With coconut, pineapple, and rum, this Pina Colada Cake is an easy poke cake that comes together in no time and is the perfect summertime cake.
If you love the drink, then you will love this Pina Colada Cake! There is so much flavor in each and every bite, that it will have you coming back for more.
I love coconut and pineapple separate, but together they are amazing, plus with a little added rum extract for the real deal.
This cake tastes like a tropical explosion in your mouth! Like you’re sitting on your favorite beach.
I’m a huge cake lover all around, it doesn’t matter if it’s cupcakes, sheet cakes, layer cakes, etc. But when it comes to poke cakes like this Pina Colada Cake, I’m in love.
The frosting on the top really “tops the cake” as you would say. With a combination of pudding, whipped topping, and pineapple it’s fluffy and has texture.
So if you are wanting something fruity, with a little taste of the tropics, then you absolutely have to whip up this Pina Colada Cake ASAP!
Some of my other favorite pineapple-flavored desserts we have on our site include: Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake, Ambrosia Salad and Hummingbird Cake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- This cake starts with a boxed cake mix making it easier.
- The fluffy topping really gives a nice texture contrast.
- The toasted coconut on the top gives it a deep rich coconut flavor in each bite.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
White cake mix
Crushed pineapple
Vegetable oil
Eggs
Cream of coconut
Pineapple juice
Rum extract
Instant coconut pudding mix
Whole milk
Whipped topping
Toasted coconut for garnish
HOW TO MAKE A PINA COLADA CAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with baking spray, set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the cake mix, crushed pineapple, oil, and eggs. With an electric hand mixer, mix on low for 30 seconds to combine. Place on medium speed and whip for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 29-34 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Using a fork, gently poke holes all over the cake. Try not to crumble the top of the cake the best you can.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and rum extract. Pour all over the cake. Let it sit until completely cooled and the liquid is absorbed.
- To make the topping, place the pudding mix into a large bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine until it starts to thicken.
- Fold in the whipped topping until there are no streaks left. Fold in the well-drained crushed pineapple. Smooth over the cake.
- Top with toasted coconut and serve.
CAN I USE COCONUT CREAM OR COCONUT MILK?
No, we are using cream of coconut for this. This can be found by the drink mix section of your local liquor store or grocery store.
We feel that this gives the best consistency and flavor. Please do NOT try to substitute the other two for the cream of coconut. If you cannot find cream of coconut, substitute with a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.
CAN I USE REAL RUM IN THIS CAKE?
This is made using rum extract, but if you want to use real rum, you can use 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup, depending on how strong you want the cake to be in place of the rum extract.
If you are using real rum, just subtract the amount of pineapple juice listed for the filling. Dark rum, light rum, or spiced rum would all be good choices.
WHAT IS THE FLAVOR AND TEXTURE OF THIS CAKE?
The cake is extremely moist from the soaking filling. The cake has more pineapple flavor while the frosting is more coconut forward, making this a perfectly balanced pina colada flavored cake.
It is so moist, in fact, that the cake itself will crumble a little when slicing and serving. For presentation purposes, be gentle when lifting pieces of the cake out of the dish.
HOW TO STORE:
This can be stored covered in the pan with plastic wrap or foil in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 5 days. This is great served warm or at room temperature.
This can also be frozen. Place the cake in a pan wrapped in plastic wrap and foil and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove to the refrigerator overnight and serve.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- The toasted coconut adds amazing flavor, but you do not have to toast it.
- Instant coconut pudding can be hard to find, you can always get it off Amazon.
- You can substitute real rum in this cake if desired, see above on how to do that.
- Make sure that you use cream of coconut otherwise, substitute with sweetened condensed milk.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- You can make your own homemade white cake if you’d like.
Wanting a cake that will fill your tastebuds up and keep you super satisfied? Then you absolutely need to make this Pina Colada Cake!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this PINA COLADA CAKE let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Pina Colada Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 box white cake mix
- 1 cup crushed pineapple not drained
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
For the filling:
- 15 ounces cream of coconut
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 2 teaspoons rum extract
For the topping:
- 3.4 ounce instant coconut pudding mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- 8 ounces whipped topping
- ½ cup crushed pineapple well drained
- Toasted coconut for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with baking spray, set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the cake mix, crushed pineapple, oil, and eggs. With an electric hand mixer, mix on low for 30 seconds to combine. Place on medium speed and whip for 2 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 29-34 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
- Using a fork, gently poke holes all over the cake. Try not to crumble the top of the cake the best you can.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the cream of coconut, pineapple juice, and rum extract. Pour all over the cake. Let it sit until completely cooled and the liquid is absorbed.
- To make the topping, place the pudding mix into a large bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine until it starts to thicken.
- Fold in the whipped topping until there are no streaks left. Fold in the well-drained crushed pineapple. Smooth over the cake.
- Top with toasted coconut and serve.
Notes
- The toasted coconut adds amazing flavor, but you do not have to toast it.
- Instant coconut pudding can be hard to find, you can always get it off Amazon.
- You can substitute real rum in this cake if desired, see above on how to do that.
- Make sure that you use cream of coconut otherwise substitute with sweetened condensed milk.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- You can make your own homemade white cake if you'd like.
Nutrition
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