Savor the flavors of fall with this Apple Pie Poke Cake recipe. Perfectly sweetened white cake meets homemade apple pie filling to help you transition from summer to autumn. Vanilla pudding and whipped cream make this simple apple cake even more decadent!
Have you ever made a poke cake before? From Chocolate Mint Poke Cake to Coconut Cream Poke Cake, we can’t get enough!
Why this Recipe is Best
If you haven’t jumped on the Poke Cake bandwagon, what are you waiting for?
Poke Cake recipes start with a simple cake mix. The cake becomes a sweet canvas for adding any kind of pudding flavor or colorful JELL-O you can imagine.
After poking holes all over a baked cake, you pour pudding (or gelatin, in some cases) over the whole thing. The pudding seeps into every bite of the cake making it super moist and sweet!
This Apple Pie Poke Cake is my favorite version of apple poke cake for a few reasons:
- It uses a homemade fried apples for an amazing depth of apple flavor.
- Sweetened condensed milk keeps the cake moist and rich even the next day.
- The whipped topping pairs perfectly with the cinnamon apple flavors.
- It’s easy to make with simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
Are you ready to try it yet?
Ingredient Notes
- Apples. You can use any kind of apples you like, but I find that tarter apples have the best flavor here. Think Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Honey Crisp etc. Make sure to peel and dice the apples before adding them to the recipe.
- White Cake. Use a boxed mix and bake the cake according to directions on the box. Or use our homemade white cake recipe.
- Pudding Mix. This recipe was tested using instant pudding mix, not the kind you have to cook first, so be sure to double check the label.
- Cool Whip. Feel free to use store bought, or make homemade cool whip instead! Whipped cream works great too.
Easy Instructions
First things first: prepare your white cake.
While it’s baking you can prepare the other components of the poke cake.
Make the apple pie filling:
Simmer the diced apples in a heated skillet with water, brown sugar, spices and salt. They’ll take about 12 minutes to cook down.
Assemble the poke cake:
When the cake is done baking, poke holes all over the top. Immediately pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over the whole thing.
Next, pour the apple pie mixture onto the cake. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
While the cake is chilling, whisk the pudding mix with milk and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate until it’s time to top the cake.
Topping the cake:
Stir the chilled pudding mixture with thawed Cool Whip. Spoon over the top of the Apple Pie Poke Cake.
Slice into squares and serve!
Tips and Tricks
- Prefer a cake that’s made from scratch? My Vanilla Cake Recipe (without frosting) is a perfect swap for the cake from a box.
- Speaking of swaps, there’s no end to the flavor combos you can play with here! Try making the recipe with a yellow cake or spice cake mix to change up the flavors.
- Other pudding flavors are delicious too. Try making apple pie poke cake with caramel or butterscotch pudding! Yum.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, homemade whipped cream will work in the pudding topping. It may melt off the cake more quickly than stabilized whipped cream toppings, so make sure to keep the cake chilled if you’re not eating it right away.
It sure will! It’ll give the cake a slightly different texture but will taste great, nonetheless.
That all depends on the size of your apples. I’d approximate you’ll need about 2 medium apples or 3 smaller ones. Measure your apples after dicing to ensure consistent results.
You can certainly add it ahead of time. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to dig in!
More Easy Cake Recipes
- Carrot Cake Recipe
- Lemon Cheesecake Cake
- Italian Cream Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Apple Delight
- Pistachio Cake
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Apple Pie Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 white cake prepared in a 13×9 baking dish
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 cups peeled & diced apples
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
For the topping
- 1 box Instant vanilla pudding mix 3.4 ounce
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 12 ounce whipped topping thawed
Instructions
- Prepare white cake according to box directions for a 13×9 cake.
- While cake is baking, work on cooking the apples. In a large skillet, whisk together the brown sugar with water, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Heat over medium high heat until bubbly, then add diced apples. Reduce heat to low and simmer apples about 12-15 minutes.
- When cake is done baking, poke holes all over (I use a meat thermometer, you can also use a wooden spoon handle or fork). Pour can of sweetened condensed milk over hot cake. Then pour apple mixture. Spread and smooth until apples are evenly disbursed over top of cake and liquids have drained into the poked holes of the cake.
- Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight.
- While cake is in refrigerator, whisk the vanilla pudding with milk and cinnamon until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve cake, combine pudding mixture with thawed Cool Whip. Spread over cake, slice and serve. ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
Spiced Apple Pie meets vanilla cake and whipped cream. What could be better? Apple Pie Poke Cake is just the recipe you need to welcome fall.
Hi Aimee, would like to know. Can I mix thapple pie filling in the cake batter. Rather than putting on top of the cake. Thanking you.😀