Holy Cow Cake

  4.5 – 19 reviews  • Poke Cake Recipes

Carrots and potatoes with bone-in, oven-roasted chicken breasts.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Additional Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins
Servings: 16
Yield: 1 9×13-inch cake

Ingredients

  1. cooking spray with flour
  2. 1 (15.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix
  3. 1 cup water
  4. 3 large eggs
  5. ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  6. 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand®)
  7. 1 (12 ounce) jar caramel ice cream topping
  8. 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip®), thawed
  9. ½ cup English toffee baking bits, or to taste (Optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with floured cooking spray.
  2. Beat cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.
  3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 34 to 38 minutes.
  4. Remove from the oven. Use a straw to poke holes into cake.
  5. Stir condensed milk and caramel topping together in a bowl; pour over warm cake and holes. Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.
  6. Spread whipped topping over cooled cake and sprinkle with toffee bits.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 379 kcal
Carbohydrate 57 g
Cholesterol 50 mg
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Protein 5 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Sodium 359 mg
Sugars 30 g
Fat 16 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Crystal Stone
Please don’t bother, this was not good. I made it with a very young family member who needs help with fractions and basic measuring and cooking skills .
Christopher Garcia
It was just okay… Next time I think I’ll add more Carmel than the sweetened condense milk. I think I will also sprinkle some of the Heath chips on top of the cake before the whipped cream & after. The Heath chips REALLY make a HUGE difference in flavor.
Zoe Matthews
I make this every Thanksgiving and it’s a big hit.
Terri Thompson
This cake was not bad, but had no distinct flavor, I was hoping for a chocolaty caramel type cake , won’t make again
Sharon Harrison
We made this for a family event and it was a hit! Delicious!
William Jackson
Yummy and rich. My hubby loved it!
Ronald Carney
I really wanted to love this cake. I’ve come across similar recipes with more provocative names for years, but this is the first one I’ve tried. Aptly named, as I actually said “Holy cow” as I was pouring what seemed like A LOT of sweetened condensed milk and caramel over the top. I let it soak for several hours and the result was fine; very sweet and rich, better than a normal frosted cake, but not amazing. I keep trying to figure out why. I may make it again, since it was fast and easy, but for the most part I like other baked goods recipes better that I would spend my time to make.
John Walters
Simple to make. A huge hit for a restaurant birthday party. I followed the directions as written but substituted grated dark chocolate for the topping and added a few halved strawberries for a finish. The birthday lady said the strawberries were an excellent addition to this “keeper” cake. I did double all ingredients except the caramel sauce to cook a large pan cake for the occasion.
Richard Barnes
Many years ago a friend gave me this recipe but she called it “ Better than Sex” cake. Whatever you call it, it is delicious! The only thing different is the recipe I received said to first poke holes in the baked cake while it was still warm and then pour the sweetened condensed milk all over it, then pour the caramel topping over that, cover top with Cool Whip and chop up 3-4 Heath Candy Bars to sprinkle over the top, which is how I’ve always made it. A few pieces of Almond Roca work well too. I also use real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip, which makes it even better. This cake is always a big hit no matter who I serve it to and best of all it’s so easy to make. It really helps if you make the cake and keep it refrigerated at least a few hours before you serve it or even the night before. All the flavors meld together and you get a moist, tasty cake.
Jennifer Tucker
I didn’t make any changes to the recipe. This cake is as chocolate and gooey as described in the description. This cake is a repeat winner at potlucks and everyone’s favorite.
Susan Wall
I made this for my brothers b-day! Everyone loved it. He wants one next year, too!! So, so good!! I used a Duncan Hines Decadent German Chocolate cake mix and topped the cool whip with Heath Bar Toffee bits.
Michael Dunn
My family enjoyed it very much as written!
Robert Friedman
Nice, super easy “go to” dessert for times when you want something tasty and sure to please, but don’t have the time to make anything complicated.
David Sims
Very moist cake with a great flavor. Perfect for fall!
Kurt Freeman
This is a fabulous dessert. I have made it for years. The recipe I was given has that “it must be refrigerated overnight” and I agree – the flavors really need to meld. Also, my recipe has you crush (in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin) 6-8 Heath bars and put them on the top. Everytime I have made this recipe for a gathering, I have been asked – by multiple people – for the recipe. It is very rich but oh, so, so delish!
Christine Torres
Updated review after refrigerating 3 hours: Flavors blend together much better and this is a must when making this cake. Highly recommend adding flaked coconut on top of caramel mixture. Original review: This is a good cake. Having said that, I won’t personally keep it as a favorite because I don’t see it being something we crave. All the flavors were good, but I didn’t think the lightness of the cool whip necessarily went with the richness of the “german chocolate” cake. Having said that, because it was a german chocolate poke cake, I did add sweetened flaked coconut to the top of the cake after I added the caramel mixture. This cake can be described as Tinkerbell meets Fabio. Separately, they are both fine characters, but I’m not sure a Tinkerbell-Fabio medley is what I was looking for. I did try this prior to refrigerating as the recipe didn’t state to refrigerate before eating, but I will try it again after refrigeration and update my review. The toffee bits shouldn’t be optional as they make the dish.
Gary Morales
I originally got the recipe for this cake from my good friend Teresa, but lost it at some point over the years. I am so happy to have found it again! I have made this cake so many times, and everyone who has tried it loves it. I do a few things differently, however. First, I use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke the holes in the cake. It works much better than a straw. Also, for a little richer taste, I substitute a 17 oz. jar of Mrs. Richardson’s Butterscotch Caramel Sauce for the caramel ice cream topping. It adds a deep, buttery richness to the cake without making it overly sweet. Then I pour the sweetened condensed milk over the still-warm cake, let it soak in, and pour the butterscotch caramel sauce over it. Finally, I don’t like storing the cake in the refrigerator because it changes the texture, but it has to be refrigerated because of the whipped topping. I store the cake at room temperature, and just add a dollop of whipped topping and a sprinkle of toffee bits to each piece right before serving. The cake stays beautifully moist and tastes absolutely heavenly! I hope you enjoy yours, however you make it!
Wendy Carter
I have been making this for years it is a hit with everyone try putting a hand full of chocolate chips in the batter
Melissa Archer
Made this for church this past weekend. Everyone loved it. It’s a keeper in my recipe book and will make it again.

 

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