Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake) is filled with pudding, pineapple jam, topped with whipped cream and nuts. Fit for the King.
Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake)
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
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Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake) is my recipe of the day with the blogging group Sunday Funday. We post weekly on varying topics. This week we’re sharing recipes honoring Elvis Presley.
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I decided to do a pineapple poke cake that Elvis enjoyed when he was young. A poke cake will have holes poked into it and a topping is then spread on the warm cake until it soaks in.
It’s really hard to say what the actual recipe might have been, or if it was at all. There are differing accounts going around, and possibly a grifter or three wanting to make a buck off Elvis. And he isn’t around to say.
In the 60’s and 70’s most of the poke cakes I ever saw were Jello cakes. Either with Jello or pudding, but mostly Jello. This was usually covered with cool whip since the cake was to be refrigerated anyway.
I don’t ever recall seeing pineapple Jello or pudding. It’s probably easy enough to do gelatin with unflavored gelatin and pineapple juice. Although one must avoid fresh pineapple since it keeps Jello from setting up.
Honoring Elvis
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- Karen’s Kitchen Stories: Buffalo Chicken Baked Mac and Cheese
- Food Lust People Love: Hatch Chili Pepper Meatloaf
- Culinary Cam: Oysters Rockefeller
- Palatable Pastime: Pineapple Poke Cake
- Sneha’s Recipe: Pork Chops In Homemade Recheado Masala
- Amy’s Cooking Adventures: “The Elvis” Peanut Butter, Bacon, & Banana Sandwich
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Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake)
I set out on my own to just do this the way I think it should be done. That being said, I am 100% certain this is not the authentic Elvis cake. And if that is the most important thing to you, then I suppose you should check out a different recipe.
But if you want what’s going to be good, then this might just be the recipe you’re looking for.
I used a pineapple cake mix. And why not? All the pineapple is already there. Then I topped it with vanilla instant pudding. And after that comes the pineapple jam. Because? Jam makes cake rock.
And from there it’s an easy trip to the finish line with cool whip and chopped nuts. So as convoluted as some of my recipes can be, this is one of the very easy ones. Because while I don’t mind doing intensive recipes or ones with ling ingredient lists? Every cook and baker needs an easy day off.
Oh and, although this is ready to eat after the chill? It’s even more delicious the next day. And while Cool Whip is more stable than homemade whipped cream (which is why I did choose the cool whip here), don’t plan on this more than two days. The quality will drop fast after that. Although my cake never made it past the second day.
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Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake)
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Pineapple Poke Cake (Elvis Presley Cake)
Equipment
- 1 oblong cake pan
- Baker's release spray
Ingredients
Cake:
- 15.25 ounces Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Pineapple Supreme cake mix add only what this recipe calls for
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup cooled melted butter
Pudding Topping:
- 3.4 ounce box Vanilla flavored instant pudding mix one small box
- 1-1/2 cups whole milk
Remaining Toppings:
- 12 ounce jar Smucker's pineapple preserves
- 8 ounces Cool Whip topping
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix cake mix with milk, eggs and melted butter.
- Pour batter into a 9x13x3 inch baking pan sprayed with Baker's Release spray.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven and poke holes into the top of the cake all over with the bottom of a wooden mixing spoon.
- Whisk the pudding mix with the 1-1/2 cups milk and pour into the holes while the cake is hot and the pudding hasn't had a chance to set.
- Briefly warm the preserves in the microwave just long enough to make it runny, stirring well.
- Spread the preserves over the entire top of cake, smoothing out with the bottom of a spoon.
- Allow cake to finish cooling in the pan on a wire rack for about one hour until no longer warm.
- Spread Cool Whip over the top, covering the jam.
- Sprinkle with chopped pecans.
- Refrigerate in the pan, covered, at least four hours.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sounds wonderful Sue, thanks for joining me.
I think you made some solid flavor decisions here, Sue, but there is indeed pineapple Jell-O™ and I only know this because I had to decide between it and lemon for a clear diet pre-colonoscopy not too long back. I’d have much rather had a piece of your lovely cake!
I meant I don’t recall them having that in the 60’s and 70’s.