Gluten-Free Cinnamon Toast Crunch Poke Cake
Butter cake infused with cinnamon and vanilla, poked with holes and filled with cold vanilla pudding mixture, then topped with whipped cream and toasted cinnamon cereal crumble. A no-bake assembly transforms boxed cake mix into a layered dessert with contrasting textures.
Ingredients
- 1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix
- Water, butter and eggs called for on cake mix box
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup coarsely crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ cereal
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 box (6-serving size) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mixbutterscotch or banana instant pudding1:1puddingadds dairy
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- 3 cups cold milk
- 1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 350°F and spray a 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
- 2
Prepare and bake the cake according to box directions, adding cinnamon and vanilla to the batter.
- 3
While cake bakes, mix crushed cereal with sugar and melted butter in a small bowl.
- 4
Spread cereal mixture in an ungreased shallow baking pan.
- 5
Remove cake from oven and cool 5 minutes.
- 6
Place cereal mixture in oven and bake at 350°F for 7 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to cool.
- 7
Once cake has cooled 5 minutes, use a wooden spoon handle (1/4 to 1/2 inch diameter) to poke holes almost to the bottom of the cake every 1/2 inch, wiping the spoon occasionally to reduce sticking.
- 8
Stir together the pudding mix and cold milk until thickened.
- 9
Pour pudding mixture over the cake and spread evenly, working to fill the holes.
- 10
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- 11
Spread whipped topping evenly over the chilled cake.
- 12
Immediately before serving, sprinkle the toasted cereal crumble over the top.
Tips
Wipe the spoon handle frequently while poking to prevent cereal crumble from sticking to the cake surface.
Some pudding filling should remain visible on top of the cake for best presentation.
Add the cereal crumble topping immediately before serving to maintain crunchiness.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Do not freeze.
Prepare through pudding filling step and refrigerate up to 8 hours before adding whipped topping and cereal crumble.
Serve chilled directly from the refrigerator.
Common Mistakes
Poke holes too large or too shallow to avoid uneven pudding distribution
Skip cereal toasting to avoid soggy crumble from moisture absorption
Add cereal crumble too far in advance to avoid losing crunchiness
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
whip heavy cream with powdered sugar
General Alternatives
toast and crush to similar size
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