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Home » What We're Eating » Margarita Poke Cake

Margarita Poke Cake

Lasted edited September 18, 2018. Originally published June 27, 2016 by Blair

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Get the party started with a Margarita Poke Cake! This easy summer dessert is moist, fluffy, boozy, and bursting with plenty of fresh lime flavor. It's the perfect addition to any celebration this season!

Total Time: 40 minutes
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Get the party started with a Margarita Poke Cake! This easy summer dessert is moist, fluffy, boozy, and bursting with plenty of fresh lime flavor. It’s the perfect addition to any celebration this season!

An easy and moist Margarita Poke Cake that's perfect for summer!

I think I’ve taken my love for multi-tasking to a whole new level: with this quick dessert recipe you can have your cocktail AND your dessert…in one bite!

Slice of easy margarita poke cake on a plate with fresh berries and lime.

What is a Poke Cake?

This is nothing fancy — and it’s just what it sounds like — a cake that you poke holes in when you’re done baking it!

You can use the end of a wooden spoon, smaller wooden kabob skewers, or anything else in your kitchen that will poke little holes all over the top of the cake.

You can then fill the holes with just about any flavor that you like. Some options include liquid jell-o, pureed fruit, chocolate cream, or (in this case) — pudding!

Just look at how moist the pudding keeps the inside of this cake!

Use a box of cake mix to make this boozy cocktail inspired Margarita Poke Cake!

Here are a few other ways to adapt this Poke Cake Recipe:

  • Use lemon, lime, or even strawberry Jell-o in lieu of the pudding! To do so, whisk together 1 (6-ounce) package of dry Jell-O mix with 2 cups of boiling water until combined. Pour Jell-O mixture slowly over the top of the cake, allowing the liquid to soak into the holes.
  • Use vanilla instant pudding instead of lemon instant pudding.
  • Adjust the amount of liquor that you use! You can omit the alcohol altogether, if you like. I kept the liquor on the light side, so this cake appeals to just about anyone (even kids!), but you can obviously amp up the booze if you’re looking for a rowdier party!

Seriously, what’s not to love about a lemon-lime cake that’s infused with just a touch of tequila and Triple Sec?!

Margarita Poke Cake with fluffy cool whip frosting!

This is such a simple way to add a touch of fun to a beach party, to a summer picnic, or to any other summer gathering. Thanks to the fluffy and creamy topping, this is a light and perfect way to end a meal on a warm evening!

A festive and easy dessert for summer or Cinco de Mayo - Margarita Poke Cake!

If you’ve tried this Margarita Poke Cake or any other recipe on The Seasoned Mom then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to see what I’m up to.

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!
4.34 from 3 votes
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Margarita Poke Cake

Get the party started with a Margarita Poke Cake! This easy summer dessert is moist, fluffy, boozy, and bursting with plenty of fresh lime flavor. It's the perfect addition to any celebration this season!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American/Tropical
Keyword Cake, Cake Mix Recipe, Poke Cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling 2 hours
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 slices
Calories 231 kcal
Author Blair

Ingredients

  • 1 (16.5 ounce) box lemon cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box (eggs, oil, water)
  • 1 (3.4 oz) box lemon instant pudding mix
  • Juice and zest from 1 lime
  • 3 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons tequila divided**
  • 1 tablespoon Triple Sec
  • 12 oz frozen whipped topping thawed
  • Optional toppings: fresh lime slices; sprinkles; extra lime zest

Instructions

  1. Bake cake in a greased 13x9-inch baking pan according to package instructions but ADD zest from 1 lime and 2 tablespoons of tequila to the batter.
  2. While cake is still warm, use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the cake. Make sure to press the holes all the way to the bottom of the cake.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk milk into pudding mix until thick and smooth. Stir in juice from 1 lime, 1 tablespoon of tequila and 1 tablespoon of Triple Sec. Spread pudding onto warm cake, pouring the pudding into the holes. Use a spatula or spoon to gently push the pudding into each of the holes. You want the cake to be saturated!
  4. Place cake in refrigerator to cool completely before frosting (about 2 hours).
  5. When cake is cool, prepare the frosting.
  6. Add 1 tablespoon of tequila to the whipped topping. Gently fold together until combined. Spread whipped topping onto cake and sprinkle with desired toppings (sprinkles, extra lime zest, fresh lime slices). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

