Love tiramisu but hate all the work? This easy Tiramisu Poke Cake with Kahlua is easy and delicious!

Poke cakes have been trending for several years now. Have you ever wondered why? It’s because they’re super easy and the flavor combinations are endless.

Although poke cakes are often fruit flavored and infused with Jello, this one has a different twist. Coffee and Kahlua.

What is Kahlua?

Kahlua is a coffee flavored liqueur. It is made of coffee, rum, sugar and vanilla. It is used in mixed drinks, but it is also great in baking (hello there crack cake). You can find it in the alcohol section of the store. You’ll just use a small amount of it in this cake.

Does alcohol bake out of cake?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions when we share cakes with alcohol. The fact is, not all of the alcohol bakes out of the cake. But a lot of it will. If you are sensitive to alcohol or don’t like the taste of it, I’d stay away from this cake.

What does tiramisu taste like?

Tiramisu is an Italian word that literally means “pick me up”. It is a dessert that has coffee and rum soaked in it. This poke cake made tiramisu style has a strong coffee and rum flavor. The Kahlua and espresso powder make it that way. Although there is cocoa powder in the cake, it doesn’t taste anything like chocolate.

How to Make Tiramisu Poke Cake

You’re going to love this cake because it starts with a box cake mix. That makes it super easy. If you would rather use a homemade cake, we recommend our vanilla cake that gets RAVE reviews.

Otherwise, grab your favorite box white cake mix (ounces may vary, but somewhere around 15.25 ounces) and get baking!

Make the cake.

Mix. In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, milk, eggs and oil. Beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. We like to use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make sure it is blended well. You can use water instead of milk, but we like the extra flavor milk adds.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center bounces back when you touch it.
Cool. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Make the coffee drizzle.

Mix. In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, Kahlua, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt. Mix well.
Poke. Use the pointed end of a wooden spoon (or a large fork) and poke holes all over the cake.
Drizzle. Pour the coffee drizzle evenly over the entire cake. Pour slowly so it has time to sink into the holes.

white cake with poke holes and coffee glaze

Loosely cover and refrigerate the cake for 2 hours. This helps the sugar coffee glaze set in the cake and firm up slightly.

Make the frosting.

I think you’ll love this light, whipped frosting. It’s not super sweet, which is good since the cake is soaked in syrup.

Mix. Beat together the sugar, mascarpone cheese and Kahlua. Mix well.
Whip. Add the heavy whipping cream. Use a stand mixer or high powered hand mixer to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
Frost. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.

The last step is to decorate your cake as you wish. We like to dust our cake with cocoa powder. You could also sprinkle it with chocolate curls.

A piece of cake sitting on top of a plate with fork

How to Store Poke Cake

Cover the poke cake and store it in the refrigerator. This is a great make ahead cake and can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Does this cake freeze well? Yes! Place any leftover pieces in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. When you are ready to serve it, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator. Then open and serve.

Tiramisu Poke Cake

4.54 from 78 votes

An easy dessert with coffee flavored liqueur infused inside and a creamy whipped frosting on top.

Servings 15

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Chill Time 2

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 box white cake mix (around 15.25 ounces)
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the coffee drizzle:

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Kahlua coffee liqueur
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the frosting:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 ounces mascarpone
3 tablespoons Kahlua coffee liqueur
1 cup heavy whipping cream

For dusting:

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Make the cake:

In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, milk, eggs and oil. Beat well, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. We like to use a hand mixer or stand mixer to make sure it is blended well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center bounces back when you touch it.
Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Make the coffee drizzle:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, Kahlua, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt. Mix well.
Use the pointed end of a wooden spoon (or a large fork) and poke holes all over the cake.
Pour the coffee drizzle evenly over the entire cake. Pour slowly so it has time to sink into the holes. Loosely cover and refrigerate the cake for 2 hours.

Make the frosting:

Beat together the sugar, mascarpone cheese and Kahlua. Mix well.
Add the heavy whipping cream. Use a stand mixer or high powered hand mixer to beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
Spread the frosting on the cooled cake.
Dust with cocoa powder.
Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 15 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**