Blueberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

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This Blueberry Cheesecake Poke Cake is a fresh vanilla cake filled with cheesecake pudding and a sweetened blueberry sauce. Best of all, it is topped with a cream cheese whipped cream.

Homemade Blueberry Poke Cake

Poke cakes are one of my favorite desserts to make. They’re easy to customize and the perfect make-ahead dessert since they have to be refrigerated anyway. I have a couple dozen of them on my blog, I guess I am a little obsessed.

This Blueberry Cheesecake Poke Cake is a fluffy vanilla cake filled with cheesecake pudding and a sweet blueberry sauce. It’s topped with one of my favorite whipped cream frostings. It’s a little bit tangy and a little bit sweet and it pairs perfectly with fruity desserts.

This is a great dessert to enjoy in the summer, but others love to make this cakes for potlucks and even birthday celebrations.

New and Updated Recipe

I originally made this recipe with a vanilla cake mix (which you can still do!), but now I am updating the original recipe with my favorite from-scratch vanilla cake.

For the filling I am using an instant cheesecake pudding, but if you can’t find that, you can also use vanilla pudding. If you’d prefer a lemon flavor, you might try make this with a lemon cake or lemon pudding instead.

There’s several components to this cake, but don’t let that hold you back. Each one is relatively easy and best of all, there’s no cake decorating skills required!

Step 1: Make the Vanilla Cake

As I mentioned, the base of this poke cake is my homemade vanilla cake. It’s a moist and tender sheet cake that’s super easy to make. So first thing you should do is make this cake.

Step 2: Make the Blueberry Sauce

This simple blueberry sauce is cooked on the stovetop. The berries will cook down into a chunky sauce and then spread over top of the pudding. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries and you can even make the blueberry sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Short of time? Skip the homemade sauce all together and use a jar of blueberry pie filling instead.

You’ll need:

• Fresh blueberries, rinsed
• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour or corn starch to thicken the sauce
• Water

How to make the Blueberry Sauce

• In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine blueberries, sugar, flour and water; stir well.
• Cook over medium-high heat until mixture starts to bubble, stirring often. Turn down heat and let simmer to allow the blueberries to soften.
• Cook until sauce thickens; around 10-15 minutes. Stir often so the bottom does not burn.
• Allow to cool for 20 minutes, refrigerate if necessary.

Step 3: Make the Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

The cream cheese whipped cream is one of my favorite parts of this cake. It adds some flavor and texture to a traditional whipped cream, and pairs so nicely with the berries. If you’ve never made this before, be sure to read through my original blog post for the tips and tricks. Short on time? Top this cake with Cool Whip instead.

You’ll need:

• Full-fat cream cheese, cold
• Heavy whipping cream, cold
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract

How to make it

1. Place your mixing bowl in the freezer or fridge 5-10 minutes before starting.
2. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is smooth and free of lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. Slowly drizzle in the heavy whipping cream and continue beating until the cream cheese resembles a liquid mixture. This helps to prevent a lump frosting. Then continue to add the remaining heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
4. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mix until combine and then beat at a high speed until stiff peaks form.

Some people have mentioned they have issues with never reaching the stiff peak stage. Be sure to chill the bowl, and use cold ingredients. Keep beating the mixture at a high speed, if you stop too early, it will be too soft and wilted.

Step 4: Assemble Your Poke Cake

Once you have all the components made, it’s time to assemble!

• Bake and cool the cake, then poke holes all over the cake using the end of a wooden spoon or another round object.
• Prepare the pudding filling by combining the pudding with milk and whisk until the pudding is dissolved. Immediately pour the liquid pudding over top of cake, filling the holes the best you can, and then gently spreading with a knife. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes until the pudding is firm.
• Then spread the blueberry sauce over top of the pudding. Be sure the cake and filling are completely cooled before adding the frosting.
• Finally, prepare the whipped cream topping and spread over the blueberry filling.

Can This Cake Be Made in Advance?

