Pina Colada Cream Cheese Cake Bars

Name: Pina Colada Cream Cheese Cake Bars
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 145 min
Ingredients: 1 (8 oz) cream cheese ((softened)); 1 box white cake mix; 1 egg; 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple ((undrained)); 1 cup shredded coconut; 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix; 1/2 cup milk; 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple ((drained)); 1/4 tsp coconut extract ((optional)); 1 8 oz container of whipped topping ((like Cool Whip)); 1 cup additional shredded coconut ((for sprinkling on top))

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These Pina Colada Cream Cheese Cake Bars are the perfect treat for summertime. A super easy, moist pineapple coconut cake that’s topped with a fluffy pineapple whipped topping. A scratch cake recipe that comes out moist and is easy to make.

Pina Colada Cream Cheese Cake Bars pin graphic

Hey there! Before you scroll, there’s lot’s of important stuff in the post!…including the FAQ section, which may answer any questions you might have about this recipe. Enjoy!

These are super easy. I love simple and easy recipes for the summer because the summer heat just sucks all the energy from me, plus I know people like to stay busy with fun stuff and these are so quick to throw together, you won’t miss out on any fun.

I’ll just say, these are the perfect bars to come home to after being out in the sun all day.

pineapple coconut cake slice on a white plate

Let’s Talk About Some of the Ingredients in these Pina Colada Cake Bars:

Cream Cheese: Yes there’s actually cream cheese in the cake batter. Trust me…it ends up SO good.

White Cake Mix: You’ll use a white cake mix as the base of this cake, but don’t worry, it won’t actually taste like a cake mix. You’ll be adding other ingredients to it, but the cake mix just allows you to make it very quick and very easy.

Crushed Pineapple & Shredded Coconut: This of course gives these cake bars their pina colada taste. You’ll definitely want to add in the the pineapple juice too…don’t drain it away.

Instant Pudding & Whipped Topping: This will be the base for the topping. The pudding helps stabilize everything and adds flavor.

Mixing Method for this Cake:

Mixing this cake up is super easy. You’ll just mix the cream cheese until smooth and then add in the other cake ingredients and mix. That’s it!

For the topping, you’ll mix that in parts. You’ll prepare the pudding mix first, then add in the other ingredients.

Slice of pineapple coconut cake with a fork

Tips & FAQs for the Pina Colada Cake Bars:

Make sure to let the cream cheese soften a bit before mixing it.

You don’t want to microwave it, just set it out of the fridge to warm up for about half an hour or so before using it.

Can I use a different flavor of cake mix?

You probably could although you don’t want to pick a flavor that would compete or clash with the pineapple and coconut.

Should I drain the pineapple juice?

When making the cake, you will not drain the juice. You want to add that to your cake.
For the topping though, you do want to drain the juice as it would make the topping too runny.

Do I have to add the shredded coconut to the cake and topping?

No, but the coconut in combination with the pineapple is what gives it that pina colada flavor. If you don’t like the texture of shredded coconut, you can omit it and instead, add in a bit of coconut extract to get the coconut flavor, or just leave it out completely and just have pineapple cake bars.

What type of pudding mix should I use?

You want to use the instant pudding mix, not the kind that is cooked. You’ll also want a small box, not the large box. I used vanilla but you could also use french vanilla, cheesecake or white chocolate flavors.

What is the whipped topping that’s added to the topping?

I’m referring to cool whip or a similar brand.

Do I have to add the coconut extract to the topping?

No, you can omit it if you don’t have it, but it does add more coconut flavor that you might miss out on.

Make sure the cake is cooled completely before adding the topping.

The cake can be chilled along with the topping until you’re ready to add it to the top of the cake.

Tools Used in This Recipe:

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Ok, onto the recipe!

**By the way, this recipe was developed and tested using volume measurements (cups etc.). I do this because most people are used to measuring, instead of weighing. You may use the metric converter button to see the weight (gram) measurements. Those numbers are estimates on weight. Your results may vary a bit if you use the weight measurements.

Pina Colada Cake Bar Slice on white plate

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