Are you ready? We are knee-deep in chocolate today with a special caramel covered treat. In fact, this is the very first poke cake recipe to appear on Sweetest Menu!
You’re looking at a soft and delicate chocolate cake that has been soaked in homemade salted caramel sauce, then topped with silky smooth chocolate caramel frosting and covered in gooey Chocolate Rolo pieces! Chocolate caramel at it’s finest.
Have you heard of poke cake before? It is quite the treat. First you bake your cake, then, while it is still warm, you poke it all over to create dozens of holes. Then you pour over some sort of sweet liquid that seeps down into all the holes.
What you end up with is a super moist cake that is infused with extra flavour. Such a neat trick! I’ve seen it done with hot fudge sauce, condensed milk or even a gooey pudding mixture.
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But today, our cake is infused with gorgeously golden caramel sauce. We’ve discussed the wonders of caramel before but this cake combines caramel with chocolate for the ultimate poke cake.
Plus it gives you a great excuse to buy Rolos (my fav). Also if you need to make this cake quick, you could totally use storebought caramel – no worries at all. The cake will still be bursting with flavour!
Let’s Bake
Chocolate Caramel Rolo Poke Cake
Chocolate Caramel Rolo Poke Cake soaked in homemade salted caramel sauce, topped with silky smooth chocolate caramel frosting and covered in Rolo pieces!
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- 105 grams (3/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 40 grams (1/2 cup) cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 80 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) of buttermilk
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) caramel sauce
Chocolate caramel frosting
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter
- 375 grams (3 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons full fat or whole milk
- 20 grams (1/4 cup) cocoa powder
- 120ml (1/2 cup) salted caramel sauce, plus a little extra for decorating
- 200 grams (1 cup and 1/3 cup) Rolo chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line a square 8 inch springform cake tin with a little baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and then add the sugars. Pop the butter into the microwave for short bursts, 10 seconds or so at a time, until it is just melted. Give it a stir with a fork to eliminate any lumps.
- Whisk together the butter, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk until combined – don’t worry if it goes a little lumpy. Then add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently fold until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and pop into the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middles comes out clean.
- Grab a chop stick (or something similar) and poke holes throughout the whole cake, while it is still warm. Pour your caramel over the top and spread out so it soaks into the cake and down the holes. Then leave the cake to cool completely.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth and then add one cup of icing sugar, along with a tablespoon of milk to help loosen up the mixture. Beat until combined. Then sift in another cup of icing sugar and a tablespoon of milk. Finally, add the last cup of icing sugar, along with the cocoa powder.
- Beat again. The frosting should be nice and creamy. If its too thick, you can add another tablespoon of milk. Finally, add the caramel sauce and beat until the frosting is lovely and smooth.
- Remove the cake from the tin. Spread the frosting all over the cake. Then break up the Rolos using your hands and scatter the pieces all over the cake. Enjoy!
Hi, I’m Jess! I’m a self-taught baker, recipe writer, creator of Sweetest Menu and the author of Something Sweet cookbook.
Luke says
The 25 minute cook time is way too short. Ended up having to wing it and make sure it was baked through. Having said that the ingredients are all there and it’s a good cake. Not sure if you need a particular oven to bake it but it was still runny at even 35 minutes.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Luke, thank you for your feedback! Bake times do often vary so I always recommend using the cook time as a guide only. Did you change the size of the pan? Using a larger tin or a glass or ceramic pan will also change the cook time. Regardless, you’ll know the cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Josh says
Wow!
Lynn @ Fresh April Flours says
Poke cakes really are the best– what can be better than pouring a sweet liquid all over an already sweet cake?! Not a whole lot. And you’re right, you can’t go wrong with chocolate and caramel!
Jessica Holmes says
Right? So true Lynn! 🙂
Kathy says
This looks like a chocolate lover’s dream cake! Those rolos just make it extra delicious! 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
I can’t resist Rolos Kathy!
Claudia says
Haha I love how you described it as being knee deep in chocolate – that sounds (and this cake looks) like heaven! So rich and fudgy <3
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Claudia! 🙂
Amanda says
"Knee-deep in chocolate" is probably my new favorite phrase, and pretty much how I want to live every day of my life. 😄 I always like how moist poke cakes are, and with the Rolos this sounds absolutely perfect!
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha I agree! Best day ever right?! Thanks Amanda!
Danielle says
I love poke cakes, but hardly ever make them! That definitely needs to change because this caramel rolo version looks perfect, Jess! Hope you and your husband are able to find a new place you like. I can definitely relate to the whole pets thing 😉
Jessica Holmes says
Oh thanks Danielle! Gosh pets, you think people would be used to people having pets but it is proving to be a bit of a drama so far! Hopefully something pet friendly pops up soon!
Kristy says
Oooooooooooooh goodness this looks amazing! My Mum loves anything with caramel and I love anything with chocolate so I’m thinking a GF version of this would be perfect for both of us 😛
Jessica Holmes says
Thanks Kristy! A GF version would be awesome and not too tricky considering the caramel sauce and frosting is GF!
Adina says
Gorgeous looking cake!!! I love Rolo, I don’t buy them often though because when I do, I can’t relax until they’re all gone… Great way to use them. 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
I so know the feeling! I always know when there’s chocolate in the cupboard! haha
Karly says
I might actually be crying over this deliciousness. Okay, well my mouth is crying. So yes, I’m drooling. This looks INCREDIBLE!
Jessica Holmes says
Hahaha you made me giggle Karly! 🙂 Thank you!
Mara says
Rolos are one of my all-time favorite candies, so of course this caught my eye. This poke cake looks crazy delicious! I’m not such a fan of the original poke cakes (made with Jello), so I’m loving the idea of using caramel instead.
Jessica Holmes says
Right? They are so good! Oh I didn’t know jello was originally used – how strange!
Amy says
Holy sweetness overload Batman! This cake looks amazing Jess! I haven’t had Rolos in a long time, but I think it might be a good time to cure that problem. I’ll have to buy a few extra rolls, just so I can err….quality test them before making this cake. This is sure to be a hit with my sweet toothed family! Good luck apartment hunting!
Jessica Holmes says
Haha thanks Amy! Aren’t Rolos the best? Love anything with caramel – in case you hadn’t noticed! 🙂