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This easy Funfetti Poke Cake is made with fluffy funfetti cake, poked with white chocolate pudding, and topped with homemade whipped cream and of course – lots of colorful sprinkles! Perfect for birthdays, celebrations, gatherings, or a fun family dessert.
Easy Funfetti Poke Cake Recipe
I just love poke cake recipes! There are so many different variations of them out there, but this funfetti version just might be my personal favorite. It’s the perfect colorful dessert for any occasion and it is such an easy dessert recipe for any skill level.
It starts with a doctored up boxed cake mix which makes it taste homemade, but no on would ever guess it’s a cake mix. The cake is poked with holes and filled with a fluffy white chocolate whipped cream filling, and the frosting is a light and fluffy homemade whipped cream. The best part? The colorful sprinkles on top of the cake.
This funfetti poke cake is the ultimate easy dessert for birthdays, celebrations, or whenever you’re craving something sweet and colorful. Poke cakes are no-fail recipes because they always turn out so incredibly moist and delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Funfetti Poke Cake
- 🩷 Easy To Make : This recipe starts with a boxed cake mix, making it perfect for busy days when you don’t have tons of time in the kitchen.
- 💜 Extra Moist : White chocolate pudding is poured into holes of the cake for an irresistibly soft texture!
- 💛 Perfect For Celebrations : Rainbow sprinkles make this cake festive for birthdays, holidays, and parties. Switch up the sprinkles depending on the holiday or celebration!
- 🩵 Make-Ahead Friendly : The cake needs some time to chill, so it’s an easy dessert to make the day before.
- 💚 Kid-Approved : Who can resist a colorful cake covered in sprinkles?
Simple Ingredients Needed
Funfetti Cake Ingredients
- Confetti Cake Mix : A 15.25 ounce box of confetti cake mix.
- Whole Milk
- Vegetable Oil
- Large Eggs
- Sour Cream : Use full-fat sour cream for the best texture and taste in the cake.
- Pure Vanilla Extract
Whipped Cream Ingredients
- Heavy Whipping Cream : No substitutes!
- Powdered Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract
White Chocolate Pudding Filling Ingredients
- White Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix : A 3.3 ounce box
- Half and Half : You need the extra fat to help thicken and set the pudding mixture.
- Prepared Whipped Cream : You will add 1 cup of the prepared whipped cream, the remaining whipped cream is the ‘frosting’ for the cake.
Garnish Ingredients
- Rainbow Sprinkles : You can use anything here! Switch up the color used depending in the holiday or celebration. Use your favorite sprinkles mix! Anything works.
How To Make Easy Funfetti Poke Cake (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, add the confetti cake mix, whole milk, oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat the cake batter on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the batter is smooth and fully combined.
Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake springs back when gently touched.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.
Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake in an even grid-like pattern, spacing each hole about 1-inch apart. Don’t poke the holes all the way through, just almost to the bottom of the pan.
In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until thick, fluffy, and stiff enough to hold peaks without it sliding off the beaters. Place the whipped cream in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Add the white chocolate instant pudding mix and half and half to a mixing bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes until the pudding starts to thicken but is still soft and spoonable.
Gently fold 1 cup of the prepared whipped cream into the white chocolate pudding mixture and mix until it’s creamy and smooth.
Pipe or spoon the pudding mixture into the holes, then spread the remaining filling over the cake using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Cover the cake and refrigerate for 2 hours, or up to overnight for even better results, so the filling can set before frosting.
Once chilled, spread the remaining whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake using an offset spatula.
Cover the cake and chill for at least 30 minutes, or overnight, before serving so the frosting can firm up slightly and the cake slices more cleanly.
Add the sprinkles on top right before serving. Slice the cake into pieces and serve the cake chilled from the fridge. Enjoy!
How To Store Funfetti Poke Cake
The cake should be stored covered in the refrigerator because of the pudding filling and whipped cream frosting. It will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
The sprinkles look best added right before serving, but leftovers do just fine in the fridge. I recommend not using the little ball shaped sprinkles (nonpareils) as those are more likely to bleed color into the whipped cream frosting while it sits in the fridge for days.
I don’t recommend freezing this poke cake as there is lots of dairy in it that will lose its shape and consistency once frozen and then thawed.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- Add Sprinkles Before Serving : Some sprinkles can bleed into the whipped cream if the cake sits for too long. For the brightest, most colorful appearance, add a fresh layer of sprinkles shortly before serving.
- Don’t Skip The Chilling Time : Refrigerating the cake gives the pudding time to soak into the cake and helps all the layers and flavors set.
- Make Plenty of Holes : Evenly spaced holes in a grid-like pattern (instead of just random) throughout the cake help distribute the pudding so every slice is moist and flavorful.
