Hawaiian Cake is a sweet, tropical dessert with a moist texture and a creamy frosting, finished with a fun, colorful topping! Make it today!
Hawaiian Cake is a sweet and fruity Cake Recipe that will take your taste buds on a tropical vacation. If you love the fresh tropical flavors of this cake, try my Coconut Pineapple Bundt Cake or my Guava Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Cake?
- It is a fun twist on a traditional cake recipe that will leave your guests impressed.
- The cake portion can be made ahead of time and frozen making assembly much quicker.
Sabrina’s Hawaiian Cake Recipe
This cake is the perfect combination of fruity and creamy, making it a refreshing and light dessert that’s perfect for warmer weather. The cake itself is deliciously moist and flavorful. The filling, which is poured over the cake, and allows it to soak in to create a sweet and tangy flavor throughout. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser at potlucks, barbecues, and family gatherings.
Recipe Card
IngredientsÂ
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole milk
Filling:
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple in juice
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Vanilla Pudding Frosting:
- 6.8 ounces vanilla pudding mix
- 2 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
Topping:
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut , toasted
- 12 maraschino cherries , with stems
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9Ă—13-inch baking pan with baking spray.
- To stand mixer, add butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, then add the coconut extract and vanilla extract.
- Alternate adding in the milk and the flour mixture, until just combined.
- Spread into baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through.
- Wait until cake has cooled before frosting.
Filling:
- Drain the pineapple well but reserve ½ cup of the pineapple juice.
- Mix the pineapple juice with the condensed milk.
- Poke holes in the top of the cooled cake with a fork and brush on the pineapple juice mixture evenly.
- Add the well drained crushed pineapple over the cake evenly and place in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.
Frosting:
- Add the pudding mix and whole milk to a large mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, beat the mixture for 4-5 minutes until thickened.
- Add in the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
- Add in the Cool Whip and fold in until smooth.
- Top the cake with the frosting, the toasted coconut, and maraschino cherries you've patted very dry with paper towels.
- Serve chilled.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tip
I always make sure my baking powder is fresh by testing a little in hot water. If it bubbles, I know it’s good and ready to use!
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
This easy sheet cake recipe takes the buttery, fruity flavors of Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Coconut Cake and bakes them into a delicious poke cake for potlucks. The cake itself is made with a blend of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, coconut extract, and vanilla extract that blend together to create a moist and delicious cake. The filling consists of crushed pineapple mixed with condensed milk. The cake finishes with vanilla cream cheese frosting, cherries, and shredded coconut that make it the perfect cake for any celebration.
What is Hawaiian Cake?
Hawaiian Cake, also known as Hawaiian Wedding Cake, is a classic dessert that is perfect for any occasion. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. It has a few steps but it is ultimately easy to make and requires just a handful of ingredients that are readily available in most grocery stores.
Ingredients
- 20 Ounces Crushed Pineapple: Adds a fresh tropical flavor and thins the condensed milk so it soaks into the cake. Just be sure to save the pineapple juice when you drain it.
- 4 Eggs: With two whole eggs plus two extra yolks, the cake turns out super rich and tender.
- ½ Cup Condensed Milk: Mixed with pineapple juice so it’s thin enough to pour but still thick enough to slowly soak into the cake, adding moisture and big flavor.
- 6.8 Ounces Vanilla Pudding Mix: Adds sweet vanilla flavor, and the pudding’s gelatin makes the frosting thicker and creamier. Just be sure to use instant pudding.
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese: Cream cheese adds tanginess and richness to the frosting while helping stabilize the texture and prevent it from becoming too sweet.
- 8 Ounces Cool Whip: It adds a light, fluffy texture to the frosting and helps it hold its shape. You can also use Whipped Cream, but the frosting won’t be as stable.
- 2 Cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut: The shredded coconut flakes bring out even more delicious coconut flavor and give the cream topping some crunch.
- 12 Maraschino Cherries: Maraschino cherries add a pop of color and a burst of sweet fruity flavor. Be sure to pat them dry with paper towels. If you’re a big cherry fan, you can add some more, or if you cut the cake into smaller slices, you’ll use more to top each slice.
