Hummingbird Cake, with its moist texture and flavoring from pecans, pineapple, and banana, is one of my favorite southern cakes. Usually I make a traditional-style Hummingbird Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Icing, but I was in the mood to make a poke cake, Hummingbird style.
I had never eaten a Hummingbird Poke Cake before, but I thought it would be a fun and unique dessert. Poke cakes are so wonderfully moist and I love that they can be made a day or two in advance.
To start, I added 1 cup of ripe mashed banana, an 8-ounce can of crushed pineapple, and 1 cup of chopped pecans to a box of yellow cake mix. I then added the water and oil that the cake mix called for but cut down on their amounts since I was adding liquid and moistness with the pineapple and banana.
To bake the batter, I used a 9×13-inch pan and I let the cake cool slightly before I poked holes in it using the back of a wooden spoon.
Next I mixed together vanilla pudding mix (you could use banana flavor if you want a stronger banana taste), milk, and sweetened condensed milk and slowly poured it over the cake so that it seeped down into the holes. After the cake had been in the refrigerator for about 6 hours, I made a delicious, creamy but light frosting using cream cheese, whipped topping, and powdered sugar.
After spreading the frosting on the cake, I did a sprinkling of pecans and it was ready to be devoured. The texture was wonderfully moist and sweet, almost like a tres leches cake. It’s an easy and fun make-ahead cake that will feed a crowd.
Are you a huge fan of Hummingbird Cake? Try this Hummingbird Cake with Caramel Icing.
Watch the short video below to see how easy this cake is to make.
Hummingbird Poke Cake
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup ripe,, mashed banana
- 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple,, undrained
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 eggs,, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 4 ounces cream cheese,, room temperature
- 1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping,, thawed
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together cake mix, banana, crushed pineapple, oil, water, eggs, and cinnamon until smooth. Stir in 1 cup pecans.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch on top.
- Let cool 10 minutes and then poke holes in cake, spaced about 1 inch apart, using the end of a wooden spoon.
- Using an electric mixer, beat pudding mix, milk, and sweetened condensed milk together at medium-speed until smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly and evenly pour over cake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
- To make frosting, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup of whipped topping together. Add sugar and remaining topping and beat just until combined.
- Spread frosting over cake and sprinkle with pecans.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Post originally published July 20, 2014.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
I can’t find a single box cake mix that is 18.25 ounces. All of them are 15.25.
Here is a great way to turn a 15.25 ounce box into an 18.25 ounce box- https://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/food/recipe-requests/fl-fea-yafi-cake-mix-20170602-story.html
This cake was amazing! Our whole family loved it! The cream cheese frosting is wonderful- not too sweet like so many recipes. What a treat! Thank you for this great recipe!!!
For some CRAZY reason this has been blocked on Pinterest! ! Hopefully someone can get it back up!
Made this cake and I loved it, call it anything you want to call it I’ll call it good and oh so easy.
Okay, this doesn’t EXACTLY taste like a hummingbird cake, but it is a zillion times easier and VERY good.
I came on your site to get The Original Hummingbird cake recipe but when I saw the Poke Cake, I knew this was the one I needed it to make! I’ve never really liked layering cakes so this is just right up my alley! I have made one other poke cake (The PeanutButter Finger Cake) and everybody devours that one like crazy so I’m sure this one will go over just as well as the other….Cant’t wait to start making it!
You can see from the gorgeous pics how soft and fluffy this cake looks! I just love hummingbird cake – this one looks like a winner!
Nom nom nom. Why?! Why does this look so delicious? I absolutely love condensed milk. Love everything about this recipe, actually. I’ve never had cake with pineapple AND banana in it. Interesting. Can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Anything with condensed milk and I’m there!
You didn’t! Yes you did…a hummingbird poke cake! Hummingbird cakes are one of my favorites, so I love this idea and I’d love a great big slice. 🙂