Piña Colada Cake Is a Treat for Any Spring Break Staycation
Imagine lounging in the sand with palm trees swaying as you take a big bite of piña colada cake. Even if you're at home in sweatpants, this dessert will make you feel like you're on a tropical vacation for spring break!
The classic combination of sweet pineapple and coconut join forces yet again in this boozy poke cake. The easy, stir-together pineapple cake gets soaked in sweet cream of coconut and topped with a fluffy, whipped-up coconut and pineapple pudding. It is sure to be one of the big-hit summer desserts at any cookout or pool party. Just be sure to listen to plenty of Rupert Holmes while making this homemade cake (or don't, because the song "Escape" will be stuck in your head anyway).
What is in piña colada cake?
This cake starts out with an easy, stir-together oil-based yellow cake. Instead of milk, water, or sour cream, the liquid component is a can of undrained crushed pineapple. After baking it, the hot cake gets poked all over. Then the cake is drenched in staple piña colada ingredients—cream of coconut, dark rum, and tart lime juice. After cooling completely, the cake is topped with a fluffy topping of coconut pudding mix and more canned pineapple, both folded into whipped cream. After chilling and sprinkling with lime zest, toasted coconut chips, and a handful of cherries, this cake is ready to be served.
Help! I can't find coconut cream instant pudding.
Don't worry if your supermarket is out of coconut cream instant pudding, just pick up some instant vanilla pudding mix and a bottle of coconut extract. For this recipe, you'll need a 3.4-ounce package of pudding mix and 1/4 teaspoon of coconut extract.
Does piña colada cake contain alcohol?
This recipe does call for 2 tablespoons of dark rum in the soak to bring home that piña colada flavor. The alcohol will not bake off, so if you'd rather skip it, that's perfectly fine. Otherwise, it can be substituted with 1 teaspoon of rum extract.
What is the best way to poke holes in a poke cake?
Grab a wooden spoon and use the handle to poke holes in the cake. This will make holes plenty large enough for the luscious soak to sink in. However, you can also use a fork or skewer, you'll just need to do more poking.
Can piña colada cake be made ahead of time?
Poke cakes are ideal candidates to be made ahead because they need to have time to chill! This cake can be fully made 24 hours in advance. Just wait to top the cake with bright green lime zest, crunchy coconut chips, and red maraschino cherries before serving.
Yields: 10-12 servings
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 4 hours
Ingredients
For the Cake:
Nonstick baking spray with flour
3
large eggs
2 c.
granulated sugar
2 tsp.
vanilla extract
1 c.
vegetable oil
3 c.
all-purpose flour
2 tsp.
baking powder
1/2 tsp.
baking soda
1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
1
(20-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice
For the Soak:
1
(15-oz.) can cream of coconut
2 tbsp.
dark rum
1 tbsp.
lime juice
For the Topping:
3 c.
cold heavy whipping cream, divided
1/3 c.
powdered sugar
1
(8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice
1
(3.4-oz.) package coconut cream instant pudding mix
Toasted coconut chips, for topping
Maraschino cherries, for topping
Lime zest, for topping
Directions
For the cake: Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla for about 1 minute (you can use a whisk or a hand mixer). Add the oil and whisk well to fully combine.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
To the egg mixture, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the crushed pineapple, whisking until combined after each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and fold in any unincorporated bits. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Loosely place foil over the top of the cake to prevent excess browning. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove the cake from the oven. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or the tines of a fork, poke holes all over the cake.
For the soak: In a small bowl, whisk together the cream of coconut, rum, and lime juice. Slowly pour the mixture over the top of the warm cake. Allow to cool completely.
For the topping: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment to whip 1 1/2 cups of cream on medium-high speed until thickened. Add the powdered sugar and whip until firm peaks form. In a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, drain the crushed pineapple and reserve the liquid.
In another large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cream, the pudding mix, and the liquid drained from the can of pineapple until smooth. Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture in three additions until evenly combined. Fold in the drained pineapple.
Gently spread the topping over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
To serve, sprinkle the cake with the toasted coconut and decorate with maraschino cherries and lime zest, if you like.
Tip: If coconut cream-flavored instant pudding proves difficult to find, substitute 1 (3.4-ounce) package of vanilla pudding with 1/4 teaspoon of coconut extract.
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