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter: Butter will provide the fat for your cake. You want to choose unsalted butter so that you can control the level of salt yourself. Make sure the butter has fully softened so it will be easy to mix into the batter.Â
- 1 ½ Cups Sugar: White granulated sugar will do the trick to sweeten cake batter.
- 1 Teaspoon Coconut Extract: Really gives the cake that Hawaiian taste.
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Vanilla will provide a warm, sweet, fragrant addition to your cake and will bring all the other flavors together.
- 2 Cups Flour: It will be a great base to host all the other fruit flavors of this cake.
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder: Baking powder is a leavening agent that will make your cake rise to a light and fluffy texture you’ll love. If you’re all out, you can substitute with ¼ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon vinegar.Â
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt: Most every baked good has some salt baked into it. The salt helps offset, and highlight the sweet flavors in your cake and frosting.
- 3 Cups Whole Milk: Milk will help make your cake moist and tender. Whole milk has more fat content so it can perform the job a lot better. However, if you prefer you can use a lower fat milk of your choice. It will affect the texture of the cake just a little bit. 1 cup is for the cake, and 2 cups is for to make the creamy frosting.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make the cake a day or two in advance and store it in the fridge. Just hold off on adding the pineapple mixture and frosting until you’re ready to serve it. You can also freeze the cake for up to three months, just bake it in a freezer-safe pan. Allow it to thaw to room temp before frosting.
Baking Tips and Tricks
To enjoy the perfect pineapple coconut cake I try to avoid over mixing the batter. Over-mixing can lead to dense baked goods. Mix just until the ingredients are combined for the best results. It is okay if you see some lumps! You just don’t want to see pockets of dry flour.
Pairing Suggestions
Hawaiian Cake makes a great dessert following a tasty Hawaiian meal like Hawaiian BBQ Chicken, Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp, or Hawaiian Pork Chops. This fruity, refreshing cake also makes a great dessert following filling meals like Hawaiian Pot Roast or Hawaiian Slow Cooker Kalua Pork. You can also add some ice cream alongside the cake slice as you serve it, or some extra pieces of fruit on the plate.
How to Store
- Serve: Without the frosting, you can store the baked cake at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. However, the cream cheese mixture in the frosting needs to be refrigerated after no more than 2 hours.
- Store: Once frosted, this cake needs to be stored in the fridge and is best kept chilled. Store it tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: It’s best to freeze without the pineapple mixture or cream frosting layer because they won’t thaw well. Wrap the naked, baked cake in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature after thawing in the fridge before assembling.
Frequent Questions
One part of a basic poke cake recipe is the holes poked into the baked cake, and the second part is a sweet, syrupy liquid that is poured over the poked cake. The holes allow the flavored syrup to seep into the cake, adding even more sweet flavor to the cake as well as keeps it moist.
When making a Hawaiian Wedding Cake, you should poke enough holes in the cake so that the pineapple and condensed milk filling can seep into the cake and make it moist and flavorful. It’s best to use a fork or a toothpick to poke small holes all over the cake about every inch or so, making sure to space them out evenly for even distribution of the filling.
Variations
- Chocolate Hawaiian Cake: Replace ½ cup flour with cocoa powder in the cake batter. Top with chocolate shavings instead of the coconut. Use chocolate pudding mix for frosting.
- Lemon: For even more refreshing summer flavor, spread a layer of Lemon Curd over the cake before adding the crushed pineapple and vanilla frosting. Add some lemon zest to the frosting or swap the vanilla pudding with lemon pudding.
- Pineapple: To give it an even more delicious pineapple flavor, you can serve it with Pineapple Topping or spread a thick layer of Pineapple Curd before adding the canned pineapple.
- Banana: Replace the crushed pineapple with sliced bananas and add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the cake batter. Mix in chopped walnuts with the coconut shreds for even more crunch!
Related Recipes
More Tropical Fruity Cakes
These photos were in a previous version of this post
I made this for dessert at my Hawaiian themed dinner party. It was really easy and everyone loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome Michelle and thanks for the five star review.