Rolo Poke Cake

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This Rolo poke cake is built on a chocolate cake that is filled with yummy caramel and topped with fluffy whipped frosting. Add some pieces of Rolo candies and a drizzle of fudge for an extra special dessert.

This cake is a chocolate lover’s dream come true. Moist chocolate cake gets even more decadent with caramel or dulce de leche seeping in. 

A fluffy frosting provides a nice buffer between that and chopped Rolo candies and a drizzle of fudge.  It all comes together as a bit of heaven in every bite!

It all comes together to make an extra special treat. If you love chocolate and caramel, this is the one for you.

Options for Making the Cake

The first several times I made this cake, I did the whole thing from scratch. Each of the parts is pretty easy to make, but they all take some time.

So when you add it all up, there are several hours of prep work to do it all from scratch. It is totally worth it if you have the time.

The cake – You can use your favorite 9×13-inch chocolate cake recipe. I love using the crazy chocolate cake recipe because it is super simple to make and doesn’t require softened butter or even eggs.

Even though that cake is quick and easy, grabbing a cake mix sometimes feels easier. There is no shame in whatever route you decide to go.

Dulce de Leche – dulce de leche is a milk based caramel. It is a perfect way to use up some milk that is getting close to its expiration date or just make some to use as an ice cream topper.

You just need milk, sugar, and some vanilla to make homemade dulce de leche. It isn’t hard to make, but does take some time and patience.

If you want to go semi-homemade, cook a can of sweetened condensed milk in boiling water. Or just pick up a can of dulce de leche and thin it out with a little bit of milk.

The frosting – when I think poke cake, I think fluffy frosting. I like using ermine frosting, but really a fudge frosting would be great too.

You can use whipped topping if you prefer. Or, make a frosting from whipped topping and pudding mix for something a little richer in flavor.

The fudge sauce – of course you can pick up a jar of hot fudge from the store, but it is easy to make at home. You won’t need a whole batch of homemade hot fudge sauce, but that shouldn’t keep you from making it.

Keep the rest as an ice cream topping. Or drizzle more over the cake when you serve it as a garnish.

Either way, it keeps well in a jar in the refrigerator. Just warm it up when you want some.

No matter which option you choose to go with, you know this cake is going to be good. So go ahead and make one to confirm that fact!

For another decadent poke cake, check out the recipe for Oreo cheesecake poke cake. It is chocolaty and delicious.

Rolo Poke Cake

Servings: 16 Servings

Author: Carlee

This cake is a chocolate lover’s dream come true. Moist chocolate cake gets even more decadent with caramel or dulce de leche seeping in. A fluffy frosting provides a nice buffer between that and chopped Rolo candies and a drizzle of fudge. It all comes together as a bit of heaven in every bite!

5 from 6 ratings

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Additional Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Equipment

• USA Pan with Lid, 9×13-Inches
• Hand Mixer

Ingredients

 

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Chocolate Cake (can sub your favorite chocolate cake mix cake)

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups hot water
• ¾ cup oil
• 2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
• ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ Tablespoon almond extract

Dulce de Leche (may sub a can of dulce de leche warmed and thinned with a Tablespoon or two of milk)

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1¼ cups sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream frosting (may sub a tub of whipped topping)

• 5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter softened (must be real butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hot fudge sauce

• ¼ cup whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup butter

Rolos

• 12 rolos quartered

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Instructions

 

Chocolate Cake

• Prepare a 9×13-inch pan and warm your oven to 350°F.
• Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  2 cups granulated sugar, ½ cup cocoa powder, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
• In another bowl, stir together water, oil, vinegar, coffee and extracts.
  2 cups hot water, ¾ cup oil, 2 Tablespoons white vinegar, 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules, ½ Tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ Tablespoon almond extract
• Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.
• Spread the batter into the greased pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean.

Dulce de Leche

• In a small bowl, stir the baking soda in a couple Tablespoons of the milk until dissolved and set aside.
  ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Choose a pot much larger than you think you’ll need to avoid bubbling over. I usually use a 6 qt dutch oven. Stir together the remaining milk and sugar.
  4 cups whole milk, 1¼ cups sugar
• Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Turn off heat and stir in the dissolved baking soda mixture. This is one of those bubbling like crazy moments, so be careful as you stir.
• Return to medium heat and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is golden and thick like honey. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour. You don’t need to stand over it the whole time, but you’ll want to keep an eye on it as it will bubble occasionally and you don’t want it sticking to the bottom of the pan as it gets thicker.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and let cool slightly.
  2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ermine Frosting

• The most crucial part to this frosting turning out is getting the consistency of this first step correct. In a saucepan, whisk together flour and sugar.
  5 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar
• Add the cold milk a few tablespoons at a time to start, whisking in between to avoid lumps. Once you have a paste, stir in the remaining milk. Make sure there are no lumps, then turn on the burner to medium heat. Continue to whisk and cook until the mixture thickens to a paste consistency. You want it to be pretty thick. It will be tempting to walk away and so something else, but don’t. Once it starts to thicken it will go really quickly and it is important you don’t get lumps. Set thickened paste aside to cool.
  1 cup whole milk
• Once paste is room temperature, add butter and vanilla to mixer bowl. Turn on low and stir until incorporated. Add flour/milk paste and whip on high for about 10 minutes. You want to make sure the frosting has plenty of time to get nice and fluffy.
  1 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Hot Fudge

• Whisk together sugar and cocoa in a medium saucepan to make sure there aren’t any lumps.
  2 Tablespoons cocoa powder, ½ cup granulated sugar
• Add milk and butter. Cook over medium-low heat until it comes to a hard boil.
  ¼ cup whole milk, ¼ cup butter
• Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool some before drizzling.

To Assemble

• While cake is still warm, poke with the round end of a wooden spoon to create holes across the top of the cake.
• Make sure your dulce de leche is a drizzling consistency. Warm it a bit and thin with a Tablespoon or two of milk if needed. Then drizzle over the cake. It will be easier to frost if you put the cake in the refrigerator for a bit after this to let the dulce de leche thicken back up and set.
• Spread frosting over cooled cake.
• Sprinkle chopped Rolos over the cake and drizzle with fudge sauce.
  12 rolos quartered
• Serve small pieces with a scoop of ice cream and additional hot fudge sauce!

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Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 489kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 5gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 450mgFiber: 1gSugar: 44g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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