Caramel Poke Cake

You may have wondered, What is a poke cake? A poke cake is so-called because you simply poke holes in it once it's baked! 

The holes in the sponge that ensure every bite is drenched in caramel.

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Then you pour a delicious runny topping into the holes, and when the cake is fully finished, you can't see the holes as they are covered with more topping.

When you cut it, everyone gets to see the scrummy gooey filling in every slice.

Sticky, gooey caramel oozing from the cake and of course, the more holes you make, the more filling there will be; but with that said, don't go too mad or the cake might fall apart!

Now I'm not a one for cakes, but Paul (the husband) does like a bit of cake! I never do much baking because I'm simply no good at it.

Amazingly, my made-up recipe turned out really well, so if I can make this, anyone can!

It's really easy because it doesn't have to look 'posh'; you can be as messy as you like with this one.

As this cake is so rich, you really don't need a lot and served with ice cream, it would make a rather nice dessert.

Although if you have kids and a husband like mine, don't expect it to be around for long before it gets eaten. 

Just 60ml of coffee added to the sponge mix made this cake nice and moist.

Once it’s cooked, leave the cake in the tin, allow it to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, gently heat one of the tins of caramel but don’t let it get too hot; just until it becomes pourable.

Now, poke holes into the cake using the end of a wooden spoon.

Pour the caramel into the holes and spread the rest over the cake. Before continuing, put the cake in the fridge for about an hour to set the caramel.

Carefully remove the sponge from the tin; if you don't have a loose-bottomed cake tin, you may have to turn it upside down onto greaseproof paper.

It doesn’t matter too much what it looks like, as it will soon be covered with the topping. 😉

Put the cake onto a clean piece of greaseproof paper and spread the second (unheated) tin of caramel over the top of the sponge; if used straight from the tin, you can spread it as it’s thicker than when warmed.

Scatter over the hazelnuts and gently heat the chocolate and the honey together. The honey will make the chocolate runnier, which is what you want.

Chocolate drizzle

The best way to heat chocolate is to put it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Once melted, dip a fork into the chocolate and, using a left-to-right motion, drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Make-ahead

This cake can be made the day before up to the point of adding the hazelnuts and melted chocolate; it's best to do that the day you plan to serve the cake. 

If you love caramel, you might like my No-Bake Salted Caramel Cheesecake Recipe. 

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

caramel poke cake, coffee cake recipe

baking, cake

English

Yield: 12-16

Author: Jan Bennett

Caramel Poke Cake

This cake is so rich, you don't need a lot. It's nice served with ice cream!

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

Ingredients

• 225g soft butter - plus a bit more for the tins
• 225g light brown sugar
• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
• 4 large eggs - free range
• 60 ml of freshly made strong coffee, and leave it to go completely cold (I used 2 tablespoons of coffee)

For the topping

• 2 x 397g (14oz) cans of Carnation caramel
• 100g dark chocolate - 70% cocoa solids
• ½ a tablespoon of runny honey
• 25g of chopped hazelnuts

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°/160°C fan or 350°F/315°F fan - Gas 4

1. Butter and line the base of a deep 20cm cake tin. Measure all the cake ingredients into a large mixing bowl (except the coffee). Beat together until smooth.
2. Now stir in 60 ml of the cold coffee and mix until thoroughly blended.
3. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake in your preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes until golden brown.
4. The cake should start to shrink away from the sides of the tin, and the sponge should spring back when lightly pressed.
5. Once it’s cooked, leave the cake in the tin and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
6. Meanwhile, gently heat one of the tins of caramel but don’t let it get too hot; just until it becomes pourable. Using the end of a wooden spoon, poke holes into the sponge, taking care not to go all the way through to the bottom.
7. Pour the caramel into the holes and spread the rest over the cake.
8. Before continuing, put the cake in the fridge for about an hour to set the caramel.
9. Carefully remove the sponge from the tin; if you don't have a loose-bottomed tin, you may have to turn it upside down onto greaseproof paper. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, as it will soon be covered with the topping.
10. Put the cake onto a clean piece of greaseproof paper and spread the second (unheated) tin of caramel over the top of the sponge; if it’s used straight from the tin, you can spread it as it’s thicker than when warmed.
11. Scatter over the hazelnuts and gently heat the chocolate and the honey together. The honey will make the chocolate runnier, which is what you want.
12. The best way to heat chocolate is to put it in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
13. Once melted, dip a fork into the chocolate and, using a left-to-right motion, drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

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