Elvis Presley Cake Recipe

I can’t help falling in love with this soft, fluffy, and flavorful Elvis Presley cake.

Once you try it, you’ll be all shook up, too! It’s that good. 

Featuring juicy pineapples and cream cheese glaze, it’s a yummy warm-weather treat the whole family will love. 

What Is an Elvis Presley Cake? 

When you hear the words “Elvis Presley cake,” you might think of grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches with bacon.

And while that would taste great, too, that isn’t what this cake is.

The Elvis Presley cake is a one-layer yellow cake with pineapples, pecans, and cream cheese glaze.

It’s similar to an old-fashioned poke cake and is wonderfully light and deliciously moist.

Surprisingly, though, it isn’t overly rich. The chopped pecans are the perfect salty, crunchy complement to all the sweetness. 

Some say it was Elvis’ favorite cake, but on that front, we have no proof. It’s still yummy, nonetheless. 

Ingredients 

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious, pineapple infused poke cake: 

For the cake: 

• Yellow Cake Mix: Save yourself some time and use a box. Yellow is traditional, but you can substitute another flavor if you prefer. 

• Milk: Stick to whole milk for the richest flavor. 

• Vegetable Oil: To lock in the moisture.

• Eggs: For richness and to help the cake rise.

• Crushed Pineapples with Juice: Normally, I say fresh is best. But for this cake, stick to the canned stuff. You’ll need the fruit and the juices!

• Sugar: Add a bit of granulated sugar to the pineapples to make them syrupy. 

For the topping: 

• Cream Cheese: For the best flavor, use a block of full-fat cream cheese (not cream cheese spread).  

• Butter: Adds a nice richness to the frosting. 

• Powdered Sugar: To contrast the tangy cream cheese and make it spreadable.

• Vanilla Extract: For sweet warmth.

• Milk: Only add milk if the frosting needs thinning.

• Chopped Pecans: To sprinkle over the finished cake. If you want to go the extra mile, make candied pecans instead. 

How to Make Elvis Presley Cake

Because you’ll start with a boxed cake mix, the steps for this recipe are really simple: 

1. PREPARE. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking pan with cooking spray.

2. MIX. Beat the cake mix, milk, oil, and eggs until smooth.

3. BAKE. Transfer the batter to the baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. 

4. SIMMER. Combine the pineapples in juice with the sugar in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. 

5. POUR. Remove the finished cake from the oven and poke holes over the top. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then pour the pineapple syrup evenly over the surface.

6. GLAZE. Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Then, add the powdered sugar and spread over the cooled cake. Finish with the pecans, serve, and enjoy.

Recipe Tips and Tricks 

Before you begin, check out these tips: 

• Add pudding. A 3-ounce box of vanilla pudding into the cake batter will make this impossibly moist. 

• Make it extra fruity. Use a boxed pineapple cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix.

• Make it extra nutty. Mix some chopped nuts into the cake, too.

• Chill out. This cake tastes best cold. If you have time, pop it in the fridge to chill for 2 to 3 hours before serving it. 

• Turn it into cupcakes. Keep the recipe exactly as it is. Simply use muffin tins instead of a baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. 

• Not a fan of cream cheese? Top the cake with Cool Whip instead.

• Add extra fruit. Mix some pineapples into the glaze. Or try sliced bananas or strawberries to top the cake. 

How to Store

Many poke cakes are stored best at room temperature. But because of the cream cheese glaze, this isn’t one of them.

Try these storage methods instead: 

To Store: Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. Place the container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

To Freeze. Freeze the leftover cake whole or in individual slices. Use a freezer-safe airtight container and store it in an upright position for up to 6 months. 

Let the cake thaw in the fridge overnight, and enjoy it a second time around. 

More Pineapple Cake Recipes

If you love pineapple desserts like me, you’ll appreciate these recipes: 

Pineapple Dream Cake
Granny Cake
Pineapple Upside-Down Bundt Cake
Easy Pineapple Dump Cake
Two-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake

Elvis Presley Cake

Course: DessertCuisine: American

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

445

kcal

I can’t help falling in love with this soft, fluffy, flavorful Elvis Presley cake. Once you try it, you’ll be all shook up, too! It’s that good.

Ingredients

• For the Cake

• 1 (15.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs

• 2 (8 ounce) cans crushed pineapple with juice

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• For the Cream Cheese Glaze

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream, as needed for consistency

• For the Topping

• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan generously with cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, milk, oil, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes or until smooth.
• Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes on the center rack. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. (A few crumbs are okay.)
• While the cake bakes, combine the crushed pineapples with the juices and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until all the sugar dissolves.
• Remove the cake from the oven. Then, use a skewer or fork to poke evenly spaced holes all over the top (don’t poke all the way through). Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes.
• Pour the pineapple syrup over the top of the cake and use a spatula to spread it evenly. Set the cake aside to cool.
• While the cake cools, make the glaze. Add the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth, scraping the bottom and sides as needed.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing with an electric mixer on low speed. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, add the vanilla. Beat until it’s fluffy and smooth, adding milk a tablespoon at a time as needed*.
• Once the cake is fully cool, spread the cream cheese glaze over the top. Finally, sprinkle the cake with the chopped pecans. Then, slice, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

• The glaze should be thick but spreadable. It should not pour out of the bowl.
• Turn it into cupcakes. Keep the recipe exactly as it is. Simply use muffin tins instead of a baking pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. 

NaTaya Hastings

NaTaya Hastings is a food and recipe writer for Insanely Good Recipes. She’s an educator, boy mom, dog mom, and whatever-stray-enters-the-yard mom. As a result, she's constantly cooking for both humans and animals.

Luckily, she enjoys it!

Though born, raised, and still living in Alabama, her specialty is NOT down-home Southern cooking. Instead, she loves to experiment with Asian, Mexican, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. She has two mottos when it comes to cooking. “The more spice, the better!” and “There’s no such thing as too much garlic!”

She’s also pretty good with desserts. Especially the easy, no-bake ones.

Her favorite things are cuddling with her four giant dogs, traveling, reading, writing, and hanging out in nature. She’s also pretty excellent at Dominoes.

See Full Bio

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