1-Gather Your Supplies and Preheat: First, preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish to keep everything from sticking. This step sets the stage for a smooth baking process and ensures your cake comes out perfectly. Once the oven is ready, you can move on to mixing the batter.

2-Mix and Bake the Cake: In a large bowl, combine the chocolate cake mix, 1 cup water, ½ cup vegetable oil, and 3 eggs. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and well blended. Pour the batter into your prepared dish and bake for 30-38 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For a richer flavor, consider choosing a Devil’s Food cake mix as one of the tips suggests.

3-Cool and Poke the Cake: After baking, let the cake cool completely on a rack for about 60 minutes. This cooling time is crucial for the next steps and helps with that moist texture. Once cooled, use the end of a spoon or a larger diameter straw to poke holes evenly across the cake, which is key for the filling to soak in nicely.

4-Add the Filling and Toppings: In a separate bowl, mix the 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk with the 11.75-ounce jar of hot fudge topping until well combined. Pour this mixture over the cake, letting it seep into the holes for that extra moist, flavorful punch. Then, spread the tub of coconut pecan frosting evenly on top, and sprinkle with 1 cup chopped pecans and ¼ cup mini chocolate chips if you want to amp up the toppings.

5-Finish and Serve: Slice and serve your creation once everything is set. Using the coconut pecan frosting helps maintain that traditional German chocolate poke cake taste. If you’re looking for more baking ideas, check out our apple spice crumb muffins recipe for another easy treat. Each serving packs about 595 calories, 67g carbohydrates, 8g protein, 35g fat, 431mg sodium, 3g fiber, and 49g sugar, so enjoy in moderation.