My Grandma’s Dream Cake (Pineapple Poke Cake)
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Dream cake is truly dreamy – a boxed yellow cake is topped with a cream cheese vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple, whipped topping and toasted coconut. This cake is the perfect dessert for any occasion and is definitely a crowd pleaser!
Say hello to one of my grandmother’s recipes. Yes, this recipe is straight from Sibley, Iowa. My grandma lived until she was nearly 101 and was an avid baker. She baked simply and from the heart. This dream cake screams her type of baking. When my mom shared this recipe with me, I immediately knew it was a winner and I had to make it.
Why you will love this recipe:
- Dream cake is BEAUTIFUL! The vibrant yellow color with the white whipped topping and toasted coconut is so eye catching. This would be a gorgeous cake to make for a bridal or baby shower.
- It’s SO SIMPLE to make. I used a boxed yellow cake mix as the base for this recipe, but you could use a homemade yellow cake if you would like! The other ingredients are store-bought and simply require some whisking and combining.
- It’s absolutely delicious. As I mentioned, my grandma made some unusual desserts – this was not uncommon in the farm life. Mixing canned fruits into cakes is a genius and tasty way to create a unique dessert! This Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake is another perfect example of this!
- It’s essentially a poke cake. Poke cakes typically start with a base cake, in this case, it’s a yellow cake and are topped with pudding that soaks into the cake making it extra most and delicious.
Ingredients:
- 1 box yellow cake mix (boxed cake mixes usually require oil, egg and water): To make this super simple, a boxed yellow cake mix is used. They’re always super moist and easy to make.
- Instant vanilla pudding: Vanilla pudding is mixed with cream cheese to make a delicious custard like layer that goes on top of the cake. It seeps into the cake making it moist and flavorful.
- Whole milk: Milk is used to help create the pudding.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese is mixed with the vanilla pudding to create a thick creamy custard.
- Can of crushed pineapple: Crushed pineapple is layered between the vanilla pudding custard resulting in a delicious burst of sweet pineapple flavor.
- Whipped topping (like Cool Whip): Fluffy whipped topping is used to spread all over the cake. It provides the perfect bed for a garnish of toasted coconut.
- Coconut: Toasted coconut is used to garnish the cake. It adds texture, flavor and looks pretty!
Directions:
- Make the yellow cake according to package directions and let cool.
- In a mixer, cream together instant vanilla pudding, milk and cream cheese until smooth.
- Poke holes in the cake, evenly pour half the pudding over top of the cake, then the crushed pineapple, then the other half of the pudding. Top with whipped topping and toasted coconut.
- Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours then enjoy!
As the cake refrigerates, the pudding and pineapple will set into the cake – it’s super dreamy!
Substitutions:
There are several changes you can make to this Dream Cake. Here are a few ideas if you would like to switch things up!
- You can make homemade yellow cake instead of boxed cake mix.
- If you would like to use homemade whipped cream, go right ahead!
- Don’t like pineapple? Consider using cherry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, or canned peaches.
- A few other garnishes that would go well with dream cake would be toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans or pistachios. Simply toast up the nuts in a skillet and let cool before garnishing.
I made this for my brother-in-law’s birthday and the entire family raved about it. I love making a not so typical cake sometimes, especially when it’s this good and it’s my grandma’s recipe. Definitely warms my heart to share her amazing recipes!
I love how this cake looks – it looks dreamy, right? It’s so fluffy and it tastes like it looks. Super moist, creamy with a little crunch from the toasted coconut. I hope you decide to try this one out because it’s super easy and is a crowd pleaser. Bring this to any party and people will be talking about it after, I promise!!
Dream Cake (Yellow Pineapple Cake with Whipped Cream)
Dream cake is aboslutely delicious and simple to make. A yellow cake is topped with a cream cheese vanilla pudding, crushed pineapple and whipped topping. It's super dreamy!
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix (check what ingredients you need on the back of the box. Usually it's water, oil and eggs)
- 1, 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding
- 2 cups room temperature milk (suggest using whole)
- 1, 8 ounce package cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1, 28 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained well
- 1, 8 ounce container whipped topping, thawed
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
Instructions
- Prepare the yellow cake according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
- Next, add pudding, milk and cream cheese to a stand-alone mixer (hand-held mixer would work, too), fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary; set aside.
- To assemble the cake, poke holes with the back of a wooden spoon all over the cake. Pour half of the pudding mixture on the cake and spread evenly. Next, add the crushed pineapple, spreading evenly. Then add the other half of the pudding mixture, spreading evenly. Top with whipped topping and toasted coconut. Refrigerate for atleast 2 hours to let everything set. Enjoy!
- To toast the coconut, simply add it to a sauté pan and place over medium heat. Stir constantly until toasted. Make sure it’s cool before adding to the cake.
Notes
Cake should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigertor. Cake will last 3-4 days.
Hi. I’m curious.
Where does your grandma origin from? We have a very similar cake in Denmark which is also called a dream cake. We do however not use cream cheese and pineapples. Could be interesting to connect some history there.
She is Dutch! Family is from Holland. She lived on a farm in a mostly Dutch community in Northwest Iowa.