Name: Pineapple Poke Bundt Cake Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 20 ounces crushed pineapple (drain and reserve juice); 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix (we used Betty Crocker); 3.4 ounce instant vanilla pudding; 4 eggs; ¾ cup vegetable oil; ¾ cup pineapple juice (reserved from above); ½ Tablespoon vanilla; ¼ cup pineapple juice (reserved from above); ½ tablespoon vanilla; 1 cup powdered sugar; 1 Tablespoon butter (melted); 2 Tablespoons butter (melted); 1 cup powdered sugar; 2 teaspoon milk; ¼ teaspoon vanilla

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

I am so excited to share this pineapple poke bundt cake recipe. It is such an easy dessert recipe to make, but no one would be able to tell from the flavor that it develops.

Bundt cakes are always just so pretty and full of great flavor and this pineapple poke cake is no exception. With the crushed pineapple in the batter you get even more of that refreshing pineapple flavor. Since we use yellow cake mix and instant vanilla pudding in this recipe, it cuts down on the measuring and makes this dessert recipe that much easier to throw together.

Ingredients for cake on a white surface: a Bundt pan, vegetable oil, four eggs, crushed pineapple, vanilla pudding mix, and classic yellow cake mix.

A glass of pineapple juice next to a bowl of chopped pineapple on a white surface.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make Pineapple Poke Bundt Cake, you will need the following ingredients:

Crushed pineapple
Yellow cake mix
Instant vanilla pudding
Eggs
Vegetable oil
Pineapple juice (from crushed pineapple can)
Vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
Butter
Milk

A black bundt cake pan filled with yellow cake batter sits on a white surface next to a white kitchen towel with a black grid pattern.

A bowl of powdered sugar next to a glass of lemon juice and a glass of melted butter on a white checkered cloth.

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

A wooden skewer is inserted into a golden brown ring-shaped cake to check for doneness.

Close-up of a golden-brown bundt cake in a black bundt pan, showing a shiny, glazed surface and textured edges.

How to Make Pineapple Poke Bundt Cake

Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray a 12 cup Bundt pan generously with non stick cooking spray. (We like to use Bakers Joy that has flour added to the spray.)
Drain pineapple juice from the crushed pineapple. Hopefully you will get about 1 cup pineapple juice from it. Set aside.
Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and ¾ cup pineapple juice in a large bowl with an electric mixer for 2 minutes.
Add vanilla into the cake batter.
Fold in crushed pineapple and pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 40-42 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
While the cake is cooking, combine remaining ¼ cup of pineapple juice, vanilla, powdered sugar, and melted butter into a small bowl.
When the cake is done cooking, remove from the oven and set on a wire rack or dish towel to cool while in the pan.
Right after removing it from the oven, poke holes in the cake with a skewer at ½ inch spaces while still hot and in the pan.
Pour the sweet filling over the cake so it will go into the holes. I used a big spoon and drizzled it over all the holes. (If the sweet filling begins to pool, just poke additional holes)
Allow to cool in pan for about 40 minutes. Then invert cake onto a serving platter, and remove pan.
Cool completely.
Beat glaze ingredients together until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cake.

A close-up of a sliced bundt cake with a golden crust and white glaze drizzled on top, displayed on a glass cake stand.

A glazed bundt cake on a glass stand, with slices served on gray plates alongside fresh pineapple wedges.

Storage Suggestions

If you manage to have any leftover cake, these can store well if prepped appropriately. Once the cake has cooled completely, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

A bundt cake with a light glaze drizzled on top, displayed on a clear glass cake stand.

A slice of bundt cake with white icing and pineapple pieces on a plate, with more cake in the background.

Enjoy More Delicious Cake Recipes

Some days there’s nothing we want more than a slice of chocolate cake. Check out our comprehensive list of cake recipes here.

Join The Discussion

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Questions & Reviews

Rachel H. says:

I love pineapple desserts, and this sounds amazing! And since your recipe says this is a Main Dish, I believe that gives me permission to eat nothing but pineapple poke bundt cake for dinner, right? 😉 Can’t wait to try this!
Liz says:

Nice recipe. Thanks so much.
Erlene says:

I love pineapple in just about everything. One of my favorite fruits. Pinned. Thanks for sharing on Merry Monday.
Cherry says:

I noticed the recipe has powder sugar & butter listed twice. Do you add any to the cake batter? I did not read n the directions to add. I want to try this as it looks delicious!
Cyd says:

Hi Cherry, powdered sugar and butter are listed twice. The powdered sugar and butter listed first are part of the mixture that you pour into the holes that you poke into the cake after baking. The second time powdered sugar and butter are listed is under the Glaze ingredients. In the directions it explains everything. Hope this helps! This is really moist and delicious!
Katherines Corner says:

Thank you for sharing this yumminess at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop. Watch for your feature on Monday xo
amanda s says:

