Boston Cream Poke Cake

Move over, Boston Cream Pie – here’s an easy-to-make sheet cake version of a great American dessert. Dig into this yellow cake, filled with vanilla pudding and topped with rich chocolate ganache.

Prep: 30 min
Bake: 35 min
Yield: 1 (9x13-inch) cake
Ingredients
    Cake
  • 3 cups sifted Swans Down® Cake Flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil
  • 1 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 yolks, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
    Pudding
  • 2 (3.4-ounce) boxes instant vanilla pudding
  • 4 cups milk
    Chocolate Ganache
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  • 8 ounces heavy cream
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9×13-inch cake pan.
  2. Make Cake: Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. Cream butter, oil, and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add yolks and vanilla, mixing until well blended. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
  3. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and cool in the pan, on a wire rack. Poke holes with the handle of a wooden spoon about 1 inch apart while cake is warm but not hot.
  4. Make Pudding: Whisk instant pudding and milk together for about 2 minutes until smooth and just starting to thicken. Pour directly into holes in cake. Spread remaining pudding over cake, making sure the holes are filled. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until pudding is set.
  5. Make Ganache: Place chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and pour over the chocolate so that it completely covers it. Let sit for 1 minute. Whisk or stir until completely smooth. Let cool so that it is pourable but not hot. Pour ganache over the top of the cake, spreading evenly using an offset spatula. Let the cake sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, then refrigerate until ganache is set.
  6. Slice and serve the cake from the pan.
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View Comments

    • Hi Katie, A “neutral oil” is a flavorless cooking oil such as vegetable, grapeseed, and canola. These types of oil are recommended in baking for their clean, simple flavor. Happy Baking!

  • The recipe says 1/2 cup of butter or 2 sticks. Two sticks of butter is one cup, so which is it?

    Thank you

    • Great catch Sharon! The correct amount of butter is 1/2 cup (1 stick). The recipe has been updated. Happy Baking!

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