This Boozy Pineapple Piña Colada Poke Cake is a fluffy white cake soaked with a coconut cream pudding spiked with rum and piña colada mix, then piled high with a boozy whipped topping, pineapple and coconut. It's your favorite taste of the islands cocktail, served on a plate.
A pina colada poke cake looks fancy, but it starts with a boxed cake mix and a handful of pantry ingredients. Poking holes in the warm cake lets the creamy filling seep all the way down, so every bite is moist and full of pineapple and coconut flavor. It's the perfect adults-only dessert for a summer potluck, picnic or barbecue, and if you love this easy method, you'll find plenty more ideas in all of our easy poke cake recipes.
The piña colada, which means "strained pineapple" in Spanish, is a frozen drink made with pineapple juice, cream of coconut and rum. It was created in Puerto Rico in the 1950s and named the island's national drink in 1978, and it's still one of the most popular orders at beach resorts around the world. This cake borrows all three flavors.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- White cake mix. A standard 15.25-ounce box, baked as the package directs, gives a light, neutral cake that soaks up the filling. Yellow cake mix works too and adds a richer, buttery flavor.
- Piña colada mix. Use a bottled, non-alcoholic mixer such as Master of Mixes Piña Colada. No mix on hand? Stir together about ¾ cup pineapple juice and ½ cup cream of coconut (the sweetened kind used for cocktails, not canned coconut milk).
- Coconut cream instant pudding. One 3.4-ounce box of Jell-O Coconut Cream instant pudding thickens the filling and doubles down on the coconut. Vanilla or banana cream instant pudding are good stand-ins. Make sure it's instant, not cook-and-serve.
- Rum. White rum keeps the flavor clean and classic, while coconut rum makes it taste even more like a beach vacation. Spiced rum adds a warm, vanilla note.
- Whipped topping. Two 8-ounce tubs, thawed in the refrigerator. One is flavored with mix and rum and the other goes on top as a fluffy finish. Stabilized homemade whipped cream can replace it.
- Pineapple and coconut. Finely diced fresh pineapple and a sprinkle of sweetened shredded coconut make a pretty garnish. Well-drained canned pineapple tidbits work in a pinch.
Helpful Tips
Use a 9x13 pan. The filling and topping are measured for a standard 9x13-inch pan. A glass 9x13 baking dish with a lid is ideal, since you can see the layers, serve right from it and snap the lid on for the fridge.
Poke while the cake is warm. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, then poke holes about an inch apart. A warm cake absorbs the filling better than a cold one, but a piping-hot cake can turn the filling runny. A skewer makes thin channels, while the round handle of a wooden spoon makes bigger pockets of filling.
Pour the filling right away. Instant pudding starts setting within a minute or two. Whisk it with the mix and rum just until smooth, then pour it over the cake immediately and nudge it into the holes with a spatula before it thickens.
Fold, don't stir, the topping. Fold the mix and rum into the first tub of whipped topping gently so it stays light and airy. Overmixing knocks out the air and can leave the top layer thin and soupy.
Give it time to chill. An hour in the fridge is the minimum, and the cake is even better after a few hours, when the filling is fully set and the cake is cold. Add the pineapple just before serving so its juice doesn't run into the topping.
How to Make It Non-Alcoholic
For a kid-friendly or booze-free poke cake, replace the rum in both layers with the same amount of pineapple juice and add rum extract for that classic flavor. Extract is strong, so start with 1 to 2 teaspoons total and add more to taste. Or skip the rum flavor entirely and make our alcohol-free Pineapple Poke Cake for another way to enjoy the taste of the tropics.
Variations
- Coconut rum version. Swap the white rum for coconut rum for an even stronger coconut flavor.
- Toasted coconut. Toast the shredded coconut in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden, then let it cool before sprinkling it on top for extra crunch.
- Pineapple layer. Spread a well-drained 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple over the pudding layer before adding the whipped topping.
- Cherry on top. Finish each square with a maraschino cherry, just like the garnish on a real piña colada.
- Mixed tropical fruit. Top it with mango, kiwi and pineapple, or try our Fruity Tropical Poke Cake for a fruit-forward twist.
Serving Ideas
Serve this cake cold, cut into squares straight from the pan. It's a natural finish for a summer cookout, and it's especially fun after a backyard Shrimp Boil or a weeknight of Pineapple Chicken Teriyaki Bowls.
For a tiki-themed party, set it out with a pitcher of something tropical from our fun and festive cocktail recipes, plus a batch of Pina Colada Mocktail for the non-drinkers. Since the cake has real rum in it, label it clearly at a party where kids will be around.
Storing & Freezing
Keep the cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The whipped topping holds up well, but the fresh pineapple can weep after a day or two, so if you're planning on leftovers, garnish only the pieces you're serving. You can assemble the whole cake up to a day ahead, which makes it a great make-ahead party dessert.
Once assembled, this cake doesn't freeze well, since the pudding and whipped topping turn watery as they thaw. If you want to get ahead, bake the plain cake, let it cool completely, wrap it tightly and freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, warm it briefly in a low oven, then poke, fill and top it as usual.
More Poke Cake Recipes
If you loved this boozy poke cake, here are a few more you might enjoy:
- Pineapple Poke Cake
- Fruity Tropical Poke Cake
- Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake
- Lemon Lime Poke Cake
- Piña Colada Pie
Recipe
Boozy Pineapple Piña Colada Poke Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 white cake mix (15.25 oz box), plus the eggs, oil and water called for on the box
- 1 cup fresh pineapple finely diced and patted dry, for topping
- 1 ¼ cup Piña Colada drink mix bottled (non-alcoholic), divided
- ⅓ cup rum plus 2 tablespoons (30 ml), divided; white or coconut rum
- 1 3.4 ounce package coconut cream pudding mix instant (96 g)
- 2 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed (225 g each), divided
- ¼ cup shredded coconut sweetened, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare and bake the white cake mix in a 9x13-inch pan according to the package directions. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes, until it is warm but no longer hot.
- Poke holes all over the cake about 1 inch apart with a wooden skewer, a fork or the round handle of a wooden spoon, pushing almost to the bottom of the pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the coconut cream pudding mix with 1 cup of the piña colada mix and ⅓ cup of the rum for about 1 minute, until smooth and just starting to thicken. Pour it over the cake right away and spread it around with a spatula so it sinks into the holes.
- In a separate bowl, gently fold 1 tub of the whipped topping with the remaining ¼ cup of piña colada mix and 2 tablespoons of rum. Spread it evenly over the pudding layer, then spread or dollop the second tub of whipped topping over the top.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, until the filling is set and the cake is cold.
- Just before serving, scatter the diced pineapple and the shredded coconut over the top. Cut into 12 squares and serve cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
Debbie Husted says
It sounds delicious. What is the 1 cup of fresh pineapple for? I don't see it in the directions. I wonder how some toasted coconut sprinkled on top would be, or if it would be too much.