Hello I am just about to make this cake I thought I had a cake mix but it turns out I was wrong. Is there any way I could make my own cake mix and if so do u add liquid to this? Thank u so much
Cyd says:

We have never made it with a homemade cake mix. Have you used your homemade cake mix in other recipes? That is the best way to know how well you could adapt it into other recipes.
Bev Wheeler says:

I want to make this a day ahead of time. Do you think it would be alright? And should I refrigerate it?
Cyd says:

It should be fine for one day early. Put in an airtight cake container and refrigerate.
mary tucker says:

This looks so good ,,,,,,, got to try it
Lisa Foulk says:

I made this cake yesterday, have not tried it yet, but as for the Icing, I would have made a different one, just powder sugar, and pineapple juice, the same way I make my lemon Icing for my lemon bundt cake, I use just powder sugar, and lemon juice, it’s more tart tasting, the recipe for this Icing is to thick, I had to add more milk to get it to drizzle. I will let you know how the cake part tastes.
Blessings,
(L)
Connie says:

Very confusing recipe! What is the soaking liquid? . I see the glaze!
Cyd says:

Step 5 and 6 in the recipe is where you poke holes in the cake and pour a sweet mixture into the holes. The glaze is the finishing touch on the cake.
Karen says:

I just made this, followed recipe to the letter. Hard hard time getting it out of sprayed non-stick bundt pan, and it is way too wet! (toothpick did come up clean & dry).
Karen says:

And glaze was not wet enough, and didn’t really drizzle, more like glopped.
C says:

Can this be modified to use a different pan??? Thought I had a bundt pan here, but I don’t! 🙂
Cyd says:

After the cake comes out of the oven you poke the holes all over the cake. While the cake was baking combine remaining pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon vanilla, powdered sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl. Pour over the top of the cake and let the mixture soak into all the holes. Cool in the pan for 40 minutes. Then invert onto a serving plate. Then make the glaze that goes on the top of the cake. The ingredients are listed under “Glaze” in the list of all the ingredients.
Roxanne says:

Hi Cyd, I want to try the recipe…there are so many misunderstandings on your recipe, can you maybe revamp it so it will be more clear, that way I won’t have to check all your explanations that you have made to various comments……..Thanking you in advance. It looks so delicious…..
Cyd says:

We haven’t used olive oil in this recipe. It would alter the taste.
Sharrah says:

Looks yummy. Can I use a 9×13 instead of bunt? Thought I had one but I don’t and I already bought all the ingredients.
Cyd says:

It should work fine. Watch closely because the cooking time may be different.
Irene says:

I,m just baking this. Cake, can,t wait till it,s finished. The kitchen smells great.
Jenee Osgood says:

Haven’t ate it yet but its baked! I had to add more milk to the glaze…it was too stiff.
Eugenia Pena says:

Do you have a diabetic version of this recipe?
Cyd says:

Sorry Eugenia, we have only made this cake according to the recipe.
Ken says:

Pineapple in heavy syrup or juice?
Cyd says:

Just a good old 20 ounce can of dole crushed pineapple in juice.
Willie Eastham says:

I am enjoying the Six Sisters recipes. I am 74 yrs old and somewhat handicapped, but with these recipes I can make delicious treats that I also can share with family and friends.
Mary Ann Russo says:

I made this cake today for Labor Day barbecue. It was delicious & super moist. I put too much milk in the powdered sugar for the glaze so it wasn’t nice & white & beautiful as in the photo but kind of clear after applying it. It was good though. Next time I’ll use what the recipe calls for.
Tina says:

I just made this recipe today. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it turned out perfect. Great recipe!
Terri says:

Made this cake today for an after-service gathering and my husband said a women mentioned it was the best dessert on the table (there was only one slice left).
I’ll have to make it again since I didn’t get to try it.
Just an FYI on the recipe, as others mentioned, the poke juice needs to be indicated in the body of the recipe. The glaze is indicated but would help if the ingredients for the poke juice ingredients were highlighted as well.
I’m going to write it down on paper instead of using the Pinterest blog.
Thank you for the yummy cake recipe!
Cyd says:

Hi Terri, I went in and tried to make the recipe easier to understand and highlighted the filling that you pour into the holes. I hope this helps and we appreciate your input.
Terri says:

The recipe was a joy to make and bake! Fun to poke and pour, too!
Thank you!
Cyd says:

Let us know if you have any questions or suggestions. We’ll try our best to answer them! Thanks so much!
Claudia Mortensen says:

I am confused by your recipe. I see crushed pineapple and pineapple tidbits in the recipe. Do we use both, or if only 1, which one do I use?
Cyd says:

Hi Claudia. I can see why the recipe was confusing. I went in and cleaned it all up. It should be a lot easier to understand. Let me know if you have anymore questions on this recipe.
Geanie Chappuis says:

