Name: Pina Colada Cake Trifle
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 1 h 13 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 vanilla cake mix; 1 - 20 ounce can crushed pineapple; 2 - 10 ounce jar maraschino cherries, with stems; 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened; 1 - 3.4 ounce box instant vanilla pudding; 1 cup milk; 1 1/4 cups shredded coconut, divided; 1/2 teaspoon rum extract; 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract; 1 - 8 ounce Cool Whip, thawed and divided

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This Pina Colada Cake Trifle is perfect to make and serve at summer picnics and barbecues. Layers of cake, fruit, and no bake cheesecake makes a dessert that will wow everyone.

I have officially gone a trifle crazy.

My brain is in overload right now because this past week I tried to learn a new photo editing program. I feel like my head wants to explode. Part of me thinks I should just stick with the old one because I was comfortable with it.

If it's not broken, don't try to fix it, right? But the other part of me knows that once I get it, my pictures should look better. Fingers crossed that's true because I'm trying.

With the kids home for summer vacation, I know that I will not have as much time to put into work stuff. That's ok though. After one day of working on photos, I'm fried. I think it's time to go to the pool to chill with a big mug of this Frozen Salted Caramel Mocha Hot Chocolate.

Some days I wonder how I can blog so much because computers and I just don't get along. Just last night I thought I had it figured out only to find out that I had saved the photos in the wrong color setting.

Thank goodness my hubby was home to help me google the issue. It's a good thing he is so sane when I start to have a melt down. Chocolate also helps...

Want to know what else I have been going crazy about?

I have officially gone crazy for trifles and parfaits. I bought a trifle bowl a few weeks ago and made this Oatmeal Creme Pie Berry Trifle, and now you wouldn't believe the ideas floating around in my head.

Ok, you probably would believe it because you know me, and you know how I get crazy dessert ideas all the time.

June is National Dairy Month, so I got my big bowl out and made a fun layered cake trifle. This dessert is full of cake, fruit, and a no bake cheesecake that is full of dairy goodness.

Did you know that Ohio dairy farmers produce over 630 million gallons of milk each year? That's a lot of milk coming from the midwest.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit two farms in Ohio and to see just how well these cows are taken care of.

I was very impressed with the care and quality of the farms and cows. These dairy farmers truly care about the care and comfort of the cows on their farms.

One serving of milk, cheese, or yogurt provides 8 grams of protein and 9 essential vitamins. Most people only consume 1-2 serving of dairy each day, but to meet dairy recommendations they should be eating 3 full servings.

Milk is one of the most requested but least donated item to food banks across the nation. If you feel the need to help out with food banks, keep that in mind.

The cheesecake layer in this easy cake trifle is packed with cream cheese and milk. I wanted to be sure my family was getting a full serving of dairy with their dessert.

The more dairy you consume now helps you later in life. Strong bones and healthy teeth are just a benefit from getting those dairy servings in when you are younger.

How to make a Pina Colada Cake Trifle:

Cake: Use the juice from the canned pineapple when you mix together the cake mix and ingredients. Using the juice instead of water will help give your cake a pineapple flavor. Let it cool completely and then cut it into 1 inch cubes.
Fruit: For this cake trifle, you are going to use a can of crushed pineapple and 2 jars of maraschino cherries. Make sure you save the pineapple juice when you drain the pineapple. Drain and rinse the cherries in a colander.
No Bake Cheesecake: The no-bake cheesecake layer is made from cream cheese, milk, pudding, coconut, extracts, and Cool Whip. Whisk together the pudding, milk, and extracts and let it set up. Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Add the pudding, Cool Whip, and shredded coconut, and beat it all together.
Toasted Coconut: Spread some of the shredded coconut on a dark sheet pan and bake it for 4-5 minutes. Stir it after 2 minutes, so the outside pieces do not burn. Remove the pan from the oven and let the coconut cool.
Assemble: Place half the cake cubes in the bottom of a large trifle bowl. Spoon half the drained pineapple on top and spread it out. Sprinkle one jar of drained cherries on top. Spoon half the no bake coconut cheesecake on top and spread it out gently. Repeat the layers. Add the toasted coconut to the top and chill for a few hours.
Decorate: Pipe swirls of Cool Whip around the edge of the bowl and in the center using a piping bag and icing tip 1M. Cherries with stems adds the perfect finishing touch the top.

Now go ahead and dig in with a big spoon because after one bite you will be transported to a tropical island.

Well, as long as you keep your eyes closed, so you do not see the pile of dirty dishes in your kitchen from making this fun summer cake trifle.

Other easy pudding parfaits that you may enjoy: