Chocolate Covered Strawberry Poke Cake

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Eagle Brand I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Strawberry cake with pockets of creamy chocolate sweetened condensed milk, a strawberry icing, fresh strawberries, and a chocolate fudge drizzle. Have your cake and eat it too!

You guys! My baby turns 3 today. I am in a little bit of denial about it. I can’t believe my youngest kid is a full blow three year old at this point. The other night at dinner she served her dad some broccoli, and then in her sweet little voice said, “Enjoy your broccoli.” It was really cute. She told me she needs her “girls” for a “lunch”….like what? Crazy kid!

Anyway, we really love her around here. And so pretty much whatever she wants, she gets. For her birthday, she wanted a “pink” cake! Right now the hubs is gone a lot and I am working like a crazy woman, so I figured I would just buy her a cake. No pink cakes to be found. Pink frosting…yes. Pink cake…no. So instead I bought a strawberry cake mix. I had big plans for just following the directions, topping it with some pink frosting and calling it a day.

But….

Then the sentimental part of me that says, “This is your last baby, this is the last 3rd birthday you will ever celebrate with your own children, this should be special” kicked in, and my mommy-guilt was laying itself on thick. So I decided I could kick the cake mix up a bit. And I am so glad I did. I opted for a poke cake, and since the pink was actually strawberry, I thought chocolate would be the perfect choice.

Have you guys seen this Eagle Brand Chocolate Flavored Sweetened Condensed Milk? Eagle Brand is offering seasonal flavors, chocolate and caramel, which I absolutely love since treat making is kind of an art during the holidays, and everyone loves a decadent holiday dessert with sweetened condensed milk.

Anyway, they are only here for a limited time, but they are basically all that rich, creaminess of regular sweetened condensed milk, with the same quality consumers have trusted over the last 150+ years, but with a fun flavor! That extra flavor pop is certainly helping me up my creativity game when it comes to holiday baking.

I thought the chocolate would work well for my aims with this cake. I am short on time, so not having to mix, chop, melt, etc. chocolate rather open and pour on a can was really great.

So I baked up the cake, and used a chopstick to poke a whole bunch of holes in the top.

Then poured on the Eagle Brand Chocolate Flavored Sweetened Condensed Milk, making sure to spread it all across the top of the cake.

From there I took a can of strawberry icing (I mean, I really went all out here, not even making my own buttercream. Mom of the year!!!) and spread it over the chocolate layer.

Then the guilt of not really making anything from scratch started to weigh on me, so I put in a little work by cutting up a pound of strawberries and laying them on top of the cake. I had fun trying to make it look pretty. And the freshness of the strawberries was a great balance for the sweetness of the cake and chocolate.

Then I took a bottle of chocolate fudge sauce, heated it up, and drizzled a bit over the top. And there you go, chocolate covered strawberry poke cake! Perfect for a three year old who loves pink, a mom who is busy and tired, and a day that should be celebrated with style.

So let’s go ahead and have a slice, and think about how I am getting so old that I have a kid with braces, and my “baby” is totally not a baby any more. I mean, she serves broccoli. I should put her to work as my sous chef!

So here is the recipe:

Honestly, this cake was awesome for my daughter’s birthday, but it would also be a hit during this holiday season. I know everyone loves chocolate during this time of year! But if you are looking for something more traditionally-holiday then check out the Eagle Brand website for fun ideas using these products.

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