17 October 2013



It's reveal day for this month's Improv Challenge.  The premise of the Improv Challenge is easy: each month there are two assigned ingredients.  The participants must make a recipe using both ingredients and blog about it.


This month's ingredients were cake and frosting.  Hard to go wrong there!  I didn't have to give it too much thought this month, because I had already made and photographed a recipe with cake and frosting, but hadn't shared it yet.  Well, today is the perfect day to share it!

Anyone who reads this blog knows I'm a fan of poke cakes.  There's the original Jell-O poke cake that is a classic, and I have also posted recipes for Patriotic Poke Cake, Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake, Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake, and just last week Caramel Apple Poke Cake.  And today I've got another one for you!  (I may be slightly obsessed.)  I just love poke cakes because cake can be so boring.  With a poke cake, you get the convenience of cake, but with some super yummy twists to it.  This one is definitely my favorite out of all the poke cakes I've made so far.  It's a Taste of Home recipe that I modified slightly to make even better.  Here's my version.

Toffee Poke Cake

Ingredients:
1 (18 oz.) box chocolate cake mix 
Eggs, oil, and water called for on cake mix box
1 jar or bottle (12-17 oz.) butterscotch ice cream topping
½ tub (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed
½ cup cream cheese frosting
½ cup Heath Bit O Brickle toffee chips

Directions:
Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 13x9” baking pan. Remove from oven.  

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes in cake. Pour the butterscotch topping into holes and all over the top of the cake.  Refrigerate cake.  

Combine Cool Whip and cream cheese frosting in a medium bowl.  Spread over top of cake and sprinkle with toffee bits.  Refrigerate until serving.

Makes 15-18 servings.


So here's what's going on with this cake.  It's a chocolate cake (I use a boxed mix but you could make your own from scratch), poke holes in it and fill those holes with butterscotch syrup.  I don't know about you, but I'm already hooked!  Then you mix together some Cool Whip and cream cheese frosting.  Spread it over the top and sprinkle with toffee bits.  Mmm!


It looks like it's topped with chopped peanuts, but those are toffee bits.

The frosting was my addition.  I thought the topping needed a little something.  The cream cheese frosting adds a lovely richness to it that makes it just divine.  The original recipe called for chopped Heath bars on top, but the prepackaged toffee bits are not only so much easier (no chopping), but I like how it's just the toffee, not the chocolate.  There's plenty of chocolate in the cake.  It provides a nice contrast of flavors.

I have made this cake probably three times in the last six months or so and it's always a hit.  This is definitely one of my go-to desserts for any occasion.

Be sure to check out all the other great cake and frosting recipes below and come back next month to see what I make with orange and cardamom. Yum!






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5 comments:

  1. I so ♥-ed poke cakes when I was a kid! This one sounds like a heavenly candy bar. YUM!

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  2. My sister in law used to make a similar cake like this. It was so incredible. I know that yours was fantastic!!

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  3. Butterscotch sauce, Heath bar bits and chocolate cake? Ah! You've got me craving a big ol' bite of your fantabulous cake and frosting, Lesa!

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  4. Karen - Cinnamon FreudOctober 17, 2013 at 11:24 PM

    Yum, looks good. Love any dessert with toffee in it

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  5. Lesa, I LOVE anything "toffee," and your poke cake looks irresistible!

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