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This easy Hawaiian Poke Cake is so delicious and the perfect tropical summertime dessert. With Hawaiian flavors like banana and pineapple, this light & moist poke cake will be an instant hit with its bright island flavors.
For another fruity poke cake be sure and also try my Strawberry Jello Poke Cake.
Easy Hawaiian Poke Cake Recipe (Easy Cake Mix Dessert)
Escape to the tropics with this light, fluffy, and super moist hawaiian poke cake! It starts with a doctored up cake mix, and then it’s poked and frosted with this amazingly fluffy pudding whipped cream.
I love making this cake for summertime gatherings or for a weekend dessert. It never disappoints, it’s so simple to make, and the pineapple and banana flavors will whisk you away to the Hawaiian islands.
Ingredients Needed
French Vanilla Cake
The base of this poke cake is a doctored up cake mix with only a few additional ingredients needed besides the boxed cake mix.
- French Vanilla Cake Mix
- Large Eggs
- Whole Milk
- Melted Butter
- Sour Cream
Banana Cream Pudding & Pineapple Whipped Topping
The fluffy whipped topping, which doubles as the frosting and what gets “poked” into the cake, is a mixture of easy prepared ingredients.
- Banana Cream Instant Pudding Mix
- Whole Milk
- Crushed Pineapple
- Cool Whip
How To Make Pineapple and Banana Poke Cake (Tropical Poke Cake)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Light spray a 9×13 cake pan with nonstick cooking spray or Baker’s Joy spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl add the cake mix, eggs, milk, melted butter, and sour cream. Beat with an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer, for 2-3 minutes until well combined and very creamy. Start at low speed and increase the speed as needed.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth it out.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cake springs back when gently pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for about 10-15 minutes or until it’s warm to the touch.
Once the cake is cool to the touch, but still slightly warm, poke large holes in rows across the cake. The end of a wooden spoon handle works great for this.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the banana cream instant pudding mix, milk, and one cup of the crushed pineapple (with some of the juices) until well combined and it starts to thicken.
Drain the remaining crushed pineapple and reserve it for later.
Pour the prepared pudding mixture into the holes making sure each one is filled. Evenly spread the remaining pudding mixture over top of the cake.
Sprinkle the reserved drained crushed pineapple over top of the pudding layer in the cake pan.
Spread the remaining Cool Whip over top the pineapple. Cover the cake pan with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4-6 hours or overnight is even better.
Serve chilled from the fridge and garnish with fresh pineapple, banana slices, and/or toasted coconut if wanted.
How To Store Leftovers
To store leftovers of this tropical pineapple poke cake, cover the cake pan tightly with plastic wrap, aluminum foil or a lid. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can also store individual slices inside an airtight container. Enjoy the cake chilled from the fridge.
It is not recommend that you freeze this cake as the texture will change once frozen and thawed.
Serving Suggestions For Tropical Hawaiian Poke Cake
Serve the cake chilled from the fridge. I recommend not leaving the cake out at room temperature for too long, as the texture and taste of the cake is much better cold from the fridge.
Garnish the entire cake, or each individual serving of cake, with toasted coconut flakes, fresh pineapple chunks or rings, and/or maraschino cherries. Because this cake is so light and fluffy it also pairs well with any fresh fruit topping such as raspberries or strawberries.
Recipe Tips
- Higher Fat Milk : The recipe calls for whole milk became of the higher fat content it has in it. If you are using a lower-fat milk, then be aware that the pudding won’t be as thick and creamy. I recommend using whole fat milk or half and half for the best results. The fat content helps the pudding mixture thicken up.
- Cake Mix : I love the French vanilla cake mix in this recipe but you could swap it out and use a yellow cake mix or a golden butter cake mix if wanted.
- Don’t Want To Use Cool Whip? : The recipe calls for 12 ounces of Cool Whip (which is about 4.5 cups of whipped topping). If you prefer making your own then you will need to add 2 cups + 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl along with 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes of beating. Start at low speed and increase speed as it thickens.
- Add Coconut Flavor : If you want to add some coconut flavor to this Hawaiian tropical poke cake then try adding 1/2 teaspoon – 1 teaspoon coconut extract into the cake batter mixture and/or the pudding frosting mixture for a slight coconut flavor which will compliment the tropical banana and pineapple flavors in the poke cake.
More Poke Cake Recipes You’ll Love
- Oreo Poke Cake
- Peaches & Cream Poke Cake
- Easy Butterfinger Poke Cake
- Boston Cream Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Poke Cake
- 4th of July Jello Poke Cake
Hawaiian Poke Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 1 box (15.25 oz) french vanilla cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoons full-fat sour cream
Pineapple Banana Pudding Whipped Topping
- 2 boxes (3.4 oz each) banana cream instant pudding mix
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple divided
- 12 ounces Cool Whip thawed
Notes
- Higher Fat Milk : The recipe calls for whole milk became of the higher fat content it has in it. If you are using a lower-fat milk, then be aware that the pudding won’t be as thick and creamy. I recommend using whole fat milk or half and half for the best results. The fat content helps the pudding mixture thicken up.
- Cake Mix : I love the French vanilla cake mix in this recipe but you could swap it out and use a yellow cake mix or a golden butter cake mix if wanted.
- Don’t Want To Use Cool Whip? : The recipe calls for 12 ounces of Cool Whip (which is about 4.5 cups of whipped topping). If you prefer making your own then you will need to add 2 cups + 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl along with 2/3 cup powdered sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes of beating. Start at low speed and increase speed as it thickens.
- Add Coconut Flavor : If you want to add some coconut flavor to this Hawaiian tropical poke cake then try adding 1/2 teaspoon – 1 teaspoon coconut extract into the cake batter mixture and/or the pudding frosting mixture for a slight coconut flavor which will compliment the tropical banana and pineapple flavors in the poke cake.
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