PinFTW: Poke Cake!

My inner stay-at-home-mom is doing it again...she's forcing me to bake. At least last week's baking experiment had a purpose. Today, I found myself baking again and this time for no reason whatsoever!

During my daily Pinterest zone-out time, I keep seeing interesting recipes like this one, and this one. Poke cakes have probably been around forever, but this is the first time I've heard of them. When I saw Time Warp Wife share this variation (originally from Women Living Well), I (my inner-SAHM) knew a poke cake would be happening in my kitchen, and soon! Custard-filled baked goods are my favorite and I thought this cake may be similar in nature and wanted to give it a try with pudding instead of gelatin. I used this recipe as a base for my cake, changing a few things here and there. Read below to see how I modified it and to get some ideas of your own:

• I didn't frost the cake with pudding. I used about 3/4 of the pudding mixture to fill the cake (and ate most of the rest out of the mixing bowl with a spoon - ssssshhhh!!!). 
• I did use Duncan Hines Strawberry Frost frosting (because making it myself would only end in a bigger powdered sugar mess than I already had from the pudding). 
• I used yellow cake, french vanilla pudding, and strawberry frost frosting. I highly recommend this combo!
• I also topped the cake with sliced strawberries. I mean, vanilla + strawberry + strawberry = awesome. Everyone knows that. You can't have too many strawberries...unless you're allergic like my poor friend that I made strawberry cupcakes with strawberry frosting for - forgetting about her allergy. (Sorry again, Amy!)

I thought the cake was pretty delicious over all and my family agreed. It could have used more pudding, but I didn't want to make it a soggy mess.

I would love to try it out with different flavor combinations (white cake, vanilla pudding and chocolate icing, perhaps?). With all the pudding, frosting, and cake flavor options available - the possibilities are virtually endless!   

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This post is linked up to Mommin' it Up's Pin for the Wednesday blog carnival. 

Head on over to check out the other awesome pins posted by Mommin' it Up followers.

You can also find us linked up over at Living Well Wednesdays ~ another great linky party to check out. :)