The great thing about this cake is that the flavors get better with time. To make this ahead there’s a couple options.

• Option one, you can prepare the cake and blueberry sauce ahead of time and store them overnight.
• Option two, you can partial assemble the cake with the pudding filling and blueberry sauce and store overnight in the refrigerator. 
• I recommend making the whipped cream frosting the day of serving if possible. However, if you need to prepare this in advance, be sure to frost the cake right away as opposed to storing the frosting in a container for an extended period of time.

How to store

This cake must be refrigerated once you add the filling and toppings. Store in an airtight container for up to three days.

Blueberry Cheesecake Poke Cake

★★★★★

5 from 9 reviews

• Author: Julianne Dell
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Yield: 15 slices

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Description

This Blueberry Cheesecake Poke Cake is a fresh vanilla cake filled with cheesecake pudding and a sweetened blueberry sauce. Best of all, it is topped with a cream cheese whipped cream.

Ingredients

For the cake

• 2 cups (380g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract
• ½ cup(118 ml) sour cream (or sub with plain or Greek yogurt)
• 2 ½ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons (11.2 g) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
• 1 ¼ cups (296 ml) milk (I use nonfat)

For the filling

• 1 package (3.4oz) instant cheesecake pudding mix (or vanilla)
• 1 ½ cups (355ml) milk

For the blueberry sauce

• 12 ounces fresh blueberries, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (8.75g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) water

For the whipped cream

• 8 ounces (226g) full-fat cream cheese, cold
• 1 3/4 cups (413ml) heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup (130g) powdered sugar

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Instructions

For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the eggs and oil are well incorporated about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.
3. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Alternate adding half the dry ingredients, and half the milk at a time, mixing at low speed until all of the ingredients are well combined, repeat until all ingredients are added. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure it’s well mixed.
4. Pour the batter into a 9-inch by 13-inch pan and bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes. Test the cake for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Blueberry sauce

1. Start by rinsing the berries. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, flour, and water; stir well. Cook over medium-high heat until mixture starts to bubble, stirring often. Turn down the heat and let simmer to allow the blueberries to soften. Cook until sauce thickens; around 10-15 minutes. Stir often so the bottom does not burn. Cool completely, refrigerate if necessary.

Whipped cream topping

1. Place your mixing bowl in the freezer or fridge 5-10 minutes before starting.
2. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is smooth and free of lumps. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. Slowly drizzle in the heavy whipping cream and continue beating until the cream cheese resembles a liquid mixture.
4. Continue to add the remaining heavy whipping cream and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
5. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract beat until combined, and then beat at a high speed until stiff peaks form. Use immediately.

To assemble

1. Poke holes all over the cake using the end of a wooden spoon or another round object.
2. Prepare the pudding, combining the pudding with milk, and whisk until the pudding is dissolved. Pour the liquid pudding over the top of the cake, filling the holes. Refrigerate at least 10 minutes until the pudding is firm.
3. Next pour blueberry sauce over top of the cake and spread evenly then top with the whipped cream topping. Store cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Equipment

Stand Mixer

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9×13-inch Cake Pan

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Notes

• The original recipe called for a box of white or vanilla cake mix. You can still easily make this recipe using cake mix
• Cool Whip can also be used to frost this cake instead of the cream cheese whipped cream, or use a traditional whipped cream instead.
• This cake must be stored in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 slice

Calories: 516

Sugar: 49g

Sodium: 347mg

Fat: 25g

Carbohydrates: 68g

Fiber: 1g

Protein: 7.4g

Cholesterol: 87.5mg

• Category: Cake
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: Poke Cake Recipe, Blueberry Cake,

More poke cake recipes you’ll love

• Strawberry cheesecake poke cake
• Strawberry Jello Poke Cake
• Lemon Raspberry Poke Cake

Fun Poke recipes from my friends:

• Ice Cream Poke Cake from Crazy for Crust
• Raspberry Almond Poke Cake from Life Love and Sugar
• Red, White and Blue Poke Cake from Spend With Pennies