**I kept the alcohol content pretty low in this recipe so that it would not overpower the taste of the cake. Obviously, if you want to get really crazy and use more booze…feel free! Just adjust the measurements to suit your taste.

Nutrition Facts
Margarita Poke Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 231 Calories from Fat 113
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12.6g 19%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.2g
Cholesterol 49.5mg 17%
Sodium 174.7mg 7%
Potassium 114.2mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 21.1g 7%
Sugars 14.8g
Protein 3.7g 7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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11 Comments
Filed Under: Sweet Treats, What We're Eating
Tagged With: cake, Dessert, easy recipe, lime, margarita, Summer

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Comments

  1. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

    June 27, 2016 at 7:25 am

    I’ve never made a poke cake before, but when I do, this will be one of the first that I try. I love that you can have your cocktail and dessert in one! Such a fun flavor, Blair! And I know this would be absolutely perfect for the 4th, too!

    Reply
  2. Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen says

    June 27, 2016 at 9:45 am

    This cake looks absolutely delicious, Blair! I love that lemon pudding inside! This is a perfect summer cake- the flavor sounds so refreshing!

    Reply
  3. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious says

    June 27, 2016 at 2:40 pm

    This looks so yummy! I’m sure if it had had alcohol in it it would have been hard to keep away from the kids!

    Reply
    • Blair says

      June 27, 2016 at 4:13 pm

      Thanks so much, Megan! Yep, the kids love this one too!

      Reply
  4. Olivia @ Olivia's Cuisine says

    June 27, 2016 at 6:18 pm

    I am so in love with this cake. It looks so fluffy and moist. And that frosting? Oh, girl, you are killing me! 😛 😛 😛

    Reply
    • Blair says

      June 27, 2016 at 6:41 pm

      Yep, that FROSTING!!! 🙂 Thanks, Olivia!

      Reply
  5. google says

    September 14, 2016 at 2:23 am

    It’s fantastic that you are getting thoughts from this article as well as from our discussion made at this time.

    Reply
  6. Melissa says

    May 4, 2017 at 8:41 am

    I made the margarita cake yesterday. There are a couple of errors in the recipe. The first is the amount of liquid for the pudding, it says 3 cups and it should be 2. All that milk plus the added lime juice and tequila, it never thickened up. This morning when I went to put my whipped cream on the cake, it was still liquid. I just told my husband to tell everyone to bring a straw, it tasted alright but 2 cups of milk is all it needed. The other is that you say 3 tablespoons of tequila divided and you use 4 tablespoons in the recipe. I do look forward to making this recipe again, with the adjustments.

    Reply
  7. Blair says

    May 15, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    Hi, Melissa! Thanks for your comments and feedback!

    I’m glad that you were happy with the two cups of milk; however, I would still recommend using the 3 cups. I prefer the pudding to be a more liquid consistency so that it easily pours and seeps into the holes in the cake. Again, two cups is fine if you like it more set — I just think it works best with the 3 cups. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Carrie says

    July 18, 2018 at 2:09 pm

    I used the 3 cups of milk and mine never got ‘thick and creamy’, just liquid and foam. The cake came out, well, liquidy. I think I’ll take Melissa’s advice and use 2 cups.

    Reply
  9. NarcosXXX says

    October 9, 2018 at 8:22 am

    Thanks , I have recently been searching for info approximately
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    Reply

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I'm Blair! I believe in the power of a simple homemade meal to bring a family together. That's why I share easy, quick-prep recipes that eliminate mealtime stress!

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