Pina Colada Cake
Pina Colada Cake is one of our all time favorite desserts. This lovely poke cake is absolutely heavenly. After a cake mix with pudding is baked, you poke holes in the cake and add a can of condensed milk. Then you poke more holes in the cake and add a can of cream of coconut.
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After covering the cake with whipped topping, you then add toasted coconut, or colored coconut for festive holiday occasions. The cake is moist, delicious and just wonderful. For even more decadent flavor add a can of drained crushed pineapple over top of the cake before adding the whipped topping!
Years ago when we were newly married our Sunday school teachers would have us over for dinner occasionally. Harriett was a fabulous cook. Everything she made was delightful. I collected several recipes from her including this scrumptious cake when she made it for us for dinner one evening.
Even though the name is Pina Colada Cake, there is no pineapple or booze in the recipe. But it has loads of coconut flavor due to the can of cream of coconut that your pour into the holes. Cream of Coconut is not alcoholic but it is usually found in the section of the grocery store where the mixers for daiquiries and other sweet drinks are found. Very infrequently I’ve located it next to evaporated milk. It is NOT the same thing as coconut milk.
In the 1980s I made up a hand-written recipe book for my mother-in-law with about 100 of my favorite recipes. This recipe was in that book, and she has probably made this cake more times than I have! She takes it to almost every potluck she attends. It’s always very well received. Truly, this cake is special–especially if you’re a coconut lover like me.
If you’re looking for a wonderfully festive cake for holidays, birthdays, or any other special occasion, then bake up one of these poke cakes sometime soon. Color the coconut on top for whatever holiday color is appropriate. Pina Colada Cake is really easy to make, too. For the little bit of effort you have to put in to make this dessert, it has a really big pay off! Enjoy.
Pina Colada Cake is a featured recipe on Recipe Lion. See the post here.
Pina Colada Cake is one of the most scrumptious cakes you will ever taste.
Pina Colada Cake is loaded with coconut flavor and taste. Because condensed milk and cream of coconut is poured into holes in the cake, the cake turns out extremely moist.
Pina Colada Cake is a great dessert for any occasion.
Here’s what I did.
These are the ingredients I used to make this cake. For the actual cake I added 3 eggs, butter, and substituted half-and-half for the water in the recipe to make it a little richer. Also, since my cake mix didn’t have pudding in the mix, I added French vanilla pudding mix.
Place cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, softened butter, and half and half in a large mixing bowl.
Mix with an electric mixer until well combined.
Grease a 9×13″ glass baking dish. Add cake batter and bake according to package directions–usually about 25-30 minutes.
Here the cake has been baked.
Poke holes in the cake and add a can of condensed milk.
Spread the milk into the holes until all the condensed milk has absorbed into the cake. Allow cake to cool an additional 10 minutes.
Poke more holes into the cake with the straw. Stir the cream of coconut really well and then pour the contents of the can over top of the cake.
Spread the cream of coconut with a knife filling in the holes in the cake until all the cream of coconut has been absorbed.
Allow cake to cool completely. Then spread with Cool Whip. Toast a half cup of coconut in a toaster oven or regular oven at 350 for about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle toasted coconut over top of whipped topping.
For holidays you can color the coconut–red or green for Christmas, orange for Halloween, pink for easter, lime green for St. Patrick’s Day, etc.
You will enjoy every mouthful of Pina Colada Cake.
If you’re looking for a terrific dessert for special occasions, company, or holidays, Pina Colada Cake must be on your menu!
Here’s the recipe.
PINA COLADA CAKE
(Recipe adapted from Harriett Brown, when we attended First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Largo, FL)
Pina Colada Cake
Equipment
- 1 9x13" glass baking dish
- 1 flexible straw
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow cake mix with pudding in batter
- 1 cup half-and-half as needed instead of water in the cake mix
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can cream of coconut NOT coconut milk
- 12 oz. container cool whip or other non-dairy whipped topping
- 1/3 cup coconut as desired (you can color it or toast it)
- 1 flexible straw (to use to poke the cake)
Instructions
- Bake one yellow cake mix with pudding as directed for a 9x13” baking pan, except substitute half-and-half for the water in the recipe.
- As soon as cake comes from oven, poke holes about every two inches apart throughout the cake with a straw.
- Pour a can of condensed milk over top, spreading so every hole is filled.
- Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Poke more holes in the cake and pour a can of cream of coconut over top.
- Cool cake completely.
- Spread a 12-or 16-oz container of cool whip over top, then sprinkle with coconut on top as desired.
- Refrigerate.
Notes
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
- Yellow cake mix with pudding in batter
- half-and-half
- 14-oz, can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can cream of coconut
- 12-oz. cool whip
- Coconut, as desired
- 1 flexible straw
- Bake one yellow cake mix with pudding as directed for a 9×13” baking pan, except substitute half-and-half for the water in the recipe.
- As soon as cake comes from oven, poke holes about every two inches apart throughout the cake with a straw.
- Pour a can of condensed milk over top, spreading so every hole is filled.
- Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Poke more holes in the cake and pour a can of cream of coconut over top.
- Cool cake completely.
- Spread a 12-or 16-oz container of cool whip over top, then sprinkle with coconut on top as desired.
- Refrigerate.
Pina Colada Cake is not made with either pineapple or rum which are both found in pina coladas, but it’s still a marvelous cake.
Doesn’t Pina Colada Cake look spectacular? If you like coconut you will love this cake.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Pineapple Cream Cheese Dessert
Pineapple Bars with Coconut Drizzle
Pina Colada Cake
Equipment
- 1 9×13" glass baking dish
- 1 flexible straw
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 box Yellow cake mix with pudding in batter
- 1 cup half-and-half as needed instead of water in the cake mix
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can cream of coconut NOT coconut milk
- 12 oz. container cool whip or other non-dairy whipped topping
- 1/3 cup coconut as desired (you can color it or toast it)
- 1 flexible straw (to use to poke the cake)
Instructions
- Bake one yellow cake mix with pudding as directed for a 9×13” baking pan, except substitute half-and-half for the water in the recipe.
- As soon as cake comes from oven, poke holes about every two inches apart throughout the cake with a straw.
- Pour a can of condensed milk over top, spreading so every hole is filled.
- Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Poke more holes in the cake and pour a can of cream of coconut over top.
- Cool cake completely.
- Spread a 12-or 16-oz container of cool whip over top, then sprinkle with coconut on top as desired.
- Refrigerate.