Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

This was a delicious cake recipe! I used an 8x8 cake pan, so had to bake mine a bit longer, but a 9x9 would be better and give you a little more surface area for that pudding to soak into as well. 

Rich chocolate pudding is poured over a warm, scratch made, dense and fudgy chocolate cake and allowed to soak in through the holes poked in the cake after baking. 

The cooled and set pudding creates a delicious, creamy "frosting" atop the cake, in addition to soaking down into the cake and adding wonderful moisture and flavor! 

We're in the beginning of a "severe ice storm" that's supposed to hit Atlanta area in the middle of the night. The grocery stores have been cleaned out - we're well stocked and hoping for the best. The biggest concern / possibility / issue is that there will be power outages. Really hoping that doesn't happen - but we'll stay bundled up, use candles for light, and eat some pb&j's if we need to. And just hope leaving the fridges and freezers closed will keep everything cold until power returns. 

We have all our camping equipment too we could pull out if we need to. I may pull out the sleeping bags and lanterns so they're easy to get to, just in case!

Tonight we're watching the first UFC on Paramount + and enjoying a stacked card and some of the updates they've made to the format. So far so good! We're pretty excited they've moved away from the Pay Per View model - making it much more accessible and I hope they see new vieworship with this format. It's 10:21pm and I'm counting down to the co-main and main events! Only a couple more to go!

I hope you're staying warm, comfortable, and cozy wherever you are tonight! And maybe eat a slice of cake to help with the staying cozy and comfortable!! I would really love a piece of this with a cup of coffee right about now. 

Chocolate Pudding Poke Cake

Ingredients
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ⅓ cups granulated sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cup Fairlife Chocolate Milk

2 cups pre-made pudding (thinned, if needed, with milk to be a spreadable / pourable consistency)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with baker's spray, or nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to combine. 
3. In the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer, combine the eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and milk. Whisk to blend, then slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined. Don't overmix. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 28 - 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean (a few crumbs are fine!).
5. While the cake is baking allow the pudding to rest on the counter, and whisk with milk to thin a little if needed - it should be like a thick milkshake consistency (if you'd like to make scratch pudding, follow the recipe linked at the bottom for Sweet Kitchen Cravings recipe)!
6. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes in the warm cake, and spread the pudding all over the warm cake, allowing it to fill all the holes. Some should remain on the top and becomes the "frosting"!
7. Press plastic wrap against pudding layer and refrigerate at least a few hours before slicing and serving.
8. Store leftovers in the refrigerator

Recipe adapted from Sweet Kitchen Cravings