This easy Tropical Twinkie Cake recipe is a no-bake dessert thanks to a special ingredient: Twinkies! Made with creamy pudding, juicy pineapple, toasted coconut and whipped cream, this is sure to be a hit at your next party!
Prep Time10 minutesminutes
Chill Time1 hourhour
Total Time1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
9twinkies, sliced in half lengthwise
1can (20 oz)crushed pineapple, mostly drained with just a little juice left
Line the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with twinkies cut side up (so the cream filling in the twinkies is facing up).
Top twinkies with crushed pineapple (and the little juice that remained).
Remove 1 tablespoon of the vanilla pudding mix and set it aside for later. In a small bowl, whisk to combine the remaining dry pudding mix and milk until well combined. Spread pudding on top of the crushed pineapple layer.
In stand mixer or with hand mixer, beat heavy cream with reserved 1 tablespoon vanilla pudding mix until slightly thickened. Then add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and coconut extract, and beat until stiff peaks form.
Spread whipped cream on top of the pudding layer and evenly top with toasted coconut.
Refrigerate cake for one hour (or up to 24 hours) and serve chilled with a cherry on top!
Notes
Storage: You can store this Twinkie cake for about one day before serving, covered tightly in the refrigerator. After that, you can store the leftovers in the fridge for a couple of days longer. Store for up to 4 days, total.How to Toast Coconut: This is so easy – just heat your oven to 325°F, and spread your coconut on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5 or 10 minutes, stirring every so often, until it’s golden.Stabilized Whipped Cream: We use 1 tablespoon of the instant vanilla pudding in the whipped cream to help stabilize it. This helps to keep your whipped cream from weeping and deflating – so you can whip it up to a day in advance! Pudding Mix: To change up the flavor, try using instant coconut pudding instead of vanilla – this will add even more “tropical” flavor. If you do this, I recommend skipping the coconut extract in the whipped cream…otherwise the coconut flavor can become overwhelming. You could also use pre-made, chilled pudding from pudding cups, if you like.Make It Boozy: You can add rum to make this a pina colada cake! You can brush/sprinkle 3 tablespoons of rum over the twinkies. If adding rum, make sure to drain all excess juice out of the crushed pineapple so your cake does not become soggy.