Boozy Pineapple Piña Colada Poke Cake
This boozy pina colada poke cake soaks a fluffy white cake with coconut cream pudding, pina colada mix and rum, then piles on a rum-spiked whipped topping, pineapple and coconut. An easy, adults-only summer dessert.
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
To make it non-alcoholic: swap the rum in both layers for the same amount of pineapple juice and add rum extract for flavor. The original tip on this post was ½ tablespoon of extract for every tablespoon of rum; that gives a strong rum flavor, so start with 1 to 2 teaspoons total and add more to taste.
Make ahead: the cake can be assembled up to 1 day ahead. Add the pineapple and coconut just before serving.
Storage: keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The pudding and whipped topping layers do not freeze well once assembled, so freeze only the plain baked cake (well wrapped, up to 2 months).
Nutrition
Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 337mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 38gVitamin A: 36IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition details are an estimate, per serving.
