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Hawaiian Wedding Cake starts with a simple cake mix. Add a splash of coconut and pineapple and it becomes a refreshing cake that tastes like a piña colada.
Hawaiian Wedding Cake
The first time I had Hawaiian Wedding Cake was actually at a baby shower. I am a big fan of anything with pineapple and coconut and also a fan of poke cakes so this was my dream come true. As I was savoring every bite of it I knew I had to create my own version. I love how easy this is to make. It starts with a cake mix and simple ingredients and turns it into something special.
This Hawaiian cake is a poke cake using a basic yellow cake mix with three layers on top: a crushed pineapple layer with pineapple juice that seeps into the cake, a creamy pudding layer, and then whipped topping and coconut on top. What I like about the topping on this Hawaiian Wedding Cake is it is not too sweet. It is flavorful and light. It’s a nice change from heavy, sugary frosting. Another great thing about this cake, is it looks pretty in a simple cake pan. No need for layers of cake or specialty pans to make this cake stand out! It is simple and can still feed a crowd using a regular 9×13 size cake pan.
Hawaiian Cake Ingredients
For the cake batter you will need a white or yellow cake mix, eggs, and oil or butter.
One the topping we use crushed pineapple, cream cheese, vanilla pudding mix, milk, coconut flakes, and whipped cream (homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip).
Hawaiian Wedding Cake Recipe Tips
A couple of tips on making this Hawaiian cake. First, when I use pudding and milk in a recipe, I always use 2% or whole milk (using skim milk or 1% milk will not thicken the pudding as well). Second, when using cream cheese in a recipe make sure it is softened. If the cream cheese is not completely softened it will leave clumps in the pudding mixture.
Leave your cream cheese on the counter to soften. Depending on the temperature in your house it can take 30 minutes to an hour. Press on the outside of the package to test if it is completely softened. Another way to soften the cream cheese is to take it out of the package, cut it in cubes, place it in a microwavable bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. Stir well. If it is not completely softened, cook for additional 10 second increments. The cream cheese should not become hot, just softened enough to blend well with the other ingredients. If I am preparing this cake in advance, I will hold off adding the whipped topping and coconut until just before it is served.
Gluten-Free Hawaiian Wedding Cake
Good news for those who are Gluten-Free! This Hawaiian cake is easy to make gluten free. The only two suspect ingredients are the yellow cake mix and the vanilla pudding mix. Pillsbury and Betty Crocker both make a gluten-free yellow cake mix and they are available at pretty much every grocery store out there. If they aren’t in your local grocery store, you can also purchase them online.
As of this post, Kraft does not label its Jell-O instant pudding as gluten free. The product itself does not contain gluten as an ingredient, but Kraft does not guarantee that the product has not come in contact with gluten during manufacturing. If this is a concern, there are brands that carry gluten-free instant pudding mixes. Simply Delish and Better Bowls are two brands I have found that carry a gluten-free instant vanilla pudding mix. You can also make your own gluten-free instant pudding mixes. Try this recipe from Gluten Free on a Shoestring.
More Refreshing Summer Desserts
Hawaiian Guava Cake: Guava cake is another classic Hawaiian cake that was originally created at the famous Dee Lite Bakery in Honolulu. Its popularity grew, and now there are many different versions of this guava cake recipe out there. But this one is by far my favorite!
Pink Lemonade Ice Cream Pie: We had this ice cream pie all the time growing up. It is so easy to make and as kids, we LOVED it. We all loved pink lemonade when we were kids (still do) and this was just like Pink Lemonade but in ice cream form and served like pie. WIN. WIN. The sweet and tangy flavors taste just like Summertime – if Summertime had a taste.
Orange Pineapple Cake: This is another refreshing cake recipe, but with more of a citrus twist. It’s perfect for any island-themed summer party. So so easy to make and deliciously refreshing.
