Candy Corn Poke Cake! The perfect Halloween dessert that is super easy to make but has a big wow factor!!
This Candy Corn Poke Cake is a post I shared with you all way back in 2013. You all loved it so much I thought I would update the photos and make a video of it for you! If you are looking for some other great Halloween treats, be sure to check out this Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Pudding and this super fun Rice Krispies Treat Graveyard! And hey grownups! After you go trick or treating, you are going to want to warm up with Slow Cooker Mulled Wine!
Today is my little boy’s first day of all day school! (I have already blogged about this approximately 7,462 times, so forgive me.) It’s so emotional!!
Yesterday morning I was sitting in the kitchen with him and telling him that we would be heading to his school later that day to drop off school supplies and for him to have his school picture taking. I casually mentioned that this year he shouldn’t make his “poop’n face” in the school picture . . . you know, where your kid does that awkward face that is supposed to be a smile but really just looks like they are pooping (I know, I’m the worst mom ever.) . . . last year {ahem} we didn’t end up ordering any.
He started bawling.
And I thought, “I’ve really done it this time. I’m always thinking that I’m hilarious and I just let it fly all the time, but seriously, Lisa. When will you learn to just shutty??”
I quickly picked Gavin up, and said, “Oh no! What’s wrong??” And he told me through sobs that he was just really sad about not being able to be at home with me and Quinn all day.
I blurted out, “Oh!! I thought it was because I told you not to make a poopn’ face!!” And he burst out laughing through his tears.
But then he went back to crying, and so did I.
It is kind of unimaginable that this kiddo of mine is in all day kindergarden. I really feel like it must have been just a week ago that I was pacing the floor of his nursery willing him to go to sleep. And surely it was just a few days ago that he told me that he loved me for the first time. And it must have only been yesterday that we were celebrating his third birthday and he was literally the only thing that was getting me through losing his little brother.
Gavin is all sorts of special. He is kind and loving and compassionate. Funny and silly and smart. He has a magnetic personality that draws people to him.
I worry that the time with him at home went too fast. That I didn’t take advantage of every little second that I had with him at home. And while I was holding a crying Gavin and crying myself which was just a vicious loop of us making each other cry more and more . . . I thought about the last day I spent with my mom. She was so so sick. And she asked my brothers to set up the tv in the guest room where she was camped out (a first floor vs second floor option) so she could watch Oprah.
As they scurried around the house looking for the tv, something to put it on, extension cords, etc I chatted with her. She looked at me and said, “If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, would you really want to spend your last hours watching Oprah?” She paused for a minute and then said, “But it’s not about the last few hours. It’s about how you lived your whole life.”
I know that this is kind of a dramatic comparison, but I think it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day with kids and worry that you yelled too much, allowed too much tv, too much candy, etc on any given day . . . but I think it’s good to step back and look at the big picture. Recognize that your child is amazing, and though they are their own little person, you must be doing something right!
Guess what is three million times easier than parenting decisions? Candy Corn Poke Cake!! It’s really just regular ‘ole poke cake with a little flare, but it makes for a really fun Halloween treat!
Candy Corn Poke Cake
Ingredients
- one box of white cake mix plus the fixn's needed to make it
- food coloring
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- whipped topping
- candy corn
Instructions
- Make the cake batter as directed. Then divide it into three equal parts. Color one yellow, one orange, and leave one alone. Make sure you add enough to make it really vibrant.
- Spray the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan . Spread the yellow layer evenly across the bottom, and then stick it in the freezer (make sure it is sitting flat). Leave it in there for 20 minutes.
- As soon as you pull it out, very carefully add the orange layer, pouring it as evenly as possible around the pan, and gently spreading it out to cover the yellow. Put it back in the freezer for 20 more minutes.
- Preheat your oven to the temperature specified on the cake mix.
- Taking out the cake batter pan, again, carefully spread the white layer. Let it sit on top of the preheating oven for at least 30 minutes.
- Bake according to package directions. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes throughout the cake with the end of a wooden spoon. Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the cake, making sure to fill each hole.
- Refrigerate overnight. Right before serving, top with whipped topping, candy corn, and enjoy!
- **Note, the candy corn tends to bleed into the whip cream, so if you aren't going to be serving it right away, you might want to wait to top it.
did you make this
Candy Corn Poke Cake
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Grace Matherne says
Hi I was wandering how many days before party can I make this poke cake Thanks Gracie
Hi Grace, I’m so sorry, I’m so late responding to this! I would make this cake no more than two days ahead. And I would wait to do the last two steps of the cool whip and the candy corn right before serving.
Kerry k. roche says
hi! I made this Saturday night for a birthday yesterday and it was delicious :-) I was wondering if you think it would make it to Tuesday and how you think it should be stored I’ve never worked with condensed milk before… I have it in the fridge right now wrapped under foil but I’m not sure
I’m so glad you liked it! If you are thinking Tuesday, like tomorrow, I definitely think it will be okay. If you are talking much longer than that, I would throw it in the freezer. You might need to put on new frosting after freezing it, but I think it will freeze beautifully.
Kerry k. roche says
I should mention that I used regular canned whipped frosting for this not whipped cream. If that changes how I should store it
Lyn says
Hi Lisa :)
This cake looks yummy 😋 I have a dumb question-in the directions it stars to let cake sit on preheated oven. My oven is built in and so I’m wondering if it was supposed to sit on counter for at least 30 minutes (before going in the oven).
Oh also-do you think the cake would taste like a regular cake if you don’t do the poke method/step?
Thanks:)
Tara Abbott says
Hello,
My name is Tara Abbott and I work at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Wichita, KS. I am currently working on a fall activity kit to push out to our congregation online. I was wondering if you would be okay with us using your recipe for candy corn poke cake in our kit with a link to your website. I would like to use the picture you provided as well as the recipe giving you full credit on the page in which the recipe is used on.
Please let me know if you would allow us permission to use this!
Hi Tara, could you email me about this? [email protected]