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Mexican Chocolate Poke Cake

Mexican chocolate poke cake with a moist cocoa crumb and cinnamon-cayenne warmth, baked until a toothpick comes out clean. A sweet condensed milk and chocolate syrup glaze soaks into fork-pierced cake, then it’s finished with whipped cream and chocolate shavings for a glossy chocolate drip top.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rest time (cooling) 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 540
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Mexican chocolate poke cake
  • 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
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 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 until evenly coated with a light film. Gather ingredients so you can mix the batter without delay.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper until the dry mixture is uniform and dark brown with no streaks. Stop when everything looks evenly combined.
  3. Beat together eggs, strong brewed coffee (cooled), vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy. Mixture should look fully incorporated without eggy lumps.
  4. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined, with a thick batter and no visible dry pockets. Do not overmix so the crumb stays tender.
  5. Pour batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer, then bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Soak and chill
  1. While the cake is still warm, pierce all over with a fork in a tight grid so glaze can reach every bite. Aim for lots of holes without tearing the surface.
  2. Combine sweetened condensed milk and chocolate syrup, then pour evenly over the warm cake so it soaks in immediately and pools at the edges. Add slowly to keep coverage even.
  3. Let cool completely for about 30 minutes until the glaze is set and the surface looks slightly matte rather than runny. This is your resting time before topping.
Finish and serve
  1. Top the cake with whipped cream in an even layer so the edges are covered. Smooth the surface for a clean presentation.
  2. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over the whipped cream so they cling to the creamy top. Slice and serve to show the chocolate drip and soaked interior.

Notes

For clean slices and a more defined chocolate drip, cool until the glaze has thickened (about 30 minutes) before adding whipped cream. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze the baked cake (unwhipped) up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the fridge and then top with whipped cream. For a lighter dessert, use reduced-fat whipped topping instead of full-fat whipped cream if desired.