Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake

Name: Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 ⅔ cups white sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 15 ounces pumpkin puree; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 12 ounces caramel topping ((we used Smucker's brand)); 8 ounces cream cheese; 8 ounces Cool Whip; 3 cups powdered sugar; ½ cup chopped pecans

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34 Comments

5 from 12 votes

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This delicious caramel pumpkin poke cake is filled with delicious fall flavors including pumpkin, caramel, and cinnamon.

Looking for the perfect dessert to wow your guests at your next holiday party? Look no further than this amazing caramel pumpkin poke cake recipe! Packed with lots of pumpkin spice flavor, this delicious cake is a favorite among pumpkin lovers and one of the top desserts of the season.

You have just found your new favorite family dessert with this caramel pumpkin poke cake! This recipe will produce the most moist pumpkin cake you’ll have ever had.

Since the holidays are coming up, oftentimes pumpkin pie is a great dessert to serve, however not everyone enjoys pie. So, consider serving this alongside it so everyone can enjoy a great holiday dessert.

Ingredients for baking spread out on a countertop, including flour, sugar, eggs, oil, cinnamon sticks, and canned pumpkin.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Eggs
White sugar
Vegetable oil
Pumpkin puree
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Salt
Baking soda
Ground cinnamon
Caramel topping
Cream cheese
Cool Whip
Powdered sugar
Chopped pecans

A mixing bowl contains pumpkin puree, eggs, and sugar with beaters resting on top. Next to the bowl are cracked eggshells in a small bowl, placed on a cloth napkin.

Close-up of flour being poured from a white bowl into a mixing bowl containing a thick orange batter, with a black whisk partially submerged in the batter.

How to Make Our Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
Then prepared your 9×13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
Now, in a medium-sized mixing bowl mix together the eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin puree until it is nice and smooth.
In another mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon, and then add the wet ingredients into the bowl.
Mix it all together until it is well combined and there are no lumps.
Then pour it into the prepared 9×13 inch pan and place it in the oven and bake it at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
When it is done baking, pull it out of the oven and let it cool down for about 10 minutes.
Then, take a fork and poke it into the cake all over.
Now take your jar of caramel and pour about ¾ of it on the cake and spread it out to cover the holes and let the caramel seep into the cake and let it cool completely.
To make the frosting combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl and whip it together until it is smooth.
Then add in the Cool Whip and fold it in until it is all blended completely.
After the cake has completely cooled, spread the frosting over top and then top it off with the chopped pecans and then drizzle the remaining caramel over the top of the cake.
Then just serve and enjoy!

A fork is used to poke holes in a golden-brown cake resting in a white baking dish on a cooling rack.

A close-up of a baked cake in a white dish, drizzled with caramel sauce.

Equipment Needed

9×13 inch pan (THIS is our favorite)
Nonstick cooking spray
Medium mixing bowl (3)
Spatula

A bowl containing fluffy white whipped cream being mixed with a spatula, placed on a cloth with a checkered pattern.

A rectangular baking dish filled with frosted cake topped with sprinkled chopped nuts. A white and green checkered cloth is partially visible on the left side.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

I am not sure which makes this recipe more tasty, the pumpkin or the caramel, but both are amazing. You can even make your own caramel sauce to use in this recipe rather than buying a jar at the store. A really great recipe that you can use to make your own is from Allrecipes.com called Oh-so-easy caramel sauce. There is truth in the name too! Caramel is actually quite simple to make if you have the time. So give it a shot and let us know what you think!

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Questions & Reviews

Alice MacDonald says:

This looks yummy, but is there anotherfrosting without cool whip, or could you substitute real whipped cream? Thanks.
Becky says:

My 13 year old daughter made this cake for our Thanksgiving meal. It was moist, delicious, and excellent! It will definitely be made again!
Lina says:

The best pumpkin cake ever!!! Everybody loved it!
Danielle says:

How much sugar is it supposed to be? When I pull up the recipe, it shows a question mark in the middle of where the sugar measurement is.
Cyd says:

Sorry about that! It's 1 2/3 cups sugar. We fixed the recipe. Thanks for bringing that to our attention.
Heather says:

Can you use this for cupcakes? If so, would anything change?
Cyd says:

Hi Heather. We have not made these into cupcakes, but it should work fine. You will need to watch them closely for the length of cooking time will probably be reduced. Let us know how they turn out!!
Lindsey says:

I made this last night, cooked it for 30 minutes and it was still not set in the middle. Any idea what went wrong?
Cyd says:

We have not had a problem with this cake not setting up in the middle. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong.
Laurie says:

For the frosting do you actually beat the cool whip with the cream cheese and powdered sugar?. Don't fold it in later?.
Cyd says:

We have done it both ways. You can beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar and after it is blended together well, beat in the cool whip.
Debbie Menconi says:

This recipe was a big hit with the family!
Susie says:

Yum
Jodie says:

Lindsey I am having the same problem I just went to take it out and its completely raw in the middle and I followed the recipe exactly.
Ashley says:

My mom and I have both made this and it was delicious - so yummy.
Sally says:

If I want to make it with fresh pumpkin what is the amount of mushed pumpkin I should use ?
Cyd says:

I did a little research for you on canned pumpkin and fresh pumpkin. Fifteen ounces of canned pumpkin is just shy of 2 cups (16 ounces would be 2 cups). A 3-pound pie pumpkin will likely give you enough puree for your recipe. Here are some good tips for using fresh pumpkin: Pumpkin math: After cooking and draining, this is about what to expect from a typical cooking pumpkin. 2-1/2 pound pie pumpkin = 1-3/4 cups puree 3-1/2 pound pie pumpkin = 2-1/2 cups puree 6 pound carving pumpkin = 2-3/4 cups puree 5 pound round pumpkin = 3-1/3 cups puree
Lois says:

Made this pumpkin poke cake for my husbands birthday party and it was too good to be true! I baked the cake for 25 minutes and it was thoroughly baked. Everyone loved it!!! I will definitely be making this again!!!
Brie Maya says:

This was delicious! Thank you for the recipe! I added some diced apple into the cake batter and subbed 1/2 of the vegetable oil with apple sauce. No problems with the cake cooking through for me. I will say though - I think one slice at a time is enough. So rich, but wonderful!! Thank you again. This may be my next pot luck dish at church. 😊
C. Anderson says:

I just made this based upon the written recipe, not the video and realized afterwards that the amount of powdered sugar for the frosting on the video is 2 cups and the written recipe says 3 cups. The frosting is VERY sweet. I thought it seemed like too much sugar so I did about 2.5 cups before I stopped adding it. I would not recommend doing more than 2 cups and correcting the written recipe.
Avery says:

Same here. Wondering if it’s a high altitude thing? Maybe needed more flour? I’m going to try to bake it longer 🤞🏼
Dianne JASKE says:

Instead of the confectioner's sugar, can I substitute a can of condensed milk?
Cyd says:

I'm sorry, but we have never tried that substitution. So we aren't sure how well it would work.
Kristi Zahos says:

This was so easy to make and very delicious. I wish I would have put it in the fridge to make it last longer but I ate most of it myself. Very rich but too much for one person to eat alone. Will be making it for Thanksgiving for family gatherings. Thank u!🥰
Debby says:

Can this be made the night before using and put in the refrigerator?
Momma Cyd says:

It should be fine if you make it the night before and put it in the fridge overnight. You will want to put it in a pan with a covered lid. (One that won't stick to the frosting)
Karissa Morgan says:

This recipe was delicious! My family absolutely loved it and requested I make another soon! So easy too!!!
Pamela says:

I haven't made this delicious looking cake yet, but I'm a little confused. The written recipe says 3 cups of powdered sugar, but on the video you only put in 2 cups. Which amount is correct??? Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Momma Cyd says:

Add in 2 cups and if your frosting isn't thick enough to the consistency you like, just keep adding more.
Pamela says:

Thank you, I will do that!!! I am making this tomorrow. I can't wait to try it!!!
Jenn Guy says:

The recipe says 3 cups of powdered sugar however the video says 2 cups of powdered sugar and she was scooping her frosting out like whipped topping and mine was pouring out like marshmallow cream so pay attention to only using 2 cups of powdered sugar however it was still very good
Momma Cyd says:

You can easily make the frosting to the texture you want it to be, and to your own liking. We hope it all worked out well for you today!
Lindy Lou Who says:

I'm not a fan of cool whip either. By all means substitute heavy whipping cream. Whip the cream cheese, sugar, etc. and then add the whipping cream a little at a time until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Daisy says:

This cake is great! I won a pumpkin baking contest with the result! I used vanilla frosting instead of cream cheese, just because I prefer that flavor, and omitted the nuts. Subbed pumpkin spice for 1 tsp of the cinnamon. Thanks for a great recipe!