- Allow Cake To Cool Slightly Before Poking : You don’t want the cake to be piping hot, but you still want it slightly warm so the pudding can easily soak into the holes – if it’s too hot, the pudding will turn loose and runny. Set the timer and allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before poking the holes.
- Sprinkles : Use the rainbow jimmies (the longer stick shape, or a sprinkles mix) rather than little tiny round nonpareils. Jimmies are less likely to bleed color into the whipped cream, even as leftovers sit in the fridge for days.
- My Tips : I love lots of chill time when making poke cakes so here is what I do. I make the cake the day before, as directed with the 2 hour chill time once I fill the poked holes. After the chill time, I then add the remaining whipped cream frosting and cover the cake, and chill it overnight. Add the sprinkles right before serving.
- Whipped Cream : For the best taste, I don’t recommend substituting with Cool Whip. The homemade whipped cream does just fine in the fridge for several hours, depending on when you’re frosting the cake. Keep the whipped cream in an airtight container in the fridge.
More Poke Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- Orange Crush Poke Cake
- The BEST Chocolate Peanut Butter Poke Cake Dessert
- Raspberry Poke Cake (With A White Cake Mix)
- Oreo Poke Cake
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Easy Snickers Poke Cake
- Easy Cherry Poke Cake
- Hawaiian Poke Cake
- Peppermint Poke Cake
- S’mores Poke Cake
- German Chocolate Poke Cake
- Pineapple Poke Cake
- Easy Butterfinger Poke Cake
Funfetti Poke Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Funfetti Cake
- 1 box (15.25 oz) confetti cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped Cream (Filling & Frosting)
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
White Chocolate Pudding Filling
- 1 box (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding mix
- 1¾ cups half and half
- 1 cup prepared whipped cream
Garnish
- rainbow jimmies sprinkles (or a sprinkle mix)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Funfetti Poke Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, add the confetti cake mix, eggs, whole milk, oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to beat the cake batter on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the batter is smooth and fully combined.1 box (15.25 oz) confetti cake mix, 3 large eggs, 1 cup whole milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup full-fat sour cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Spread the cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the cake springs back when gently touched.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes.
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake in an even grid-like pattern, spacing each hole about 1-inch apart. Don't poke the holes all the way through, just almost to the bottom of the pan.
Whipped Cream
- In a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes, or until thick, fluffy, and stiff enough to hold peaks without it sliding off the beaters.3 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Place the whipped cream in a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
White Chocolate Filling
- Add the white chocolate instant pudding mix and half and half to a mixing bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes until the pudding starts to thicken but is still soft and spoonable.1 box (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding mix, 1¾ cups half and half
- Gently fold 1 cup of the prepared whipped cream into the white chocolate pudding mixture and mix until it's creamy and smooth.1 cup prepared whipped cream
- Pipe or spoon the pudding mixture into the holes, then spread the remaining filling over the cake using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Refrigerate/Chill Time
- Cover the cake and refrigerate for 2 hours, or up to overnight for even better results, so the filling can set before frosting.
- Once chilled, spread the remaining whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake using an offset spatula.
- Cover the cake and chill for at least 30 minutes, or overnight, before serving so the frosting can firm up slightly and the cake slices more cleanly.
- Add the sprinkles on top right before serving. Slice the cake into pieces and serve the cake chilled from the fridge. Enjoy!rainbow jimmies sprinkles
Notes
- Add Sprinkles Before Serving : Some sprinkles can bleed into the whipped cream if the cake sits for too long. For the brightest, most colorful appearance, add a fresh layer of sprinkles shortly before serving.
- Don’t Skip The Chilling Time : Refrigerating the cake gives the pudding time to soak into the cake and helps all the layers and flavors set.
- Make Plenty of Holes : Evenly spaced holes in a grid-like pattern (instead of just random) throughout the cake help distribute the pudding so every slice is moist and flavorful.
- Allow Cake To Cool Slightly Before Poking : You don’t want the cake to be piping hot, but you still want it slightly warm so the pudding can easily soak into the holes – if it’s too hot, the pudding will turn loose and runny. Set the timer and allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes before poking the holes.
- Sprinkles : Use the rainbow jimmies (the longer stick shape, or a sprinkles mix) rather than little tiny round nonpareils. Jimmies are less likely to bleed color into the whipped cream, even as leftovers sit in the fridge for days.
- My Tips : I love lots of chill time when making poke cakes so here is what I do. I make the cake the day before, as directed with the 2 hour chill time once I fill the poked holes. After the chill time, I then add the remaining whipped cream frosting and cover the cake, and chill the completed cake overnight. Add the sprinkles right before serving.
- Whipped Cream : For the best taste, I don’t recommend substituting with Cool Whip. The homemade whipped cream does just fine in the fridge for several hours, depending on when you’re frosting the cake. Keep the whipped cream in an airtight container in the fridge.
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