Hawaiian Poke Cake
This easy Hawaiian Poke Cake is so delicious and the perfect tropical summertime dessert. With Hawaiian flavors like banana and pineapple, this light & moist poke cake will be an instant hit with its bright island flavors.
Equipment
- 9×13 Cake Pan w/ Lid
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowl Set
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 1 box french vanilla cake mix 15.25 oz
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream
Pineapple Banana Pudding Whipped Topping
- 2 boxes banana cream instant pudding mix 3.4 oz each
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 can crushed pineapple 20 oz, divided
- 12 ounces Cool Whip thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Light spray a 9×13 cake pan with nonstick cooking spray or Baker’s Joy spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the cake mix, eggs, milk, melted butter, and sour cream. Beat with an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer, for 2-3 minutes until well combined and very creamy. Start at low speed and increase the speed as needed.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool for about 10-15 minutes or until it’s warm to the touch.
- Once the cake is cool to the touch, but still slightly warm, poke large holes in rows across the cake. The end of a wooden spoon handle works great for this.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the banana cream instant pudding mix, milk, and one cup of the crushed pineapple until well combined and it starts to thicken.
- Drain the remaining crushed pineapple and reserve it for later.
- Pour the prepared pudding mixture into the holes making sure each one is filled. Evenly spread the remaining pudding mixture over top of the cake.
- Sprinkle the reserved drained crushed pineapple over top of the pudding layer in the cake pan.
- Spread the Cool Whip over top the pineapple. Cover the cake pan with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4-6 hours or overnight is even better.
- Serve chilled from the fridge and garnish with fresh pineapple, banana slices, and/or toasted coconut if wanted.
Notes
Higher Fat Milk: The recipe calls for whole milk because of the higher fat content it has in it. If you are using a lower-fat milk, then be aware that the pudding won’t be as thick and creamy. I recommend using whole fat milk or half and half for the best results. The fat content helps the pudding mixture thicken up. Cake Mix: I love the French vanilla cake mix in this recipe but you could swap it out and use a yellow cake mix or a golden butter cake mix if wanted. Don’t Want To Use Cool Whip?: The recipe calls for 12 ounces of Cool Whip, which is about 4.5 cups of whipped topping. Add Coconut Flavor: If you want to add some coconut flavor to this Hawaiian tropical poke cake then try adding 1/2 teaspoon – 1 teaspoon coconut extract into the cake batter mixture and/or the pudding frosting mixture.