Jell-O Poke Cake: This cake is a little bit berry, a little bit citrus. Reminds me of a raspberry lemonade in cake form! Whenever we make this cake for potlucks it ALWAYS gets polished.
More Hawaiian Desserts
Hawaiian Wedding Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 15 ounces crushed pineapple not drained
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 3 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups milk 2% or whole
- 12 ounces whipped topping
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Bake cake mix according to package directions in a 9×13 pan. Cool completely.
- While cake is baking, mix cream cheese, pudding and milk together in a mixer or with electric beaters until blended well and thickened. Place pudding mixture in refrigerator. It will continue to thicken until cake is cooled.
- When cake is cooled, poke holes evenly in the top of the cake with the round handle end of a wooden spoon.
- Spread crushed pineapple evenly over the cake.
- Add the pudding mixture.
- Spread whipped topping over the pudding mixture and sprinkle entire cake with coconut flakes.
- Serve immediately or keep covered and in the fridge until ready to serve.
My mother used to make this when I was young. She reserved some of the crushed pineapple and put it on top of the coconut with maraschino cherries.
Yum! That sounds like a great idea! Thank you for your comment, Diane.
I made this for my Bunco group Luau. Very easy to make and was so DELICIOUS!
Love this recipe! If you like pecans, they are a nice added touch to the top of the cake before you sprinkle the coconut on it!
I’m so happy you like the recipe! I agree that pecans would be a great addition to the topping.
I really enjoyed making this cake. The recipe was easy (which I really like) and so tasty. I used heavy whipping cream so it really tasted good.
This was yummy. What I would do next time: 2 cans of pineapple (I used 20 oz and wanted more), and use half the amount of whipped topping. Maybe I would try replacing the milk with pineapple juice too. Would be yummy to taste the tang of the cream cheese more too, perhaps by using more of a pineapple cream cheese frosting. I had excess pudding powder so I dumped it into the cake batter, which makes it more moist. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks very similar to a cake I used to make except in mine, I combined the softened cream cheese, pudding mix, and cool whip and frosted the cake with it!
Can you make this cake the day before for a party or is it best to do it same day?
For best results, I would make the cake and the pudding mixture ahead of time, and then assemble it the day you want to serve it!
Question about nutrition.
Is the nutrition info the total of the whole cake or by slice?
Trying to understand it for keto.
Definitely going to make this soon and also try Suzi’s diabetic version. Thank you 😊
It is by the slice. The serving size is a generous size however (1/12 of the cake). You can also slice the cake into 15 slices, which brings the calories down to 313 per slice. It’s a delicious cake – I hope you enjoy it!
I am a diabetic. So I try to cut the carbs and sugar down. I use sugar free cool whip, sugar free vanilla pudding, 2% milk and a sugar free BettyCrocker yellow cake mix. I use coconut oil (which makes the taste that much better) instead of regular oil. You can buy sugar free crushed pineapple, but that would defeat my purpose to cheat! I personally love the taste and am keeping my sugar low. Sooo good!
Wow, that sounds great! So happy that you could make it your own and still enjoy this delicious cake! Thanks for sharing!
Loved all the recipes .So easy
Do you think I can freeze this cake?
I haven’t tried to freeze this cake so I’m not sure!
Re Hawaiian Wedding Cake:
Could I also add ginger root to this recipe? I have extra boiled ginger root that I think might add flavor to this cake. What do you think?
Kaye Matousek
kmatousek75@gmail.com
(612) 206-1338
Sounds like it could be yummy! Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Is it better to use the crushed pineapple in heavy syrup or 100% juice?
Either way is fine! I like using the 100% juice kind because I think it tastes fresher.
This cake is a favorite with all my friends and family Everyone requests it wherever I go. I’ve been making this cake for about 15 years and always it gets Rave reviews! In my family we call it our Hawaiian Wiggle cake☺️🌺
I made this for my husbands birthday because he loves tropical flavors and everyone loved it. Will definitely make this again!
This cake looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it this weekend!