♪♫ If you like piña coladas… ♫

By Leah Perez

Imagine lounging in the sand with the palm trees swaying as you take a big bite of tropical piña colada cake. The classic, ethereal combination of sweet pineapple and cooling coconut join forces yet again in this boozy poke cake. Easy, stir-together pineapple cake is soaked in sweet cream of coconut and topped with a fluffy, whipped-up coconut and pineapple pudding. It is sure to be a hit summer dessert at any cookout or pool party. Listen to plenty of Rupert Holmes while making this (or don’t, because “Escape” will be stuck in your head anyway).

What is in piña colada cake?

This cake starts out with an easy, stir-together oil-based yellow cake. Instead of milk, water, or sour cream, the liquid component is a can of undrained crushed pineapple. After baking the pineapple cake in a 13×9-inch baking pan, the hot cake gets poked all over with the end of a wooden spoon, fork, or skewer. Just get some holes in it; imagine it’s a gardening plot ready for seeds. But instead of seeds, this cake gets a mixture of staple piña colada ingredients—cream of coconut, dark rum, and tart lime juice. After cooling completely, the cake is topped with a wonderfully fluffy topping of coconut pudding mix and more canned pineapple, both folded into whipped cream. After chilling and sprinkling with lime zest, toasted coconut chips, and a nice smattering of cherries, this cake is ready to be served up nice and cold.

Does piña colada cake contain alcohol?

This recipe does call for 2 tablespoons of dark rum in the soak. Because the alcohol will not bake off, the rum can either be omitted or substituted with 1 teaspoon of rum extract.

Can piña colada cake be made ahead?

Poke cakes are ideal candidates to be made ahead because they need to have time to chill! This cake can be fully made 24 hours in advance. Just wait to top the cake with bright green lime zest, crunchy coconut chips, and red maraschino cherries before serving.

Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE:
Nonstick baking spray with flour
3 large eggs
2 c. granulated sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. vegetable oil
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
FOR THE SOAK:
1 15-ounce can cream of coconut
2 tbsp. dark rum
1 tbsp. lime juice
FOR THE TOPPING:
3 c. cold heavy whipping cream, divided
1/3 c. confectioner’s sugar
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
1 3.4-ounce package coconut cream instant pudding mix
Toasted coconut chips, for garnish
Maraschino cherries, for garnish
Lime zest, for garnish

Directions
1For the cake: Prepare a 13×9-inch baking pan with non-stick baking spray. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl for about 1 minute (you can use a whisk or a hand blender). Add the oil and whisk well to fully combine.
3In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Add 1/2 of the crushed pineapple and whisk to combine completely. Add another 1/3 of the flour, then the remaining crushed pineapple, and the remaining flour mixture; whisking well to combine between each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and fold in any unincorporated bits. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
4Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Loosely place foil over the top of the cake to prevent excess browning. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven. Using a wooden spoon or a fork, poke holes all over the cake.
5For the soak: Whisk together the cream of coconut, rum, and lime juice. Slowly pour the cream of coconut mixture over the top of the warm cake. Allow to cool completely.
6For the topping: Using a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 1 ½ cups of cream in a large bowl on medium-high speed until thickened. Add the confectioner’s sugar and whip until firm peaks form. In a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, drain the crushed pineapple and reserve the liquid.
7In another large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 ½ cups of cream, the pudding mix, and the liquid drained from the can of pineapple until smooth. Fold the whipped cream into the pudding mixture in 3 additions until evenly combined. Fold in the drained pineapple.
8Gently spread the topping over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
9To serve, sprinkle the cake with the toasted coconut and decorate with maraschino cherries and lime zest, if desired.

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a42940220/pina-colada-cake-recipe/