Poke Cake | Cherry Poke Cake Recipe

Cherry Poke Cake is a simple and delicious way to satisfy your sweet tooth. With just a few ingredients and a simple to follow recipe, you'll have a cake you'll want to sneak bites of again and again.

Why You'll Love This Cake Recipe

• Easy. Bake the cake, poke some holes, pour the syrup, frost, and enjoy. Just a few simple steps for a dessert your family or guests will adore.
• Vegetarian. Unlike many other poke cakes, this is a poke cake without jello. So, there's no need to be concerned about using gelatin.
• Delicious. With rich cherry flavors in every bite, you'll fall in love with this decadent cake recipe.
• Low Carb. While this cake is far from keto-approved because of a few ingredients that include simple sugars, it is low in carbs compared to many cakes and can be enjoyed in moderation if you're primarily eating low carb for weight reduction.

Why Is It Called Poke Cake?

The name given to this cake comes from the tell-tale holes that you poke in the cake to create wells of flavor throughout.

While you won't be able to see the holes in the cake once it is frosted, you will be able to tell that it is indeed a poke cake when you cut your first piece.

What Do You Use To Poke Holes In Cake?

When creating the holes in the cake to pour the cherry syrup into, you have several options. There is no "correct" way to go about this. You can use something large for bigger deposits of cherry flavor, or you can use something small if you want to ensure your flavor is distributed equally throughout the cake.

Here are a few different things you can use to poke the holes:

• Toothpick
• Bamboo skewer
• Chopstick
• Straw
• Handle end of a fork or spoon

Ingredients You'll Need

The list of ingredients below may seem rather lengthy, but this will be everything you will need for not only the poke cake but the cherry "filling" and the cream cheese frosting as well.

• Almond Flour- Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour in this recipe to keep it low carb and gluten-free.
• Coconut Flour- Adds sweetness while maintaining a low carb count.
• Truvia- Skip the sugar and use Truvia to sweeten your cake without the guilt.
• Baking Soda-Keeps the cake light and fluffy.
• Salt- To help balance the sweetness of the other ingredients.
• Butter- Melted butter gives additional moisture and richness to the low carb cake mix.
• Eggs- To bind the cake and prevent it from being crumbly.
• Cherry Skinny Syrup- Gives the illusion of biting into a juicy maraschino cherry without overloading with sugar.
• Maraschino Cherries- Yes, I know these are far from low carb. Use them sparingly--or omit them completely to keep this dish light.
• Heavy Whipping Cream- Creates a creamy frosting.
• Truvia Confectioner's Sugar- Provides sweetness to the keto frosting without adding unnecessary carbs.
• Almond Extract- Almond pairs extremely well with the flavor of the cherry syrup and maraschino cherries in the cake mix.
• Cream Cheese- Thickens the frosting and adds a finishing layer of tanginess to the cake.

How To Make A Poke Cake

To Make The Cake

1. In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, Truvia, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.
3. Slowly combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
4. Once the two bowls of ingredients are combined, chop and gently fold in the maraschino cherries.
5. Pour the cake mix into a well-greased cake pan.
6. Bake the cake at 350F for 35 minutes.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes.
8. Once the cake has cooled, use a chopstick to poke small holes evenly (approximately 1 inch apart).
9. Take the cherry flavored skinny syrup and pour it into the holes you have created in the cake.
10. Once the cake is baked and the cherry syrup has been poured into the holes, use the keto frosting recipe below to cover the top of the cake.
11. Cut into 12 servings, garnish, and enjoy!

To Make The Frosting

1. In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, almond extract, Truvia Confectioner's sugar, and heavy whipping cream.
2. Mix until well combined and slightly fluffy.

Why Is My Poke Cake Soggy?

There can be two different things that can cause your poke cake to become soggy. Check out the reasons why before you get started to avoid a cake that is anything less than perfect:

1. Too much filling. If you're one of those people that believes that more is always better, try to avoid that mindset when making this cake. Sure, the skinny cherry syrup tastes amazing, but adding too much to your cake can cause it to become oversaturated and soggy. Trust me when I say that a little bit goes a long way.
2. Not enough rest time. Give your baked cake plenty of time to cool before poking holes and pouring the cherry syrup over the top. While the cake is cooling the residual heat inside will continue to cook the cake and create a firm structure to create the wells of flavor you will add later on. Adding the syrup to the poke cake before it is cooled may result in the cake not setting up properly and leaving the middle muddled and soggy.

Variations

• Switch up the syrup. Use a variety of cocktail syrups to switch up this flavor-packed poke cake. Try pina colada, salted caramel, or strawberry sugar-free syrup instead of cherry.
• Mix up the cake. While vanilla makes a delightful pairing with the cherry syrup, you might also enjoy this poke cake made with chocolate or coconut cake mix.
• Add more fruit. The amount of fruit in this cake is minimal to keep the carbs low, but if you're not watching your carbs or are cooking for a crowd that isn't eating keto, you can double the amount of fruit without making this cake too dense or soggy.

How Long Does It Last?

While it is possible to make a poke cake several days in advance for an event, you will get optimal results preparing it the evening before. This will give the cake plenty of time to rest and the ingredients to incorporate well.

For the best bite, I would suggest storing any leftovers in the refrigerator and eating them within a day or two of preparing this cake. The longer this poke cake without jello sits, the soggier the inside of the cake will become.

More Delicious Desserts

If you have a sweet tooth but are tired of the same old cookie or cupcake recipes, give some of my other tasty dessert recipes a try!

• No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
• French Silk Pie
• Mango Cheesecake
• Cherry Fluff

Pin It!

If you love this Poke Cake recipe as much as we do, make sure you share it with your friends on Facebook and Instagram so they can try it too! Don't forget to Pin it so you can make it again soon.

Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.

Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.