I got this recipe off of Facebook and it was so confusing. It didn’t say anything about a filling so I pour the glaze into the holes. Then I read on and # 7 say pour glaze over top of cake so I made more glaze. Now you eat it in a bowl with a spoon. I’m glade that the party I took it to were good friends. I look the recipe up on your page and completely different recipe. To late now !
Cyd says:

This recipe has a lot of steps. After cooking the cake you poke holes all over in it. Then you make the “sweet filling – for holes”. Pour the sweet filling all over the top of the cake so that it will run into the holes. Then you cool the cake completely and prepare the glaze which is under the highlighted section called “Glaze”. Pour that over the entire cake.
Rita J. Beitz says:

What a wonderful recipe! I’m not a fan of cooked pineapple but this recipe is outstanding. The cake is very moist and delicious. I’ve had a couple of people ask me for the recipe. I added the top of a pineapple in the center of the cake. It was the magic touch for the party
Your site is a keeper for me.
Cyd says:

Hi Rita. You just made our whole day by this comment that you left for us. We are so glad you loved the cake. It’s one of our favorites. Have a terrific week.
Desiree says:

Great recipe! Can I use chunked pineapple, instead of crushed?
Cyd says:

You will want to use crushed pineapple in this recipe.
Lynne says:

I made the cake yesterday, and was served today. It was very good, moist and tasty, I did find it very crumbly though. I also needed to add extra milk to the icing glaze (and should have added a wee bit more), will definitely make again.
Susan says:

I made this cake by recipe. Had to add more milk to glaze. When I sliced it the next day, it crumpled to pieces. Was delicious. But it was a mess. Any suggestions? Would like to try it again.
Cyd says:

Hi Susan. So sorry the cake didn’t work well for you. I’m not sure what could have gone wrong. We use the yellow cake mix with pudding in the mix. It makes a moist cake. This cake is always a moist cake. So I’m not sure why it was crumbly.
Tanya says:

I made this tonight and am on my third piece!!! I will take a couple of minutes off my bake time next time because it was just a little “extra done” but still delicious. Will also use the drizzle recipe again also.
Cyd says:

Hi Tanya. Thanks for your sweet comment on this pineapple poke bundt cake. It’s a favorite!
Cynthia Canino says:

Buying a Bundt pan should I get a 6cup or a 12 cup ?
Cyd says:

In the directions it says to use a 12 cup pan.
M G H says:

This recipe is a keeper. My family loves it.
Cyd says:

We are so glad you like it! It’s one of our favorites.
Donna Miller says:

Fantastic! I didn’t change a thing and everyone raved that it was one of the tastiest cakes they’ve ever eaten.
Emily says:

Just made this! It looks amazing and I used Gluten Free cake mix for my sister. Can’t wait to try it. I did find that when making the glaze it was very think, unlike in the picture where it looks pourable. Is it supposed to be 2 tablespoons of milk? The recipe says teaspoons.
Momma Cyd says:

If your glaze is too thick, just add milk to reach your desired consistency.
Janet mills bowman says:

I love this cake it is moist and has great pineapple flavor.
Colleen says:

I will make a couple changes next time because the cake was too “wet”. And, I feel the glaze is just too much. I will make the filling and only “poke” half into the cake. Then after cooling use SOME of the remaining filling to drizzle on top and totally do away with the plain glaze. This is a pineapple wonder!
Cynthia Jackson says:

I made this recipe and it was so easy, I made a few adjustments to the glaze instead of two tsp of milk I used about 7 tsps one at a time until I got the consistency that I wanted. I haven’t tasted it yet but I’m sure it’s delicious because it smells awesome can’t wait to eat a piece
Momma Cyd says:

YUM! Sounds delicious!
Kim says:

Can I use Pillsbury pineapple cake mix for this!
Momma Cyd says:

Yes, that should work great too!
Marianne Smith says:

Everyone loved this cake-made it for my son’s birthday-it was perfectly delicious-the only thing was it didn’t cook in 40 minutes-it was closer to 50-55
Barb Hain says:

I made this 2xs so far followed the recipe exactly. No problems at all. The only change I did was used mandarin orange for one instead of pineapple. They were a hit and eaten all the same day. Love this recipe so much. Thanks for sharing. T
Marianne Smith says:

Made this for my mom’s memorial service last June and so many comments and thumbs up for this moist easily made cake, Now I’m baking it for Christmas/Christ’s birthday and added a bit of lemon juice, a drop of lemon extract and lemon liquor to the filling and glaze-yummy and pretty-I’m a solid bundt cakes and this one is delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Sheila Mckay says:

I went exactly by the recipe, but the cake just fell apart!!! I think maybe it was too much drained pineapple!!! It was delicious, though!!! We are eating it anyway!!! I will make this again, but with less crushed pineapple!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Sheila Mckay says:

Maybe next time I will put less filling into the holes!! It was just too moist(wet). It just crumbled, couldn’t cut slices!!! But it was delicious!!!