Piña Colada Poke Cake (+Video)
Piña Colada Poke Cake is made easy by using a butter cake mix poked with cream of coconut. It’s non-alcoholic and topped with cool whip and coconut!
AN EASY PINA COLADA INSPIRED CAKE!
This cake is a fun little spin on the Coconut Cream Poke Cake shared a while back. This cake is so moist because of the glaze that is added to it. Yet, it manages to not taste heavy at all. It tastes so tropical and absolutely scrumptious!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Cream of coconut is like a coconut flavored sweetened condensed milk. It is a sweet and thickened syrup that is often used in mixed drinks. It will either be in a can or a squeeze bottled and can usually be found where the alcohol and drink mixers are in your grocery store?
Just purchase an extra can of sweetened condensed milk and mix it with two teaspoons of coconut extract. Cream of coconut is NOT coconut milk – not even close – so you cannot use coconut milk as a substitute.
No. You can use a white, yellow or golden cake mix, or even a pineapple or coconut cake mix.
Yes. Because of the whipped topping, it does need to be stored in the refrigerator. It will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing this cake.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- butter recipe cake mix
- ingredients needed to make cake (softened butter, eggs, water)
- cream of coconut (not coconut milk)
- sweetened condensed milk
- crushed pineapple in juice
- frozen whipped topping (COOL WHIP)
- sweetened coconut flakes
HOW TO MAKE PINA COLADA POKE CAKE:
Prepare butter cake according to package directions.
While cake is baking, drain crushed pineapple into a bowl. We need that juice for the cake. In a separate bowl, whisk together cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk and pineapple juice.
When you open the can of cream of coconut, you will probably see that some of the coconut oil and cream have separated so it’s really important that you whisk this mixture so you get it combined and get most of the lumps out. Once combined, mixture will be thin. When cake is done, take it out of the oven. While cake is still warm, begin poking holes in the top.
I have found that the little carving fork that came with my knife set works great for poking holes quickly. Do knife sets even come with these anymore? If you don’t have one, just use a fork or similar size utensil. Then pour cream of coconut mixture evenly over cake. The cake will be pretty saturated (like a Tres Leches cake.) After about 30 minutes it will look like this.
Once cake is completely cooled top it with crushed pineapple.
Then spread Cool Whip on top. Then sprinkle shredded coconut on top of the Cool Whip layer.
This cake needs to be kept refrigerated. Make sure you cover it with some plastic wrap or a lid.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Piña Colada Poke Cake (+Video)
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box butter recipe cake mix
- ingredients needed to make cake (softened butter, eggs, water)
- 15.25 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
- 15 ounce can cream of coconut (see my notes below)
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 8 ounce whipped topping (thawed) Cool Whip
- 14 ounce package sweetened coconut flakes (for topping)
Instructions
- Prepare 15.25 ounce box butter recipe cake mix along with ingredients needed to make cake (softened butter, eggs, water) according to package directions for a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- While cake is baking, drain 15.25 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice into a bowl (saving the juice).
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 15 ounce can cream of coconut, 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk and the drained pineapple juice.
- Once cake is done, take it out of the oven. While cake is still warm, begin poking holes in the top using a fork or other similar size utensil.
- Then pour cream of coconut mixture evenly over cake. It will look pretty saturated. But don't worry the cake is going to soak it all up.
- Once cake is completely cooled, top it with drained crushed pineapple.
- Then spread 8 ounce whipped topping (thawed) evenly on top.
- Then sprinkle 14 ounce package sweetened coconut flakes on top of the Cool Whip. (You can toast your shredded coconut first if you like.)
- Slice and serve. Keep cake refrigerated.
Video
Notes
- When you open the can of cream of coconut, you will probably see that some of the coconut oil and cream have separated so it’s really important that you whisk this mixture so you get it combined and get most of the lumps out.
- This cake needs to be kept refrigerated. Make sure you cover it with some plastic wrap or a lid.
- For the cake mix. you can use white, yellow, pineapple or coconut cake mixes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: Mach 2013
Updated and republished: May 2022
The Coco Lopez Cream Of Coconut is beyond yummy for this cake. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My waistline is going to be in trouble lol
LOL you can blame it on me!
What do you mean about frozen cool whip ?
