Strawberry Crunch Poke Cake with Choclairs Drizzle: A Festive Dessert

Written by Aarushi Agrawal | June 4, 2025

Picture this: a soft, spongy cake, with the aroma of vanilla wafting through your kitchen, the cake drenched in a sweet strawberry syrup, and then topped with cloudy, indulgent whipped cream. ItÕs picture perfect, right? We think we can do better. So add, in your imagination, a drizzle of melted Choclairs. There, weÕve created the strawberry crunch poke cake with Choclairs drizzle. A poke cake is essentially a simple invention where you bake a cake and while itÕs still warm you poke holes all over it and pour a flavored liquid like fruit syrup or condensed milk into the holes. Every resultant bite is tender, juicy, and filled with flavor. And weÕre combining this technique with the beauty and allure of strawberries and whipped cream. HereÕs how you go about making this dessert:

Ingredients:

For the vanilla cake:

2 _ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
2 _ tsp baking powder
_ tsp salt
_ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 _ cups (350 g) granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temperature
Optional: 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for extra moistness)

For the strawberry filling:

1 packet strawberry jelly (or 1 cup strawberry syrup)
1 cup boiling water
_ cup cold water

For the topping:

2 cups whipped cream (fresh or store-bought)
_ cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries (or strawberry-flavored biscuits)
8 Choclairs (unwrapped)
2 tbsp milk or cream
Optional: Fresh strawberry slices for garnish
Optional: Edible glitter or sprinkles

Method:

Preheat your oven to 175C or 350F.
Grease a cake pan. Set aside.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good mix and then set aside.
In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer or stand mixer to beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then stir in the vanilla extract and mix well.
Now add the dry ingredients to the mix, one spoon at a time. First add one spoonful of dry ingredients, mix that in thoroughly, then another spoonful and so on.
Then add the milk and mix it in. DonÕt overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes. YouÕll know itÕs done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let it cool for just 10 minutes. DonÕt let it cool completely or it wonÕt soak up the strawberry syrup. It should still be warm.
Take the handle of a wooden spoon or a thick skewer and poke holes all over the cake.
In a bowl, dissolve the strawberry jelly powder in 1 cup of boiling water. Stir till itÕs clear. Add _ cup of cold water and stir again.
Now, pour this warm liquid all over the cake, making sure it sinks into every hole. The cake will turn pink as it soaks it up.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. This step is important since it gives the flavor time to soak in.
Then spread a generous layer of whipped cream over the chilled cake. Smooth it out with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle the top with the freeze-dried strawberries or crushed strawberry-flavored biscuits. This gives the cake a crunch, adding texture and a pop of color.
In a saucepan, melt your Choclairs with 2 tbsp of milk or cream over low heat, stirring continuously until you get a glossy drizzle. Now drizzle this over the top of your cake in zigzags, swirls, or any shape you like.
Garnish with fresh strawberries or maybe even a bit of edible glitter, and refrigerate again for an hour. Remember, the colder it is, the better it slices.

Tips:

If you want a homemade touch, use homemade strawberry puree, thickened with a bit of sugar nd cornstarch, instead of the jelly.
Add some rose water to the whipped cream for a surprising twist and aroma.
You can also use mascarpone mixed with whipped cream instead of just the plain whipped cream if you want something richer and more indulgent.

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