Vegan Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake with Caramel Sauce

This vegan cinnamon roll poke cake with caramel sauce is a sweet, delicious vegan cake made with only six ingredients! It’s so easy to make! Get ready to grab a fork and a plate on any random weeknight or share it with friends at a special weekend gathering.

If you’re into vegan cake—and who isn’t—you’ll want to check out this Vegan Coconut Cake, this Vanilla Wacky Cake, or how about this Vegan Spiced Chocolate Chai Cake.

A slice of vegan cinnamon roll poke cake has a scoop of ice cream on the top and is drizzled with caramel sauce.

When it comes to my favorite desserts, I’m constantly deciding between cakes, pies, or cookies. But when fall rolls around, this is my response: I’ll take cake, please!

The inspiration to make this Vegan Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake came from Cheryl Sousan at Tidy Mom. She shared her recipe, and it made me wonder, as most recipes do, could make a poke cake vegan?

I did. So, thanks to Cheryl for the inspiration!

A slice of vegan cinnamon roll poke cake with ice cream and caramel sauce sits in front of a bowl of caramel sauce and a carton of soy milk.

Dairy-Free Poke Cake

Believe it or not, this vegan cake is made using a cake mix. You’re either surprised because you didn’t know cake mixes were vegan…or you’re surprised that I would use a cake mix.

Many cake mixes are both egg-free and dairy-free these days. That means you’re on your way to making a very easy dairy-free poke cake!

Hey, look, I grew up using cake mixes. Sure, we cook from scratch sometimes. I have my Easy Vegan Chocolate Wacky Cake to show for it!

But the thing is, busy people don’t always have the time to make cakes from scratch. And sometimes, even when you have the time, you don’t always have the energy.

Also, this recipe features a delicious vegan caramel sauce. Feel free to serve this on your cake, over ice cream, on your morning oatmeal, and more. It’s pretty amazing stuff!

Vegan Poke Cake Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Cake mix — We may make many cakes from scratch, but a poke cake is a perfect opportunity to use a box cake mix. Many of them are made without dairy or eggs. Here’s more about making vegan cake from boxed mixes. Here we’re using a spice cake mix, but feel free to try this recipe with other cake mix flavors.
  • Cream Soda — We’re keeping this recipe simple by using a can of cream soda.
  • Sweetened Condensed Milk — You can now buy coconut condensed milk in many major grocery stores. But you can also use my easy dairy-free sweetened condensed milk recipe.
  • Sugar — We’ll use brown sugar to add caramel flavor to the sauce.
  • Creamer — We’ll use half of a cup of vanilla plant-based creamer. I find this in the health food refrigerated section or even next to the rest of the dairy creamers. Silk is a common brand but there are many others to choose from.
  • Butter — Adding a couple of tablespoons of vegan butter will give the sauce more texture and flavor. I prefer to use vegan butter formulated for baking because it’s thicker and has less water content. You can substitute refined coconut oil.

How to Make Vegan Poke Cake

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

  1. Combine the cake mix and soda in a mixing bowl and beat for 1 to 3 minutes.
  2. Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake.
  3. Cool the baked cake for 10 minutes, then poke holes across the cake.
  4. Pour vegan sweetened condensed milk over the cake, covering and filling holes.
  5. Chill the cake for at least 2 hours.
  6. Make the caramel sauce by cooking brown sugar, creamer, and vegan butter in a saucepan.
  7. Stir the sauce and bring it to a boil. Then simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
  8. For serving, top each slice of cake with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and drizzle with vegan caramel syrup.

Flavor Variations

I love to think of ways to play around with a recipe. Don’t you? Here are some fun ways to change this Vegan Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake up a little:

  • Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top – like chopped pecans or walnuts
  • Add a tablespoon (or two) of peanut butter to the caramel sauce
  • Follow this same recipe using a chocolate cake mix
  • Top the cake with some vegan whipped topping like I did on my plant-based pineapple cake.
  • Change up the flavors by adding a scoop of creamy vegan chocolate ice cream over the spice cake.

Storage Tips

Cover your cake and store it in the fridge for up to 10 days. I don’t recommend leaving it at room temperature for over an hour because it’s a very moist cake. You can freeze individual slices in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.

A slice of cake has a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzles of caramel sauce.

More Vegan Cake Recipes

If you love this cinnamon vegan poke cake, here are more delicious vegan spice cakes to try:

A slice of cake has a scoop of ice cream on top and drizzles of caramel sauce.

Vegan Poke Cake

This vegan poke cake is made easy with a spice cake mix. Make your own cinnamon roll poke cake with this easy recipe. It's the perfect easy vegan dessert you can share with family and friends!
5 from 1 vote
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 300kcal

Ingredients

Vegan Poke Cake

Caramel Sauce

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup vanilla plant-based creamer
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter

Serving

  • Vegan vanilla ice cream for topping

Instructions

For the Vegan Poke Cake:

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F/177°C. Coat a 9×13 pan with vegetable spray.
  • Combine the cake mix and soda in a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat, one minute on low followed by another minute on medium-high.
    A hand holds a blue mixer, beating batter in a glass bowl.
  • Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 minutes or until done. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. If not, cook a few more minutes.
    Cake batter is being poured into a white baking dish.
  • When done, remove the cake from the oven. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Use a straw or a wooden skewer to poke holes across the cake, about 1-inch apart.
  • Pour vegan sweetened condensed milk over the cake, covering and filling holes.

For the Caramel Sauce:

  • While the cake is baking, pour the brown sugar, creamer, and vegan butter into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low heat, maintaining a simmer. Continue stirring every 30 seconds or so, cooking for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, then allow to cool. Set aside. It will thicken as it cools.
    A saucepan has caramel sauce in it.

For Serving:

  • Cover the cake with a lid (or if you don't have a lid, use foil). Chill for at least 2 hours (overnight works too).
  • For serving, top each slice of cake with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and drizzle with vegan caramel syrup.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 432mg | Potassium: 77mg | Sugar: 37g | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 1.2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Whatever caramel goodness you’re drooling over, enjoy!

This post was originally published in 2016 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2023.

3 Responses to Vegan Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake with Caramel Sauce

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyPauline Reply

    Would it work to use a bundt pan in this recipe instead of the 9×13 pan?

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Pauline. I have never tried using a bundt pan with this particular recipe, but I would definitely give it a try. You might want to try the cake mix from my Vegan Vanilla Wacky Cake recipe instead. It would hold up much better to the bundt cake mold. Just add the cinnamon and the vegan caramel sauce.

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyCyndi J Reply

    5 stars
    Sounds and looks yummy. I did find your recipe for the sweetened condensed milk but thought you might want to link to it. (Unless it’s already linked but I missed it.)

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