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    Home » Recipes » Desserts & Treats

    Butter Brickle Poke Cake

    by Mindy Boyd · Published: Nov 25, 2022 · Updated: Dec 23, 2024

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    ⏲️ 47 minutes mins
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    Butter Brickle Poke Cake was inspired by my husband Lee because one of his favorite flavors of ice cream is butter brickle. We love the flavor combination this poke cake recipe offers. And, I am happy to say that this is now one of Lee’s favorite desserts. Not sure about you but one of the reasons I love cooking and baking is to make people happy. It is very satisfying when someone raves over food I make for them.

    One piece of cake on a white plate with the title above it in brown text.

    For this delicious cake I made a butter recipe yellow cake mix and put some Heath toffee bits into the cake batter before I baked it. When it came out of the oven I poked holes in the warm cake, then added a layer of vanilla pudding, and then a layer of Cool Whip. And I didn’t stop there, I decided it needed a drizzle of caramel sauce and little pieces of Heath bars. It is a decadent and delicious easy dessert.

    The entire uncut butter brickle poke cake in a stoneware casserole dish.

    We didn’t quite follow the package directions when making our cake. We opted for melted butter instead of softened butter. Bon Appetit has an interesting article about using melted butter in baked goods. I also made this easy peasy by not even using a hand mixer, I just whisked everything together.

    One piece of cake in the foreground and the rest of the cake in the background.

    This cake is similar to the Better Than Sex Cake but we use yellow cake instead of chocolate cake. We use vanilla pudding instead of sweetened condensed milk.

    Ingredients

    See recipe card for exact amounts.

    All of the ingredients needed to make the cake laid out on a table.

    Ingredient Notes

    Boxed Cake Mix – we use our favorite brand of yellow cake.

    Butter – I like real unsalted butter for this.

    Eggs – we use Eggland’s Best large eggs.

    Vanilla Pudding – store bought instant pudding works perfectly for this.

    Milk – we like whole milk.

    Toffee Bits – these are found on the aisle with the chocolate chips.

    Cool Whip – I prefer this because it holds up well.

    Caramel Sauce – store bought or homemade.

    Heath Bits – these come already chopped up and ready to go, also on the aisle with the chocolate chips.

    Side by side images of the batter ingredients in a glass bowl, unmixed and mixed.

    How to Make Butter Brickle Poke Cake

    1. Melt butter and allow to cool slightly.
    2. Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 13 X 9 pan with cooking spray.
    3. In a large bowl mix cake mix, butter, water, eggs and toffee pieces with a whisk until well combined.
    4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 32 – 35 minutes. See notes below on how to tell if a cake is done.
    5. When cake is done remove it from the oven and poke holes in it with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
    6. In a medium bowl mix the pudding mix with cold milk and let sit for a couple of minutes to thicken a little bit. Pour over the top of the cake and spread evenly so the pudding gets down into the holes. Top with whipped topping. Drizzle top of cake with caramel sauce and then sprinkle with chopped up Heath candy. We allow the cake to set up in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before cutting. You can totally cut it an eat it right away of you want!
    The unbaked cake batter in a white and black stoneware baking pan.

    What Kind of Cake Pan Should You Use

    Basically you can use whatever type you have. I use a stoneware casserole dish. There was a time that the only kind of pan this size I owned was metal. You can use metal, glass, ceramic or stoneware. Just remember if you are using a nonstick or dark pan to lower the oven temp to 325° and start checking it a little earlier.

    Side by side images of the baked cake without and with the holes.

    How to Tell When Cake is Done

    Your oven and even the type of pan you bake the cake in all play a part in how long a particular cake takes to bake. There are a few tell-tale signs a cake is done. I have underbaked cake before and while it was still edible it didn’t look as good because the center of the cake was sort of sunken down.

    Some of these methods work better on some cakes than others. You can’t tell if a chocolate cakes edges are brown, and inserting a toothpick into a cake that has fruit or chocolate chips in it might not come out clean. Taking all of these things into account will help determine if your specific cake is completely baked.

    Here are the best ways to tell that your cake is ready to be taken out of the oven:

    • The edges start to brown.
    • Lightly touch the top of the cake and if it springs back and no indentation remains then it is done.
    • The edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
    • A toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
    The baked cake in the background and a bowl of pudding in the foreground.
    Side by side images of the baked cake with vanilla pudding and then topped with cool whip.

