Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (2024)

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake is made with a homemade vanilla cake that’s soaked with a mix of sweetened condensed milk and orange Jello powder. It’s topped with vanilla whipped cream for the perfect orange creamsicle cake recipe!

Need more orange creamsicle goodness in your life? Whip up my Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake next!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (1)

Table of Contents

  • Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake Recipe
  • How to Make The Best Orange Creamsicle Cake
  • Get the Recipe

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (2)

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake Recipe

I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend. Ours was relatively laid back and involved plenty of food, friends and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ! It was a beautiful day too – nice and warm. We took Jessie on a nice, long walk and then remembered that although we are excited about all the warm weather, she actually prefers winter. The sun is hot for her and she’s a spoiled indoor dog. 🙂 She does love a good walk though.

We also completed day 4 of my IVF shots (see my previous post: I won the infertility jackpot). So far things have gone pretty well. The first two days were a little more stressful because we hadn’t quite gotten the hang of mixing all the medicines and pulling everything into the syringes, but we’ve got it down pretty well now. The needles are small and the physical marks they leave behind are smaller. Emotional marks are yet to be seen, but so far all is well. We have a first monitoring appointment tomorrow to see how things are progressing.

I’ve been extra healthy recently in preparation for these couple of weeks, so sadly I didn’t get to eat a ton of this cake. I wanted to – creamsicles are definitely a fave – but I did get to taste it and it was delicious! Between my Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake and this poke cake, it’s hard to decide which is more fun.

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (3)Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (4)

How to Make The Best Orange Creamsicle Cake

One thing I’ll say for this cake is that it’s super easy to make! The vanilla cake is homemade, but you could swap it out for a cake mix if you really wanted to. Making the homemade cake is quick – no creaming or anything. You don’t even have to pull out your mixer if you don’t want to. Just mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately, combine them, then add some water. A couple bowls and a whisk! I’ll note that the final batter is quite thin, so don’t be alarmed. It bakes up lovely!

When the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over it. I use a knife sharpening rod, but you could also use a straw or the end of a wooden spoon or something similar.

The mixture that’s poured over the cake is a mix of sweetened condensed milk, water and orange JELLO powder. You want to be sure to heat the water so that it’s hot enough for the JELLO powder to dissolve before you add it to the milk. You could heat it in the microwave or over the stove, as long as it will dissolve the powder. We don’t want a grainy cake.

Pour the mixture over the cake and allow it to soak into the holes while the cake cools. I think this cake gets even better as it sits.

The topping is a light vanilla whipped cream. It goes great with the orange-flavored cake and whips up quickly. Spread it over the cake and then top it as you like. I decided to pipe some swirls of whipped cream over the spots where I thought slices would be cut and add a little orange candy slice to each. Simple and fun!

This cake just screams summer and reminiscing about childhoods spent eating creamsicles! If you love the flavor as much as I do, you’ll love this cake!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (5)Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (6)
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”YhJnvatY” upload-date=”Tue Apr 18 2017 22:21:54 GMT+0000 (UTC)” name=”Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake” description=”A homemade vanilla cake that’s soaked with a mix of sweetened condensed milk and orange JELLO powder and topped with whipped cream!”]
Read transcript
NOTE: Recipe updated 5/30/17 so that the orange mixture poured over the cake is a bit less thick. Some additional orange flavor was also added to the cake itself.

Print

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (7)

Recipe

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Lindsay
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 29 minutes
  • Total Time: 59 minutes
  • Yield: 12-15 slices
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
Print

Description

This Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake is made with a homemade vanilla cake that’s soaked with a mix of sweetened condensed milk and orange Jello powder. It’s topped with vanilla whipped cream for the perfect orange creamsicle cake recipe!

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 2 1/2 cups (325g) all purpose flour
  • 2 cups (414g) sugar
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup (240ml) milk
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tbsp orange zest
  • 1/2cup (120ml) water
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh squeezed orange juice*

ORANGE MIXTURE

  • 3 oz package orange JELLO powder
  • 1 1/4cup boiling water
  • 3/4 cupsweetened condensed milk

TOPPING

  • 2 1/4 cups (540ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • Orange candy slices

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a 9×13 inch cake pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanillaextract, eggs and orange zest to a medium sized bowl and combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. Slowly add the water and orange juice to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 28-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over the top of the cake.
8. Add the JELLO powder to the boiling water, then stir until the powder dissolves completely. You don’t want it to remain grainy.
9. Add the orange mixture to the sweetened condensed milk and mix until well combined.
10. Pour the orange mixture over the top of the cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Let cake cool completely.
11. To make the whipped cream topping, place the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract into a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
12. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake and top with swirls of frosting and orange candy slices.
13. Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. Cake is best for 3-4 days.

