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Butterfinger Poke Cake (+Video)

Butterfinger Poke Cake starts with a boxed marble cake mix and filled with a delicious caramel sauce and topped with creamy whipped topping! Easy and delicious!

A CANDY BAR INSPIRED POKE CAKE RECIPE

A Butterfinger Poke Cake combines the rich and decadent flavors of a chocolate and peanut butter Butterfinger candy bar with a marbled cake filled with a creamy caramel mixture, topped with a whipped topping that’s drizzled with chocolate sauce and crushed candy bar pieces! Poke cakes are always a hit. They’re versatile, easy to customize and come in so many flavors. If you love the idea of this Butterfinger Cake, you’re going to go crazy for my Oreo Poke Cake and my Red Velvet Poke Cake. And, if you love turning your favorite sweet treats into cakes, check out my Honey Bun Cake, Whopper Cake and this Twinkie Cake for some more awesome cake recipes.

Close up looking at a slice of Butterfinger Poke Cake.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What is a Poke Cake

It is simply a cake that has had holes poked in it and those holes are then filled with some sort of sweet deliciousness like jell-o, pudding, or in this case, sweetened condensed milk and caramel. They gained ground in the 70’s when cake mixes were gaining in popularity. It’s so easy to make, everyone thinks it’s delicious and I look like a super-star to my family. Now, let’s dig into this Butterfinger Cake.

Why is my poke cake soggy? 

Typically this happens if the holes are too close together. If you find this happens to you, I’d recommend using the end of a wooden spoon to make holes to pour the caramel mixture in rather than using a fork with the tines that are closer together. 

What if I can’t find a marbled cake mix? 

Not a problem! You can use any ol’ cake mix, really. Chocolate cake mix, Devil’s Food cake mix, even just a yellow cake mix or white cake mix would all work just fine as a base for this recipe. Alternatively, you could make both a yellow and chocolate mix and swirl them together yourself. 

What other toppings could I add? 

Try adding some butterscotch sauce, caramel sauce or chocolate drizzle. You could also add more Butterfinger chunks instead of crushed up pieces if desired. Try some chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or a combination of any of these. 

How to store leftover Butterfinger Poke Cake? 

You have leftovers of this cake?? NO WAY! Ha, just kidding. I’m always amazed at how fast this cake disappears though. Any time you aren’t actively serving and enjoying this cake, it needs to be covered and refrigerated due to the nature of the ingredients. The creamy topping may start to change texture the longer it’s in the fridge and could change the rest of the cakes texture. But, you can keep your leftovers for a couple days covered or in an airtight container in the fridge.

A piece of a Butterfinger Cake with a bite missing on a small dessert plate.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • marble cake mix – it doesn’t have to be marble. We prefer it but you can just use chocolate or yellow.
  • eggs, oil & water – you are going to use the amounts listed on the back of the cake mix box.
  • sweetened condensed milk – if you have never purchased sweetened condensed milk, you will find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store. Be very careful when grabbing a can because it looks just like a can of evaporated milk and you do not want that. You will end up with an unsweetened soggy mess. So please read the label carefully.
  • caramel topping – I usually just use Smuckers but as long as it is a pourable caramel, it is fine.
  • Butterfinger candy bar – if you like it to stay crunchy, do not add until just before serving.
  • whipped topping – like Cool Whip. You could make your own homemade whipped cream if you prefer. Just know that homemade whipped cream doesn’t stay stabilized as long as whipped topping does.
Simply marbled cake mix, vegetable oil, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, Cool Whip, eggs, Butterfinger bar, and sweetened condensed milk.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERFINGER POKE CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare cake as directed on back of box and bake according to cooking times on back of box. Poke holes in the cake with a fork. You want plenty of crevices for the caramel mixture to go into.

A collage of images: A baked marbled cake and a fork poking holes in a marble cake.

In a medium bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk with caramel topping. Drizzle caramel mixture over cake. Put cake in the fridge to let it finish cooling. 

A collage of images: a glass mixing bowl with a condensed milk and caramel mixture with a whisk and that mixture being poured over a marbled cake.

Once it is cooled, spread whipped topping over entire cake. Then sprinkle with crushed Butterfinger candy.

A collage of images: Cool Whip spread overtop a marble cake and crushed Butterfinger candies on top of Cool Whip on a cake.

Cake needs to be kept refrigerated because of the whipped topping. Slice your poke cake when you’re ready to dig in and enjoy.

A small white dessert plate with a piece of Butterfinger Poke Cake.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

Originally published: December 2011
Updated and republished: February 2024

A small white serving plate with a slice of Butterfinger Poke Cake.

Butterfinger Poke Cake (+Video)

Butterfinger Poke Cake starts with a boxed marble cake mix and is filled with a caramel sauce and topped with a creamy whipped topping.
5 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 box fudge marble cake mix
  • ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil and water
  • 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 12 ounce jar caramel topping
  • 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed (Cool Whip)
  • 1 large Butterfinger candy bar, crushed
  • chocolate syrup to drizzle on top, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Prepare 1 box fudge marble cake mix along with ingredients needed to make cake: eggs, oil and water and bake according to cooking times on back of box.
    A freshly baked marbled cake in a glass dish.
  • When it comes out of oven, allow to cool for just a few minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, combine 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk with 12 ounce jar caramel topping.
    A glass mixing bowl with caramel sauce and sweetened condensed milk mixed with a whisk.
  • Start poking holes in the cake with a fork. Lots of holes! You want plenty of crevices for the caramel mixture to go into.
    A fork poking holes in a marbled cake in a baking dish.
  • Drizzle caramel mixture over cake.
    A bowl of caramel mixture being poured on a marbled cake.
  • Put cake in the refrigerator to let it finish cooling.
  • Once it is cooled, spread 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed evenly over entire cake.
    Cool Whip spread over a poke cake in a glass baking dish.
  • Then sprinkle with 1 large Butterfinger candy bar, crushed evenly over the top. Slice and serve!
    Crushed Butterfinger pieces on a Cool Whip covered poke cake.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
  • Cake must be stored in the refrigerator when not serving. 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 325mg | Sugar: 21g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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58 Comments

  1. I’m gonna warn y’all right now this is dangerously good! Definitely won’t last more than 2 days in my house. I found a bag of butterfinger bits in the baking section of Walmart so it was super easy to make. 5 stars. Also being newer to cooking I constantly look up recipes and the country cook has been my favorite so far out of all the sites/blogs I’ve tried. Love it!