This easy Carrot Poke Cake is amazingly delicious! Made from a boxed cake mix, plus a few additions like freshly grated carrots, pineapple, nuts, vanilla pudding, and cream cheese icing, you cannot go wrong with this cake. Plus it’s even better the next day, so it is a perfect dessert to make ahead of time.

This Easy Carrot Cake (aka Carrot Poke Cake) is the perfect marriage between a classic carrot cake and the much loved and popular poke cake!

Using a box spice cake mix for the cake base and a vanilla pudding mix for the filling makes creating this carrot poke cake an absolute breeze, saving you time and effort while not compromising at all on delicious flavor and texture.

Make this moist yet fluffy, easy carrot cake ahead of time for Easter or other events you may be planning for by either refrigerating your cake for 1-2 days prior to serving or by freezing your cake and adding the cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts just before serving to family and friends.

Ingredients for Easy Carrot Poke Cake + Notes

(Ingredients at a glance, grab the full recipe found at the bottom of the post.)

Box Spice Cake Mix | You could also use a box carrot cake mix, white cake mix, or your own from a scratch cake recipe
Vegetable Oil |
Eggs
Shredded Carrots
Chopped walnuts | Pecan nuts are also a great option for this Carrot Poke Cake.
Crushed pineapple | Make sure to drain your pineapple thoroughly.
Box vanilla pudding | Cheesecake flavor works well too.
Milk
Cream cheese frosting

Cooking Instructions, step by step

(Printable card, minus the images, can be found at the bottom of the post)

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, vegetable oil, water, and eggs.
Beat with a mixer for about 2 minutes until well combined.
Then fold in the shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, and walnuts.
Pour batter into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-28 minutes until cooked.
Let the cake cool completely before poking holes with the end of a wooden spoon. (The smaller tool you can find, the better.)
Mix pudding mix with cold milk to form pudding and pour over cake.
Spread pudding until it covers the cake and sinks into holes.
Then remove the cap and foil of the cream cheese frosting and microwave for about 15 – 25 seconds until pourable. (Do not overheat. You still want it thick enough, so it stays where you pour.)
Stir frosting and pour over cake, and spread.
Sprinkle with more walnuts on top.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Do I Have to Use a Box Cake Mix?

Of course not!

I used a box spice cake mix to save time, but you can use your favorite spice cake recipe or white cake recipe and add in 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of allspice.
If you don’t have box spice cake mix available or on hand, you can also make use of white cake mix and then add in 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of allspice to get that lovely flavor profile of a traditional carrot cake.

How Should I Store This Easy Carrot Cake?

Your Carrot Poke Cake leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze the Poke Cake?

Yes. This carrot cake can be baked and then stored in the freezer for up to a month, leaving the pudding and cream cheese frosting application to just prior to serving. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container or wrap it again in aluminum foil. Thaw your cake overnight in the refrigerator and then allow it to stand at room temperature before adding the toppings.

Additional Tips for the Carrot Poke Cake

Don’t be shy about the number of holes you poke! More holes in the cake allows for more of the delicious rive pudding to penetrate!
Adding the pudding: Work quickly! You want to pour the pudding over the cake before it sets up too much. (Once it thickens, it is more difficult to get the pudding in the holes.)
When pouring the pudding mixture over the cake, gently tap the cake pan on the counter to help the pudding seep into the cake.
The crushed pineapple is added to the cake for extra texture and sweetness; It can be omitted if you don’t care for pineapple.
Additional topping ideas: Caramel Drizzle, extra nuts, or shredded carrots.
This cake is even better on the second day, so it is a perfect recipe to make ahead.

Other Favorite Cake Recipes You’ll Love

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