This easy poke cake recipe starts with a yellow box mix that, once baked, gets soaked in a sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce topping. Top the cake with a simple whipped topping that gets sandwiched between two layers of chopped Butterfinger bars, and you have yourself an easy Butterfinger cake!
Spray a 9" x 13" baking dish with non-stick spray (or use homemade cake release). Set aside.
Prepare the cake batter as per the instructions and ingredients1 on the box, pour into the prepared pan, and bake as directed.
While the cake is baking, pour the sweetened condensed milk and caramel sauce into a medium size bowl or large glass measuring cup with a spout. Stir until color is uniform and there are no more streaks. Set aside.
Remove the cake from the oven and, while it is still hot, use the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula (you're looking for something a little larger than the size of an eraser) to poke holes in the cake. They do not have to be perfect or in any particular pattern, but try to space them out about ¼" to ½" between each poke.
Slowly pour the condensed milk/caramel mixture evenly over the cake, covering all of the holes and pouring to the edges. Allow the cake to cool completely at room temperature.
When the cake is completely cool, sprinkle half of the chopped Butterfinger bars evenly on top of the cake. Cover and chill the cake in the refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to overnight before topping with whipped cream.
When you are ready to top the cake, pour the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into the bowl. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and whip until medium peaks form (about 4-5 minutes). For more detailed instructions on this step, see my homemade whipped cream post.
Spread the whipped cream (or Cool Whip3) evenly over the top of the chilled cake, then sprinkle with the remaining chopped Butterfinger bars. Serve right away or chill again in the fridge until ready to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up for up to 4 days. Butterfinger pieces will start to wilt and lose their crunch, which is totally fine and safe to eat, just something to note. Cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Do not add chopped Butterfingers or whipped topping. Thaw in refrigerator. Add whipped topping and chopped Butterfingers just before serving.
Notes
Yellow cake mix: keep in mind that you will also need the ingredients listed on the box to make the cake. The original recipe mentions using melted butter in place of the vegetable oil as well as milk in place of water. Feel free to make, none, one, or both of these adjustments.
Salted caramel sauce: I always prefer to use my own homemade salted caramel sauce, but the original recipe uses store-bought sauce. Either is fine.
Heavy cream/granulated sugar/vanilla extract: you'll use these 3 ingredients to make homemade whipped cream. You can also substitute this topping with 12 ounces of thawed Cool Whip.
Butterfinger bars: the original recipe calls for 4 large, full size Butterfinger bars. Three (3) fun size Butterfinger bars is the equivalent of 2 full size bars, so you will need 6 fun size for the whole cake in this recipe. If you have or can only find mini Butterfinger bars (the bite-size ones), use 20 total of those.
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.