon. It’s best if it’s cool completely before you add the cool whip – or it’ll melt. 🙂 Enjoy!

  7. OMW. This is like the raddist cake ever! I love cherry coke. This just looks wonderful, Dorothy. Pinned!