    Tips & Tricks

    Make sure your butter isn’t hot.

    Let the eggs come to room temperature.

    Put small dollops of Cool Whip on top of the pudding and spread in one direction so you have a layer of pudding, then a layer of whipped topping. Spreading it in a back-and-forth motion will result in the two being mixed together. You can refrigerate the cake after you add the pudding so it will set up a bit to make it a little easier if you want.

    One piece of butter brickle poke cake on a white plate.

    Variations

    The possibilities are nearly endless on the ways to change this up a bit.

    • Use a different flavor pudding. Chocolate or butterscotch would taste great on this.
    • Use a different flavor cake mix.
    • Add a drizzle of hot fudge, chocolate sauce or butterscotch topping.
    • You can use homemade cake, pudding, or whipped cream. I wanted this recipe to be quick and easy, but if you have time then I think this dessert might be even tastier. I can’t even imagine!
    a close up overhead shot of the entire cake so you can see the caramel and heath topping.

    More poke cake dessert ideas

    Tornado Cake

    Twix Cake

    Black Forest

    Peppermint Mocha

    One piece of cake on a plate in the foreground and one piece of cake and the rest of it in the background.

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    A close up shot of one piece of cake on a white plate.

    Butter Brickle Poke Cake

    Mindy Boyd
    Butter Brickle Poke Cake is a delicious and decadent dessert that features a boxed yellow cake mix, pudding, caramel and Heath toffee bits.
    5 from 16 votes
    Print – Email Required Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 32 minutes mins
    Total Time 47 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 yellow cake mix 15.25 ounces
    • 1 stick butter melted
    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup water
    • 3/4 cup toffee bits
    • 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding 3.4 ounces
    • 2 cups milk
    • 1 container Cool Whip 8 ounces
    • caramel sauce
    • 1 cup Heath candy bar bits
    Get Recipe Ingredients

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    Instructions
     

    • Melt butter and allow to cool slightly.
    • Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 13 X 9 pan with cooking spray.
    • In a large bowl mix cake mix, butter, water, eggs and toffee pieces with a whisk until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 32 – 35 minutes.
      1 yellow cake mix, 1 stick butter, 3 eggs, 1 cup water, 3/4 cup toffee bits
    • When cake is done remove it from the oven and poke holes in it with the handle end of a wooden spoon.
    • In a medium bowl mix the pudding mix with cold milk and let sit for a couple of minutes to thicken a little bit. Pour over the top of the cake and spread evenly so the pudding gets down into the holes. Top with whipped topping. Drizzle top of cake with caramel sauce and then sprinkle with chopped up Heath candy.
      1 pkg instant vanilla pudding, 2 cups milk, 1 container Cool Whip, caramel sauce, 1 cup Heath candy bar bits

    Notes

    Did you make this recipe? We would love it if you would leave us a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
     
    Nutritional information is approximate. 
     
    See tips, notes, and suggestions in the post above.
     
    Bookmark this page to find it quickly when you are ready to make this recipe!

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 544mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 49g | Vitamin A: 498IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment below.
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Annie Hemi says

      January 25, 2025 at 1:12 am

      5 stars
      Mindy,
      I made this today for the folks at my office — I had made the Betty Crocker version of Butter Brickle Cake a week earlier and found it lacking (mind you they made the original Butter Brickle cake mix and frosting). I was making a BB cake because one of our co-workers had been out for 6 weeks for back surgery and she told me she loved BB cake. Anyway, details aside, this recipe was the bomb! People loved it — I loved it! Also, I made that caramel sauce recipe you shared, to put on top. Egad that was manna from heaven! Thank you so much Mindy for a real keeper!

      Reply
      • Mindy Boyd says

        January 25, 2025 at 10:06 am

        You’re welcome! I an so glad everyone loved it as much as we do!

        Reply
    2. Books are Life says

      May 07, 2024 at 2:24 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks, Mindy! This was a hit with my family! Love the Heath bar bits. I suggest adding a little more to the batter if you like that candy.Yum! Keep refrigerated after toppings are added.

      Reply
      • Mindy Boyd says

        May 07, 2024 at 2:52 pm

        You’re welcome. Great idea, you can’t have too much candy can you?!

        Reply
    5 from 16 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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