Milky Way Poke Cake!

Oh my goodness people. Grab a napkin for the drool and LOOK AT THIS cake...

That picture doesn't even begin to do this cake justice. You can't see all the gooey, chewy nougat and caramel in the middle, between the whipped topping and the chocolate sheet cake, but it's there, I promise.

I found this recipe at Chef In Training and HAD to make it. Because something that's chocolate and caramel and includes marshmallow fluff *has* to be amazing right? And of course, it has to be difficult right? Because nothing that looks that good can be easy, RIGHT?

WRONG! This was not very difficult to make at all. The hardest part was the nougat, and only because of the "stir constantly for 4 minutes" part... Not hard, just some standing still and stirring.

Anyway... Your cast of characters:

1 box chocolate cake mix and ingredients it calls for (The one I used called for 1 1/4 cups water, 1/2 cup oil, and 3 eggs).

Nougat Filling:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff
1 tsp. vanilla

Toppings:
1 (12 oz) jar caramel topping
1 (8 oz) tub cool whip thawed
3 regular size Milky Way Candy Bars chopped

Not pictured: Water for the cake mix.

First step is to bake the boxed cake mix as instructed on the box in a 9x13 dish.

After it's cooled for 5-10 minutes, take a wooden spoon and use the handle to poke several holes across the top. I usually do rows of 5 to make my mild OCD happy.

Once that is done, you need to mix up your nougat filling. I did this by putting the marshmallow creme into a large metal bowl and adding the vanilla first, then mixing up the nougat on the stove.

Melt the butter over medium heat, add the sugar and evaporated milk and stir until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil and stir constantly for 4 mins. You need to keep stirring because this mixture will burn to the bottom of the pan and cause sticky clumps in your nougat.

This is the tricky part, because you have to work quickly since the mixture thickens pretty fast as it cools. Pour the hot milk/butter/sugar mixture over the marshmallow creme and vanilla and mix until smooth, then (I used 1/2 cup measuring cup to make it easier) pour the nougat mixture over the cake, filling the holes. It will sit on top, but eventually gravity will do it's thing and the nougat will sink down into the cake. Some will go down the sides, and sit on top, and that's okay!

Once you are done with the nougat, take the ice cream topping and repeat the process, saving some to drizzle on the top if you'd like. I like the squeeze bottle, but if you get a jar, just use a spoon and try to get it as much into the holes as possible, then let the cake cool. It will look something like this:

Don't worry, those holes will be filled soon!

After the cake has cooled completely, spread on the whipped topping. I did a thin layer first, and pressed down slightly with my rubber spatula to get it down in the holes, then added the rest of it. Drizzle a little caramel sauce. Sprinkle your chopped Milky Way pieces (I used the Bites because I had a coupon, and just chopped them in half), and then drizzle a little more caramel sauce (or not, I just love caramel) and you're done! :)

Then you get to dig in to this beautiful cake. Yum!

That's all for now. Enjoy!
~Mandy