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Samoas Poke Cake

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posted: 03/10/14

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

This Samoas Poke Cake inspired by Samoas Girl Scout Cookies is my new favorite! Totally irresistible!

picture of a Samoas poke cake with a bite missing, photo says Samoas poke cake in script

Whoever invented in the Samoas (or Carmel deLites) Cookie for the Girl Scouts is an absolute genius. The combination of coconut, caramel, and chocolate is a mixture made from heaven. This is what makes this delicious Samoas Poke Cake such a winner.

How to Make Samoas Poke Cake

This is a brief overview of this delicious recipe. For the full recipe, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Make the chocolate cake base. I used a cake mix here to make things easier, but we are swapping out some of what it calls for and replacing it with eggs, coconut milk, and vegetable oil.
  2. Poke holes and fill them. An essential part of any poke cake is the holes. Poke holes in the baked cake and then fill them with caramel topping.
  3. Let the cake cool.
  4. Top the cake. Finally top the cake with stabilized whipped cream (or cool whip), toasted coconut, and more caramel sauce.
above angled view of Samoas poke cake with whipped topping, toasted coconut, and caramel sauce

Coconut Milk

For this recipe, you want to be sure to buy coconut milk. It really is just the liquid from the coconut combined with some of the flesh. It shouldn’t have anything else added to it.

Coconut cream, which is not what you want, has additional sugar added to it. It is perfect for my Pina Colada, but since we are making a cake here that already has sugar, we want to stick to coconut milk.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Very often poke cakes will be topped with Cool Whip. It’s fast and convenient and makes a great topping for these simple cakes. However, if you would like to make your own, my recipe for stabilized whipped cream is perfect. It is sweetened whipped cream that has gelatin in it to keep it stable. This means it won’t start to melt all over your cake as the cake sits like traditional whipped cream will. It also will hold its shape if you decide to use it for other recipes and want to pipe it. It makes a great decoration for my key lime cheesecake.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Stabilized Whipped Cream is easy to throw together with just three ingredients. This recipe is perfect for topping cakes, piping, or using as a replacement for Cool Whip!
mason jar full of stabilized whipped cream frosting that has been pipped into it
side view of Samoas poke cake

Toasted Coconut

The toasted coconut is one of my favorite parts of this recipe. It is so easy to make, and perfect to top so many different desserts. I also love keeping it on hand when we do an ice cream sundae bar!

How To Toast Coconut

Learning how to toast coconut is a snap. It is so easy to do and yields the perfect ingredient for so many different recipes. Don’t miss our list in the post of all the great ways to use toasted coconut.
a small mason jar full of toasted coconut on a tray with more toasted coconut
chocolate Samoas poke cake on a plate with Samoas in the foreground and background

More Easy Poke Cakes

If you make this delicious Samoas Cake or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

picture of a Samoas poke cake with a bite missing, photo says Samoas poke cake in script
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Samoas Poke Cake

Serves: 12 pieces
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
This Samoas Poke Cake inspired by Samoas Girl Scout Cookies is my new favorite! Totally irresistible!

Ingredients

  • 13 ounces Chocolate Cake Mix I used Betty Crocker Super Moist Milk Chocolate
  • 14 ounces coconut milk I used Thai Kitchen
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 12.25 oz caramel topping I used Smuckers
  • 8 ounces stabilized whipped cream or cool whip
  • toasted coconut
  • more caramel for drizzling optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  • Mix the cake mix, coconut milk, eggs, and vegetable oil together.
    13 ounces Chocolate Cake Mix, 14 ounces coconut milk, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 3 eggs
  • Pour into 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 28 minutes or until a toothpick stuck two inches from the edge comes out with just a few crumbs.
  • Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes, then poke small holes throughout the cake.
  • Pour the caramel topping into the holes, making sure that you get some in each whole.
    12.25 oz caramel topping
  • Refrigerate overnight.
  • Top with cool whip, toasted coconut and additional caramel (or hot fudge).
    8 ounces stabilized whipped cream, toasted coconut, more caramel for drizzling
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
picture of a Samoas poke cake with a bite missing, photo says Samoas poke cake in script

did you make this

Samoas Poke Cake

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. danielle says

    Definitely making this for my daughters birthday – she would love it!

  2. Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says

    You know this is genius right? Samoas Poke Cake? Where do I sign up!

  3. Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says

    Oh my holy heck. THIS IS INSANE. I love it!!! And you are a super star. 12? I want to be you. :)

  4. Made From Pinterest says

    What a brilliant idea! This looks so yummy! I love girl scout cookies, girl scout cake ? Such a good idea.

  5. Tonia says

    Sounds amazing! I love all of the Girl Scout flavored desserts!

  6. Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says

    I don’t know if I believe that you are ever a blog by the seat of your pants kind of girl…..but 12 recipes made and ready to go!? That’s impressive. OR….insane ;) This cake looks amazing, by the way. Samoas are my FAVORITE!

  7. Jen @ Yummy Healthy Easy says

    You are awesome. This is the yummiest looking cake I’ve seen in a while! LOVE it! Pinned!

  8. Amanda says

    I got the ingredients from this site for the Somoa cake yesterday. .now the recipe is gone. Help?!? I was planning to make it tonight. AGHGH!!!!!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Amanada, they are there now! I updated my blog today and everything went haywire! Email me again if they disappear [email protected] and I will fix it right away.

      • Amanda says

        Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I was beginning to think I was crazy! :-) lol! I knew I had seen the recipe. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to bake!

        • Lisa Longley says

          You’re welcome Amanda!! I hope you like the cake! Is it weird that I’m jealous you are making it?? I really want another piece :)

  9. danie says

    This is a dumb question but do I use the whole can of coconut milk or just however much water it calls for ? It looks delicious!!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Not a dumb question at all Danie! I would suggest that you sub the coconut milk for the water. So if it calls for half a cup, use half a cup. That’s why I mentioned which cake mix I used, since it happened to be exactly equal with the coconut milk I used. Just keep an eye on your cake as it’s baking, as it could alter the baking time.

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