Twinkie Pineapple Coconut Cake

Prep 5 mins
Add'l 1 hr
Total 1 hr 5 mins
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This Pineapple Coconut Cake recipe is an easy no-bake dessert thanks to a special ingredient: Twinkies! Made with creamy pudding, juicy pineapple, and filled with loads of sweet tropical flavor.

A serving of Twinkie Pineapple Coconut Cake on a white plate topped with shredded coconut and a cherry

Have you ever had Paula Deen’s ‘Better Than Sex’ cake? Well if you have, you know how amazing it is. I made it better. No for real, I did. I made it into a NO BAKE dessert by using TWINKIES!

(Make sure and check out some of my other no bake desserts!)

To be completely honest, I am not the biggest Twinkie fan. There are many other little snack cake like desserts that I would normally grab first.

A serving of Twinkie Pineapple Coconut Cake on a white plate topped with shredded coconut and a cherry

However the Twinkies in this recipe completely transform and they turn into an amazing base for this pineapple coconut cake. Everyone who had it did not believe it was actually made with Twinkies. Seriously.

I also skipped the additional sugar that Paula adds to the pineapple layer. Between the sweet Twinkies, the naturally sweet pineapple, the vanilla pudding and whipped cream…I promise it needs no extra sugar. And this is coming from the self proclaimed sugar queen! Paula’s sweet tooth must be as big as her hair!

This is the perfect make ahead Summer dessert that you can store in the fridge for up to a day before a party. It’s incredibly easy to put together, but you would never know it by all the flavor packed in each bite.

Yield: 1 - 9x13 cake

Twinkie Pineapple Coconut Cake

A serving of Twinkie Pineapple Coconut Cake on a white plate topped with shredded coconut and a cherry

This Pineapple Coconut Cake recipe is an easy no-bake dessert thanks to a special ingredient: Twinkies! Made with creamy pudding, juicy pineapple, and filled with loads of sweet tropical flavor.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 9 twinkies, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, mostly drained with just a little juice left
  • 1 box (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding – prepared as instructed on package
  • 1 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
  • 2 cups shredded sweetened coconut, toasted
  • maraschino cherries, for decoration

Instructions

  1. Line the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish with twinkies cut side up (so the cream filling in the twinkies is facing up).
  2. Top twinkies with crushed pineapple (and the little juice that remained). Spread pudding on top of crushed pineapple.
  3. In stand mixer or with hand mixer, whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and coconut extract until stiff peaks are formed.
  4. Spread whipped cream on top of pudding layer and top with toasted coconut.
  5. Refrigerate cake for one hour (or up to a day) and serve cold with a cherry on top!

Notes

Recipe Note: Yes, you can use cool-whip in place of the homemade coconut whipped cream if you want.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 359Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 245mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 2gSugar: 24gProtein: 3g

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

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7 Responses
  1. Tim Royal

    I am diabetic, so I’m going to use Kraft Cool whip, if I didn’t love Twinkies I would use a sugar free cake mix by Kroger or Duncan Hines. There are ways to cut down on sugar. Using Almond Flour and making my own cake would be better though.

  2. Selma Jans

    Call me stupid but what is a twinky. The recepe looks and sounds delicious and I really want to make it but then I need to know what a Twinky is.

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      A Twinkie is a snack cake dessert you can find in stores. If you do not want to use twinkles, you can also bake a yellow cake as the base.

    2. Carol McDowell

      Hostess is the Brand name on the best Twinkies. You get approximately 12 to a box. You should find them in most grocery stores, near where the Little Debbie boxed snack cakes are located. I cannot wait to make this!!

  3. Shanna

    I made this yesterday for a work potluck. I won’t lie, I was pretty skeptical, but needed a super easy recipe because I only had about 20 minutes. This was AMAZING!! So light and fruity! It was the first thing completely gone at the potluck and no one could believe it was made with twinkies! Ha!

Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.
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