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Mexican Chocolate Poke Cake

Mexican chocolate poke cake with a tender, moist crumb and a cinnamon-cayenne kick, baked in a 9x13 pan and finished with a glossy chocolate drip. Warm poke holes soak up sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup, then it’s topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings for a party-ready dessert.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
cooling/resting 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.75 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper
Wet ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate drip + topping
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 0.5 cup chocolate syrup
  • 2 cups whipped cream
  • 1 Chocolate shavings for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the chocolate cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper until evenly combined.
  3. Beat together eggs, strong brewed coffee (cooled), vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
  4. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Poke, glaze, and chill
  1. While cake is still warm, pierce all over with a fork to create soaking holes.
  2. Combine sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup, then pour evenly over the cake so it visibly seeps into the holes.
  3. Let cool completely, then chill for 30 minutes to set the glaze.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the cake with whipped cream in an even layer, creating soft peaks across the surface.
  2. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over the whipped cream right before serving, so the chocolate drip stays visible at the edges.

Notes

For the cleanest poke-drip soak, pierce the cake while it’s still warm and pour the condensed-milk chocolate mixture slowly so it penetrates evenly. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze unfrosted (skip whipped cream) up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge and add fresh whipped cream. If you want less sweetness, use unsweetened cocoa with a reduced-sugar chocolate syrup (measure to taste) while keeping the same poke-glaze ratio for proper setting.