* Be sure to use a fresh orange for the juice, not store-bought juice. Store-bought juice has additional sugar and other things added that will affect the way the cake bakes.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 413
  • Sugar: 45.4 g
  • Sodium: 223.1 mg
  • Fat: 15.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 64.1 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Cholesterol: 49.4 mg

Filed Under:

  • Cakes and Cupcakes
  • Recipes
  • Recipes with video
  • Sweets and Treats

Enjoy!

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (8)

Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake | The Best Orange Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my poke cake soggy? ›

This can happen when you pour too much liquid into the holes of your cake. This can occur when the holes are less than an inch apart from each other and this is why instant pudding is such a game-changer — its thick consistency won't drench the cake sponge too quickly, resulting in a soggy mess.

What is orange cake made of? ›

Orange cake is made with whipped egg whites which keeps the cake fluffy and light, orange zest, and fresh orange juice that gives this cake a delicious fresh flavor. The rest of the ingredients are super simple. Flour, baking powder, vanilla extract, kosher salt, vegetable oil, and sugar!

Why is it called poke cake? ›

Poke-and-pour cake (also called poke cake) is a cake recipe that calls for holes to be poked in it after baking, usually with the handle of a wooden spoon or a wooden skewer. Then a liquid is poured over the baked cake to soak into the cake holes.

How do you keep a cake super moist? ›

Seven Bakery Secrets to Incredibly Moist Cakes Every Time
  1. Use Buttermilk Instead of Milk.
  2. Add Vegetable Oil.
  3. Use Instant Clearjel or Instant Pudding Mix.
  4. Use the Right Recipe.
  5. Don't Overbake.
  6. Bake in Sheet Pans Instead of individual Cake Pans.
  7. Use a Simple Syrup or Glaze.
Apr 23, 2021

How can you prevent the soggy bottom of the cake? ›

Use a lower oven temperature. A lower oven temperature will help the cake to cook evenly and prevent the bottom from becoming soggy.

What does adding pudding to a cake do? ›

Adding instant pudding mix to your dessert brings a moist texture to recipes. It's especially useful when baking a cake from a boxed mix for added flavor and moisture. Also follow these simple trick or two to make pudding mix taste homemade.

How do you keep chips from sinking in a cake? ›

To keep chocolate chips from sinking in your baked goods, make sure to lightly coat them in flour for better grip and moisture absorption. Opt for smaller chips and a thicker batter for better suspension. Mix the chips well into the batter, but avoid overmixing to keep the right consistency.

Why does my orange cake taste bitter? ›

If you purposely or accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder without making any changes to your recipe, you'll definitely end up with a bitter taste. Remember, baking soda is an alkaline, or base, ingredient that naturally has a bitter taste. Baking powder is a multi-ingredient leavener.

What is Elvis Presley cake? ›

An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.

How do you enhance orange flavor in baking? ›

A good orange extract and/or orange zest added to the batter. Grate about 2 tablespoons orange rind in a small amount of the sugar that you will be adding to cake. mix rind with fingers into sugar add to sugar for cake . Squeeze about 1 fourth cup fresh orange juice into batter.

Why is poke so delicious? ›

The raw fish provides a fresh and clean taste, while the marinade and toppings offer a variety of flavors and textures. The dish is typically light and healthy, making it a perfect option for those looking for a satisfying meal without the guilt.

Who invented poke cake? ›

Simply, and somewhat crudely, titled, the cake is an advertising invention of the late 1970s, when Jell-O used it to re-initiate the public to its jiggly, ubiquitous resourcefulness in dessert making. Jell-O salads of the 50s and 60s were outmoded and on the wane; the poke cake was a way to bring Jell-O back.

Why is it called dump cake? ›

A dump cake is an American dessert similar to a cobbler but with a cake-like topping. It is so named because it is prepared by "dumping" ingredients (typically canned fruit or pie filling, followed by a boxed cake mix) into a cake pan without mixing.

Why does my cake feel wet? ›

Under baking: If the cake is not baked fully, the center and bottom may remain moist and under cooked. Make sure to follow the recommended baking time and insert a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the cake to check for doneness. If it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, the cake is properly baked.

Why is my vegan cake soggy? ›

You could try different ones or try reducing the water and/or oil content a little. If you're adding things like fruit to the batter it can release juices during baking that can make cakes soggy. I usually reduce my water and oil content a little when I bake these types of cakes.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: The Hon. Margery Christiansen

Last Updated:

Views: 5748

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 93% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: The Hon. Margery Christiansen

Birthday: 2000-07-07

Address: 5050 Breitenberg Knoll, New Robert, MI 45409

Phone: +2556892639372

Job: Investor Mining Engineer

Hobby: Sketching, Cosplaying, Glassblowing, Genealogy, Crocheting, Archery, Skateboarding

Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.