This Piña Colada Cake is bursting with coconut and pineapple. The topping on this cake is simple, yet so delicious. It is the perfect summer dessert!
Piña Colada Cake
I love poke cakes because they are so simple, yet taste like they are much more involved. They are always so moist and usually taste even better the next day. I like serving them when they have chilled for several hours and they are nice and cold all the way through.
This cake has all of the delicious flavors of the classic Piña Colada cocktail – pineapple and coconut. These tropical flavors are abundant in every bite of this luscious cake. It is the perfect dessert on hot summer nights, or when you want to serve something cold and refreshing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Piña Colada is Spanish for strained pineapple. A Piña Colada is a cocktail made with pineapple juice (strained pineapple), coconut milk, and rum. To give this cake an extra Piña Colada flavor, add a teaspoon of rum extract to the cake mix. Yum!
You can usually find cream of coconut (or coconut cream) at your local grocery store. It is typically found in the “mixed drinks” section near the alcoholic beverages. It is usually with the flavored syrups and mix-ins. The brand that we use most is “Coco Lopez” but we have seen other brands. Most of the time it comes in a can, but we have also seen cream of coconut in squeeze bottles.
If you want to add a little more color for presentation, you can add a maraschino cherry to the top of each slice of cake when serving. You can also toast some coconut and sprinkle it over the top.
Yes! Keep this cake in the fridge until ready to serve, and refrigerate any leftovers.
This cake does not freeze well once prepared. The Cool Whip in the topping has already been frozen once, and the crushed pineapple will not come back to the same consistency after freezing. If making the cake ahead is needed to save time, the cake mix can be baked according to package directions and then frozen. Allow the cake to cool completely, then cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Thaw the cake for a few hours before adding the filling and the topping.
More Delicious Summertime Desserts
- Fresh Strawberry Cake: Strawberries and Cream Cake is a great summer dessert, loaded with fresh strawberries in both the cake and frosting! Perfect for a family get together.
- Hawaiian Guava Cake: Guava cake is a tasty, traditional Hawaiian dessert. It is a guava flavored cake with a whipped cream cheese layer and guava gel glaze. Easy and delicious!
- Coconut Cream Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting: This Coconut Cream Cake is a coconut lovers dream! It is a coconut infused cake, with a rich and creamy coconut cream cheese frosting, sprinkled with even more toasted coconut. You will be in coconut heaven with every bite.
- Raspberry Lemon Cake: This is another Jell-O poke cake bursting with flavor. Lemon and raspberry are so refreshing together, and this cake is no exception.
How To Make Piña Colada Cake
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla cake mix prepared according to box directions
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 1 can
- 10 ounces cream of coconut (see notes above)
For the Topping:
- 15 ounces crushed pineapple 1 can
- 8 ounces Cool Whip or Whipped Cream
- 1 cup coconut shredded, sweetened
Instructions
- Prepare cake mix according to box directions for 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Allow cake to cool about 10 minutes, then poke cake with the back of a wooden spoon so there are holes evenly poked over the cake.
- Combine sweetened condensed milk and cream of coconut until well mixed.
- Pour mixture evenly over the top of the cake, trying to get the mixture in all the holes.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (tastes best if refrigerated overnight).
- Remove cake from refrigerator.
- Drain crushed pineapple and spread evenly over the top of the cake.
- Combine Cool Whip (or whipped cream) with shredded coconut and spread evenly over the top of the pineapple.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ashley says
I love pina colada flavors and this cake was so good. Easy too!
Renee says
What do they mean by 10 Cream of Coconut? Is that supposed to be 10 oz?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes it is 10 ounces. Thank you for catching that! I just edited the recipe.
Beth says
This looks ah-mazing! I love how light and easy this cake is! I can see myself putting some maraschino cherries on top and serving it at a festive holiday cake.