This Fruity Tropical Poke Cake starts with a fluffy white cake soaked with mango gelatin, then gets a tangy orange cream cheese layer and a cloud of banana pudding topping. It's a sunny, make-ahead mango poke cake that tastes like a beach vacation and feeds a crowd.
Poke cakes are one of the easiest ways to dress up a boxed cake mix. You bake the cake, poke holes all over the top, and pour on a flavored liquid that seeps down into the crumb and leaves pretty ribbons of color in every slice. This version leans all the way into tropical fruit, and if you love it, browse all of our easy poke cake recipes for more flavors to try.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- White cake mix. A standard 15.25-ounce box baked in a 9x13 baking dish gives you a light, neutral base that lets the fruit flavors shine. Yellow cake mix works too; it's just a little richer and more golden. Any from-scratch white sheet cake sized for a 9x13 pan will also do the job.
- Mango gelatin. This is what makes it a mango poke cake. A 3-ounce box dissolved in boiling water soaks into the warm cake and sets into sweet, fruity stripes. Mango gelatin can be hard to find in some stores, so check the Latin foods aisle, or swap in pineapple, orange, peach or lime gelatin for a different tropical twist.
- Cream cheese. Two blocks of full-fat cream cheese make the tangy, cheesecake-like middle layer. Use the brick kind, not the spreadable tub, which is too soft to hold its shape. Neufchatel works but sets a little softer.
- Powdered sugar and orange extract. Powdered sugar sweetens the cream cheese without any grittiness, and a little pure orange extract gives it a bright, creamsicle-style citrus note. No extract? Use a teaspoon of finely grated orange zest plus a splash of vanilla instead.
- Banana pudding mix. A 3.4-ounce box of instant banana pudding is mixed with only 1 cup of milk, half what the box calls for, so it sets thick enough to work as a frosting. It must be instant, not cook-and-serve. Vanilla or coconut cream pudding are both good swaps.
- Whipped topping. Folding a tub of whipped topping into the pudding turns it light, fluffy and easy to spread. Thaw it in the fridge, not on the counter. Stabilized homemade whipped cream works too, but it softens faster.
- Tropical fruit. Top each slice with whatever looks good: fresh mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi, orange segments or a spoonful of passion fruit pulp. Add the fruit right before serving so it stays fresh and doesn't weep into the topping.
Helpful Tips
Poke the cake while it's warm. Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes, then poke holes all over the top, roughly an inch apart. A fork works, but the round handle of a wooden spoon makes bigger holes that hold more gelatin and show up as bold stripes when you slice it. Push most of the way down without going through the bottom.
Let the gelatin set before adding the layers. Pour the gelatin slowly and evenly so it fills the holes instead of pooling on top, then chill the cake for at least an hour. Once the top is firm, the cream cheese layer spreads cleanly and the gelatin won't bleed into it.
Soften the cream cheese completely. Leave it on the counter for 45 minutes to an hour, then beat it on its own with a hand mixer until smooth before adding the sugar and extract. Cold cream cheese leaves stubborn lumps that no amount of spreading will fix.
Spread gently in dollops. The cream cheese layer is thick, so drop spoonfuls all over the cake and then connect them with an offset spatula. Dragging one big blob across the top can tear the soft, gelatin-soaked cake.
Mix the pudding right before you need it. Instant pudding made with less milk thickens within a couple of minutes, so whisk it, fold in the whipped topping straight away and spread it while it's still soft. For neat slices, chill the finished cake well and wipe the knife clean between cuts.
Variations
- Pineapple. Use pineapple gelatin and fold a can of well-drained crushed pineapple into the pudding layer. Our Pineapple Poke Cake is another easy take on the same idea.
- Pina colada. Swap the banana pudding for coconut cream pudding and finish the top with toasted coconut flakes.
- Passion fruit or guava. If you can find passion fruit or guava gelatin, use it in place of the mango, or drizzle fresh passion fruit pulp over each slice.
- Strawberry mango. Use strawberry gelatin for bright pink stripes and pile diced mango and sliced strawberries on top.
- Key lime. Use lime gelatin and replace the orange extract with a tablespoon of lime juice and some lime zest.
- Lighter version. Sugar-free gelatin, sugar-free instant pudding, light cream cheese and lite whipped topping all work without changing the method.
Serving Ideas
This cake is made for warm-weather gatherings: backyard barbecues, pool parties, potlucks and birthday picnics. Serve it straight from the pan, cut into squares, and set out a bowl of cut tropical fruit so everyone can top their own slice.
For a full tropical dessert table, pair it with a scoop of Tropical No-Churn Ice Cream or set it next to a No-Bake Tropical Cream Pie. If there are kids in the crowd, Banana Pudding Cupcakes are a fun, hand-held companion. Iced tea, lemonade or a cold glass of milk all go nicely alongside.
Storing & Freezing
Cover the pan with plastic wrap or a lid and keep the cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It's at its best on the first or second day, while the topping is still fluffy. Because it needs time to chill anyway, it's an ideal make-ahead dessert: assemble it the day before your party and add the fruit just before serving. Store any leftover fruit separately.
The finished cake doesn't freeze well, since the pudding and whipped topping turn watery and grainy once thawed. If you want to get ahead, freeze the baked cake after the gelatin has set, wrapped tightly in plastic and foil, for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then add the cream cheese and pudding layers and chill before serving.
More Fruity Poke Cakes
If you loved this recipe, here are a few more poke cakes you might enjoy:
- Boozy Pineapple Pina Colada Poke Cake
- Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake
- Lemon Lime Poke Cake
- Summer Peach Pie Poke Cake
Recipe
Fruity Tropical Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix 15.25 ounces, plus the ingredients listed on the box
- 1 3 ounce package mango gelatin (85 g)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons orange extract
- 1 3.4 ounce package banana pudding mix instant (96 g)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 8 ounce tub whipped topping, thawed (227 g)
- Your choice tropical fruit to garnish such as mango, pineapple, banana, kiwi or orange
Instructions
- Preheat the oven and prepare the white cake mix according to the package directions. Bake in a greased 9x13-inch pan for about 26 minutes, or as directed on the box, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Using the handle of a wooden spoon or a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm cake, about 1 inch apart.
- In a medium bowl, stir the mango gelatin into the boiling water for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved. Slowly pour it evenly over the cake so it fills the holes. Refrigerate for 1 hour, until the gelatin is set.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and orange extract and beat until creamy. Drop spoonfuls over the chilled cake and spread into an even layer.
- In another bowl, whisk the banana pudding mix with the milk for 2 minutes, until thickened. Fold in the whipped topping until combined, then spread it over the cream cheese layer.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Cut into squares and top each slice with your choice of tropical fruit just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
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