The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates.

A Poke Cake with a twist of lemon and lime

Blaise Doubman

Most of you are familiar with poke cakes I am sure, but have you ever thought about using soda in one? Poke cakes are generally made by baking a cake, then poking the tops of the cake with either a fork or the top of a wooden spoon and then immediately pouring on either a flavored gelatin mixture or some type of chocolate, caramel or even a creamy fruit topping.I have a recipe on my website for a banana pudding poke cake that is basically a yellow cake that has been poked and filled with banana instant pudding. I refrigerate that and once the pudding becomes firm, I top the cake with bananas, whipped cream and vanilla wafers. It is delicious and was my Grandma Deloris’ favorite cake! I also make a turtle poke cake that is a chocolate cake with caramel drizzle, chocolate buttercream and pecans that is just as delicious. The banana pudding recipe came to me through some inspiration behind a Facebook post, but the turtle poke cake came to me by way of a friend of mine who was working on a collection of poke cake recipes that she later had published into a poke cake cookbook!

The recipe I am sharing today is one of my own creations and a version of it first appeared in my first cookbook, “Blaise the Baker Dessert First”. It was quickly voted as one of the favorites in the book by the people who bought the cookbook and tried the recipes. It is not like a traditional poke cake because there is no creamy filling or pudding involved. Instead, there is a glaze that soaks down into the cake, creating one of the most fabulous cakes a person could ever have! I know some people do not like using or hearing the word moist but that is exactly what this cake is. It is also different than the traditional poke cake because there is lemon lime soda in the cake and in the glaze both. Even though the cake is lemon flavored, and the lemon lime soda is in the cake and glaze both, oddly enough, the cake itself does not really taste that strong of lemon or lime. The cake is flavored more like an old-fashioned butter cake. It is really something to try and easily one of my favorite cakes. I hope will you try it and you will enjoy!

Lemon Lime Poke Cake

If desired, the top of this cake can be frosted with a thin layer of buttercream frosting.

For the cake…

1 lemon cake mix

4 large eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup lemon lime soda

For the glaze…

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

½ cup lemon lime soda

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 ½ cups powdered sugar

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray containing flour.

Make the cake by combining the lemon cake mix, large eggs, vegetable oil and lemon lime soda together in a large bowl using a wire whisk. Whisk together until smooth and combined.

Pour into the prepared baking pan and lightly tap the bottom against the counter to remove and unwanted air bubbles.

Bake, in preheated oven, for 30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze by whisking together the melted unsalted butter, lemon lime soda, pure vanilla extract and powdered sugar until smooth and combined.

Once the cake has baked, remove from oven and poke the tops of the cake several times with the prongs of a fork. Do this evenly across the entire surface of the cake.

Pour on the glaze evenly and spread across the cake with the top of a spoon.

Place, uncovered, in the refrigerator to chill for at least 5 hours before serving. Store any and all leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator and always serve cold. Leftovers will last about 4 days.

Ask and Answer: Many of you are wondering about my specifications for “cooking spray containing flour” that I use onmy baking pans for my baking recipes. My favorite brand is “Baker’s Joy”. You can find this with the “Pam” and other brands of non-stick cooking spray. If you can not find non-stick cooking spray containing flour, use a non-flavored cooking spray and dust the pan with all-purpose flour evenly, brushing or dumping out the remaining flour.