Pumpkin Poke Cake with Brown Butter Maple Frosting
This pumpkin spice poke cake starts with a boxed spice cake mix and gets a cozy fall twist with pumpkin purée and a sweetened condensed milk soak. It’s topped with rich brown butter maple frosting and a fluffy layer of Cool Whip for an easy, crowd-pleasing dessert that tastes like fall in every bite.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Cake
- 1 box spice cake mix I like Duncan Hines, but any brand will do
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
Brown Butter Maple Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter browned and cooled
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1-2 Tbsp milk or cream optional, to thin the texture if needed
- 1 pinch salt to cut the sweetness a bit
For Topping
- 1 8 oz container of Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
Bake Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and greasing a 9×13-inch pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the spice cake mix, pumpkin purée, oil, and eggs. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 28–32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool for about 10–15 minutes.
- Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool for about 5–10 minutes. Then, use a fork to poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Try to go deep enough so the filling really soaks in.
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over the warm cake, spreading it so it seeps into all the holes. It might look like a lot, but trust me—it’s what makes this cake so rich and irresistible. Let the cake cool completely (and all the condensed milk sink in) before frosting.
Make Browned Butter Maple Frosting
- To brown the butter, place it in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Stir often, and watch closely as it melts, bubbles, and then starts to foam. Within a few minutes, you’ll see golden brown bits at the bottom and smell a delicious nutty aroma.
- Remove the butter from the heat immediately and pour it into a heatproof bowl to cool.
- Let the browned butter sit until it’s mostly solid—soft but scoopable. Then beat it with the powdered sugar, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt.
- Add a splash of milk or cream if needed to thin the frosting to your desired consistency.
- Spread the brown butter maple frosting over the cooled cake.
- Finally, top your cake with a layer of Cool Whip.
- Store the cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. This is one of those recipes where the flavor sinks in even more if you let it sit overnight.