If there is one thing I love about this Sheet Pan Hawaiian poke cake it is that it is never dry. Poke cakes are fool-proof and generally pretty easy to throw together. I’ve never met a poke cake I didn’t like.
What is a poke cake?
If you are new to our blog you might be wondering what a poke cake is. A poke cake is made by poking holes in a cake after it is baked and then pouring a liquid or filling into the holes so you have delicious flavor in every bite.
Typical fillings for poke cakes are jello, pureed fruit, pudding, cream, or my favorite – sweetened condensed milk.
“I have so much time!” -No mom ever
Let us give you your time back. With the Six Sisters’ Meal Plans, we do the dinner planning, grocery ordering, and then all you have to do is decide whether to pick them up or have them delivered.
How to make this Hawaiian Poke Cake:
This Sheet Pan Hawaiian Poke Cake is full of pineapple and coconut flavor, which makes it perfect for summer potlucks and barbecues.
I made this cake for our first barbecue of the season and I think people liked the cake more than they liked the actual meal.
I started this poke cake by using a yellow boxed cake mix. If you have a homemade sheet cake recipe that you prefer, you could definitely use that but with all the flavor you add in the filling a boxed mix won’t disappoint.
Most boxed cake mixes are made to fit in a 9×13-inch pan, so I adjusted the cook time to allow it to fill a half sheet pan (13″x18″1″).
After it was done baking and had cooled, I used a fork to poke holes all over the entire cake.
Some people prefer to use the end of a spoon handle to make larger holes, but where this is a thinner cake, I think using a fork works better so you don’t alter the integrity of the cake itself.
Related Article: Chocolate Cake Smothered with Sweetened Condensed Milk, Hot Fudge, and Andes Mints! Everyone loves our Thin Mint Poke Cake!
To make the filling I used a can of sweetened condensed milk, juice from a can of crushed pineapple (saving the crushed pineapple for later) and cream of coconut.
I’ll be honest, the texture of the cream of coconut seemed a little unappealing but it was absolutely worth it for the flavor.
Don’t let the consistency of the cream of coconut scare you away. I whisked the ingredients together until it was as smooth as I could get it.
The cream of coconut isn’t completely smooth, so there will be a few lumps and that is totally fine. Pour the mixture over your cake, being sure to get it in all of the holes.
Next, I spread the crushed pineapple I had reserved over the top of the cake. If the pineapple juice is enough flavor for you, you could leave this step out but I am a pineapple fanatic so I used every last bit of that pineapple.
At this point, you can place your cake in the fridge while you make the flavored cream topping.
I will tell you right now, if you even think about making this cake with Cool Whip instead of whipping cream that I will hunt you down.
This flavored whipped cream is so light and fluffy that it is the icing on the cake…literally.
To make the topping for this poke cake, I beat some heavy whipping cream with coconut extract and powdered sugar to thicken it up a little bit.
It is literally heaven on earth. Once it was nice and fluffy I spread it on my cake in a nice even layer.
If coconut’s not your thing, don’t worry about sprinkling it on top but I think the added coconut flavor is just right.
I like to make this Hawaiian cake earlier in the day and then keep it in my fridge. That way the cake can soak up all that goodness like a sponge.
I swear this cake just gets better with time. I should know, I ate the whole pan in a matter of days and it got better each and every day.
I’m not proud of myself, but I would do it again.
So there you have it. Serve it up for your friends, family, neighbors or anyone that you want to impress.
If you make one cake this summer, make sure it is this Sheet Pan Hawaiian Poke Cake. You can thank me later….in the form of more sheet cake, please.
Related Recipe: Don’t miss out on our new Raspberry Fool Easy No Bake Dessert!
Try these other cake recipes:
We are pretty seasoned when it comes to poke cakes. I’m sure that you’ll try this Hawaiian Poke Cake and be hooked, so after you devour that try a few of my other favorites:
- Blueberry Cheesecake Pudding Poke Cake
- White Raspberry Poke Cake
- Thin Mint Poke Cake
- Boston Cream Pie Poke Cake
- Chocolate Turtle Poke Cake
- Strawberries and Cream Poke Cake
- Pina Colada Cake
- Sheet Pan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sheet Pan Hawaiian Poke Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
Filling:
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 15 ounces cream of coconut
- 20 ounces crushed pineapple, juice reserved
Topping:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, water, vegetable oil and eggs until well combined.
- Spray a half sheet pan (13"x18"x1") with nonstick cooking spray and spread batter in pan in an even layer.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Use a fork and poke holes over the entire cake.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, cream of coconut and juice from can of crushed pineapple.
- Pour over cake, filling all holes with mixture.
- Spread crushed pineapple over the top of the cake.
- In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and coconut extract until light and fluffy. Spread in an even layer on top of cake.
- Sprinkle coconut on top and refrigerate cake until serving.
Nutrition
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This was really good! I think next time I would leave the pineapple juice out. It ended up really runny – even after being in the fridge for 24 hours.