5 from 4 votes

One of the most popular recipes on the site, Jack and Coke Cupcakes, turned into a boozy, chocolate poke cake! Rich chocolate cola cake is filled with a whiskey chocolate ganache and topped with a creamy whiskey buttercream frosting.

Close up of a slice of Jack and Coke poke cake showing the chocolate ganache filling

There's something about poke cakes that appeals to the masses. Until I made this one, I was never particularly intrigued by them – but the internet sure is.

To be honest, I kinda always thought they were a bit dated and kitschy.

What is a poke cake?

Poke cake is pretty much what it sounds like – it's a cake that you poke holes in.

Thankfully, it doesn't mean you're eating a cake that's just missing pieces. You actually fill those holes with delicious fillings, like syrups and ganaches, that soak into the cake and add tons of flavor and a bit of whimsy.

Poke cakes started around 1970 when Jell-O invented the dessert to try to increase their sales. Their original recipe was:

Use white cake mix to bake a sheet cake, then let it cool
Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake
Pour strawberry Jell-O mix over the top to fill the holes you made
Put the cake in the fridge to allow the Jell-O to set
Once set, you “frosted” the cake with Cool Whip

Quite honestly, that in no way appeals to me. Cake + Jell-O does not sound like a good time – but hey, I could be wrong! Either way, thankfully people have gotten more creative since the 1970s and the types of poke cakes you'll find on the internet now have any and every flavor you can think of.

Close up of the inside of Jack and Coke chocolate poke cake

Why poke cakes are so popular

Keep in mind, this is all my own opinions and speculation, but here's what I think poke cakes are such a popular dessert:

It's a sheet cake, which means there are no fancy pans, leveling, or layering required
You don't need any fancy equipment to make the holes – the end of a spatula or wooden spoon is perfect
The resulting cake is more moist than a typical sheet cake
It's an easy way to “upgrade” boxed cake mix
You get to let your aggression out by stabbing a cake (what, just me?)

My upgrade: a boozy whiskey chocolate poke cake

I wanted to start trying my hand at poke cakes, but everything I was coming up with felt too boring. So I decided to start with what I knew was already a wildly popular recipe on my site: my Jack and Coke cupcakes.

That recipe was easily to transform into a chocolate poke cake because it already had the element of a chocolate whiskey ganache filling in the middle. I tweaked it a bit to be more fluid, and it's perfect for filling the holes you poke in the cake!

How much whiskey is in the cake?

In total, there's about 4 ounces of whiskey:

2 ounces (1/4 cup) whiskey in the chocolate whiskey filling
1 1/2 ounces (3 Tablespoons) whiskey in the frosting
1/2 ounce (1 Tablespoon) brushed over the top of the cake just after it comes out of the oven

That said, you can tweak the amount as you see fit.

I personally feel like the amount I call for in the recipe is just enough where you can definitely taste the whiskey, but not so much that it overpowers the rest of the flavors in the cake.

Do I have to use Jack Daniel's whiskey?

Nope! You can use whatever whiskey you have, just make sure it's something you enjoy the flavor of.

I personally recommend Tennessee whiskey, bourbon whiskey or Irish whiskey for the best flavor profile.

Four photo collage showing the process of topping poke cake with chocolate ganache

Tips for making Jack and Coke chocolate poke cake

You need the sugar from the Coca Cola. You can't use any of the reduced or sugar free versions – it won’t work for the purpose of this recipe.
Glaze the cake with 1 Tablespoon whiskey as soon as it comes out of the oven. It adds even more flavor and moisture to the finished product.
Let the cake cool before poking. Let it cool for 10 minutes before you start to poke your holes – if you do it while it's still too warm, the cake will tear and pull more than you want it to.
Poke enough holes, but not too many! Use the end of a wood spoon, spatula, or similarly sized object to make your holes, and poke 4 holes across the short side and 5 down the longer side. You could also do 5 across x 6 down, but I I find 4 x 5 to be enough to contain the ganache, but not so much that it turns the cake into a mushy mess.

A pan of chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting

Overhead shot of cake pan covered in white buttercream frosting

When you’re making the ganache, don’t jump ahead and add the whiskey too soon. Make sure you add it right at the end, otherwise you’re going to cook off some of that flavor!
You have to find the balance between having the ganache too cool or too warm. Too cool, it won’t be fluid enough to work with. Too warm, and it’ll melt through your piping bag and just plain cause a mess! Wait to pipe it in until it’s cool enough not to give you trouble when you’re placing it in a piping bag.
You can omit the vanilla extract. If you want the end result to be as whiskey-y as possible, you can omit the vanilla extract. I think that the vanilla complements the whiskey flavor beautifully, but it does make the whiskey flavor less bold.

Overhead shot of a piece of cake on a white plate with a fork full of cake on the side

How to store poke cake

You can store the chocolate poke cake in the fridge for up to 2 days as long as it's tightly covered – so using a 9×13″ pan that has a tight-fitting cover is perfect.

Any longer than 2 days and the cake is going to start to take on a weird, mushy texture.

How to serve poke cake

Another great thing about sheet cake style desserts is that serving them is a breeze – just slice into squares, use a spatula to lift it out and place on serving plates. Ta-da!

If you wanted to get cute with it, you could add those little gummy cola bottles or candied lime fruit slices to each slice of cake (the same way I top each of my Jack and Coke cupcakes).

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