Festive Poke Cake (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Cake

01 - 15.25-ounce box of white cake mix
02 - 3 whites of large eggs
03 - Half a cup of cooking oil
04 - Half a cup of plain Greek-style yogurt
05 - 3/4 cup whole milk
06 - Pink, blue, and yellow gel-based food color

→ Pudding Layer

07 - 5.1-ounce packet of instant vanilla pudding mix
08 - 2 3/4 cups of whole milk

→ Whipped Cream Layer

09 - 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
10 - 3 tablespoons of white sugar
11 - 1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut flakes
12 - Easter-themed sprinkles or tiny chocolate eggs for garnish

# Instructions:

01 - Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter and prep a 9x13-inch glass dish, then set it aside for later use.
02 - Combine the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, yogurt, and milk in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until the batter is nice and smooth (roughly 2 minutes).
03 - Split the batter into three separate bowls. Add pink, yellow, or blue coloring to each bowl and stir them until you’re happy with the colors.
04 - Drop spoonfuls of the different colored batters into the baking dish, alternating between them. Use a butter knife to lightly swirl the batter to create a marble look—just don’t overdo it.
05 - Place the dish in the oven and bake for 23–28 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean, or mostly clean with a crumb or two. Let it cool completely.
06 - Grab a wooden spoon handle and poke holes evenly across the entire cake. Try to go about two-thirds of the way down. Widen the holes a tad by gently moving the handle around so the pudding can flow in.
07 - In a big bowl, whisk the instant pudding mix with milk for about 2 minutes until it starts thickening.
08 - Pour the pudding onto the cake right away. Spread it out evenly, gently pushing it into the holes with a rubber spatula so the entire cake soaks it up.
09 - Cover the dish and chill it in the fridge for 60 to 90 minutes until the pudding layer is fully set.
10 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream with the sugar at a medium-high speed using an electric mixer. Keep going until you see firm peaks form—it’ll take about 2 minutes.
11 - Spread the whipped cream smoothly over the cold cake. Sprinkle shredded coconut along with your choice of Easter sprinkles or mini chocolate eggs on top.
12 - Cover the dessert and leave it in the fridge for at least 2 more hours before serving. This lets all the flavors blend together perfectly.

# Notes:

01 - Keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
02 - If making the cake a day early, consider using Cool Whip or stabilized cream on top for best results.
03 - Gel food coloring works great for bright and pastel shades without messing with the texture of the batter.
04 - The total chilling time for the pudding and cake is around 3 hours and 30 minutes.

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