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This Pumpkin Poke Cake recipe is one of the easiest fall desserts you can make: the cake itself has only 3 ingredients. After baking, it’s poked all over and filled with sweetened condensed milk, then topped with Cool Whip for a soft, creamy cake that’s full of spiced pumpkin flavor.

A square piece of pumpkin cake with white frosting and chopped nuts on top sits on a decorative white plate, with a pan of more cake in the background.

I grew up baking with box mixes, and I still love using them when they make a recipe easier without sacrificing the result. This is exactly the kind of shortcut dessert I believe in: simple ingredients, very little prep, and a finished cake that tastes like you did a lot more work than you actually did.

The sweetened condensed milk soaks into the easy pumpkin cake and keeps every bite extra moist, while the whipped topping adds a light, creamy finish. It’s an easy make-ahead dessert for fall parties, Thanksgiving, or anytime you want a pumpkin dessert without making pie.

Top-down view of Cool Whip, sweetened condensed milk, yellow cake mix, pumpkin spice, and canned pumpkin arranged on a white surface, each item labeled with text.

Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake

The base of the cake is a box of yellow cake mix. You can also use white cake mix or spice cake mix.
You can skip the eggs, water, and oil the box calls for. Instead, use a full can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) and flavor it with pumpkin pie spice. I always keep my homemade pumpkin spice around during fall to use in recipes.
For the filling, you can use regular or fat free sweetened condensed milk. Note that sweetened condensed milk is not evaporated milk; it’s a thickened reduced milk with added sugar.
Top the finished, cooled cake with whipped topping (or sub homemade whipped cream).
I love sprinkling the top with toffee bits or chopped nuts.

A square piece of pumpkin cake with white frosting and chopped nuts on top sits on a decorative gray plate.

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Dorothy’s Testing Notes

I love using the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes evenly in the cake.
Be sure to allow the pumpkin spice cake to cool completely before adding the whipped topping.
Adding the can of pumpkin makes an extremely moist cake.
You can whisk or stir the cake batter or use an electric mixer.
Poke cakes are perfect to make ahead of time because they taste even better after it sits overnight.

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Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe

By: Dorothy Kern

A pumpkin poke cake is a simple 5 ingredient fall cake recipe – cake mix with pumpkin (no egg or oil). It's a classic cake recipe and so easy to make.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: 24 pieces

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Ingredients

▢ 1 (15-ounce) box yellow cake mix
▢ 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
▢ 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
▢ 1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip
▢ Nuts, toffee bits, or crushed cookies for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray.
Add cake mix and pumpkin puree into a large bowl. Stir using a wooden spoon or spatula (or use a hand mixer) until dry mix is completely incorporated. Batter will be thick.
Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Let cool at least 10 minutes.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to poke several holes all over the cake. Pour and spread sweetened condensed milk all over evenly so it gets in all the holes. Allow cake to cool completely.
Cover the cake with Cool Whip and sprinkle with garnish.
Cake can be served immediately after topping or covered and allowed to sit for up to 24 hours.
Store leftover cake in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this cake.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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A glass bowl filled with orange cookie dough sits on a white surface. The dough has been partially mixed, leaving swirls and some dough sticking to the sides of the bowl.

A rectangular pan holds an orange cake with evenly spaced holes poked into the surface, placed on a white countertop.

How to make a Pumpkin Poke Cake

Simply mix the dry box mix with the can of real pumpkin and pumpkin spice. The batter will be extremely thick and orange.
Once the cake cools slightly, poke the holes.
Top the cake.

Poke Cake Recipes Variations

If you can find spice cake mix you can omit the pumpkin spice in the cake batter.
Make pumpkin caramel poke cake by using dulce de leche or a jar of caramel ice cream topping (or homemade caramel sauce) in place of sweetened condensed milk.
Use cream cheese frosting or whipped cream frosting or whipped cream.
Top or add any other fall flavors you love.
Add chocolate chips in the cake or on top.