I need simple ty
Have you ever bought Cool Whip? You buy it in the freezer section. Therefore you have to thaw it in the fridge before it’s useable. Hope that helps!
In your coconut poke cake, can the cream of coconut be substituted with a healthier version like coconut milk that is thickened etc? Thank you
No I really don’t recommend it. Others have told me they tried it and it just did not turn out properly. I’m sorry!
Thank you for your thoughts!!!
I made this recipe years ago and have searched and searched for the recipe but could not find this exact one. Thank you for blogging about it! This is the recipe I remember making. It is ridiculously delicious!
I added 3/4 box instant vanilla pudding, coconut extract and then topped with toasted coconut and maraschino cherries to the cool whip topping.
Can i take it out of pan and put it on a plate before putting liquid on top
I have never attempted that. The pan keeps everything together and contained. I would worry all the liquid would float off to the sides and not stay within the cake to be fully soaked up.
Best Cake I ever had!
Thanks for the pinable recipe Brandie! My sister-in-law had (what I believe) a Pina Colada cake a few years back at our family birthday party in May (there’s 5 of us with birthdays on the same two days). It was a bakery cake and it was like eating a slice of heaven! I am hoping that this comes close to it because my palate has its own memory and never forgets something like that. LOL! Can’t wait to try it excluding the flaked coconut on top. Not a fan of of it and neither is the hubby. And I will put the pineapple on top of the Cool Whip instead. Thanks again Brandie!
I use a straw to poke holes in my cake,otherrwise I make mine just like you do and it is a hit,soooooo good.
Perfect!
Tonight will be my 4th time making this cake in a little under 2 years. My coworkers loved it and tomorrow we are having a celebration for someone here at work and guess what her favorite of all my cakes is? That’s right this one here. i am going to add pink food coloring to the cake due to the event being a baby shower, I have to double up on the ingredients to make sure there is enough got the entire department, this cake does not last an hour.
Made it exactly as recipe, except toasted the coconut. To keep Saran Wrap off the cake I used paper cocktail umbrellas I had, vs toothpicks. Looks so tropical and pretty!! I’m sure it’ll be a hit at the BBQ today. Thank you. ????❤️
I love that idea Barbara!! So cute – I might have to try that myself! Thanks so much!
Yes it looked beautiful and let me tell you that cake was DELICIOUS!! So moist, not sickening sweet but just enough, refreshing as it was cold and the pineapple bits so good. Everyone was talking about it. Some had seconds. I normally suck at baking too. Thanks again for a keeper recipe. ????
Woo hoo! Thanks Barbara!
I do the same thing w/ all my cakes⛱lol
Made it and was great thanks for recipe
Hi just wondering if the creamy Pina colada mix would work if I can’t find cream of coconut
Hi Janine. Honestly, I haven’t tried it. I’m potty. If you give it a try – please let me know how it turns out for you!
The recipe states to save the pineapple juice for the cake, but it doesn’t state where or when to use it.
It’s in the very next sentence, it is used in the cream of coconut mixture.
Hi Brandie, I have a potluck at work next week and this cake looks divine! I will have to make it the night before though, cuz’ there’s no way I’m getting up at 3am to bake a cake for my coworkers!!. Does this hold up well?
It sure does!
How long ahead of time can I make this and it still taste good?
Probably one day ahead of time
Wow! This was so, so good. Thank you!
I made this cake for Christmas and it was perfect. So good! It was like summer in the wintertime!
I made this over the weekend and it is really sweet and delicious! My husband also liked it very much! I will make this again the future! ????
Love hearing that Melanie! Thanks for coming back to let me know!! 🙂
Love that this cake brought back so many wonderful memories. Now you can make some new ones with your kids. Thanks for letting us know they liked it.
That cake is gone! It was so very good and brought back so many memories of my Mama and my brother. Caelen loved it and so did my husband. Thank you for posting it and making a sweet memory 🙂
That will surely round out a great meal. Hope she enjoys it too!
I happened upon this recipe looking for a quick and easy dessert to make tomorrow when I make your crock pot chicken and gravy for dinner. It has been years since I tasted one of these, much less made one. I don't think I have made one since our daughter was born over 17 years ago! Well she will get her first taste soon!
I think this is better with a white cake mix. That's what I use. I also use the frozen coconut, sweetened w/a small amount of sugar……has a deeper coconut taste.
can i use a white cake mix?