Elvis Presley Cake – A Popular Version of Ice Box Cake
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A popular version of Ice Box Cake, this Elvis Presley Cake is said to have been his favorite. Whether it was or not, this easy-to-make and mouthwateringly moist cake is sure to become one of yours.
This post is dedicated to Su, one of my readers from Australia. Several years back, Su and her mother (a huge Elvis fan) came to the US to visit Graceland and I went and met up with them during their time here and we all had a grand day together!
This cake is said to have been one that Elvis’s cook made for him on a regular basis. Apparently, his favorite ingredient was the crushed pineapple. The cake is made from a vanilla pudding and yellow cake mix and you actually poke holes in the cake to let the sweet and juicy pineapple and sugar mixture soak right in. The cherry on top is a cream cheese and pecan icing. In the end, you have a deliciously sweet and moist cake that will probably become your favorite as well!
This is what we call an Ice Box Cake. Many in the greatest generation still refer to their refrigerators as iceboxes. Ice Box Cake recipes and pies are good any time of the year because they keep so much longer than regular cakes. Check out some of our other Ice Box Cake recipes like Lemon Icebox Cake and Icebox Fruitcake.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar
- Oil
- Milk
- Crushed pineapple
- Eggs
- Vanilla instant pudding
- A box of yellow cake mix (In the South, we have an unnatural fixation with Duncan Hine’s cake mix).
Icing ingredients are coming up in a few photos but of course, the entire recipe is in printable format at the bottom of this post too.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Electric Mixer (Budget Friendly)
- Electric Mixer (Splurge)
- 9×13 Baking Pan
- Icing Spatula
How to Make Elvis Presley Cake (A Version of an Ice Box Cake)
Pour milk into a mixing bowl. Add oil, eggs, pudding mix, and cake mix.
Beat with an electric mixer on for about a minute, then stop and scrape down the sides. Continue mixing for about two more minutes, until smooth.
Try not to taste this batter. Seriously, try really hard not to taste it. If you do, there may not be any left to actually bake. It’s that stinking good!
Spray your 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
While that is in the oven, pour pineapple into a saucepot, juice and all.
Add sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then remove from heat.
While hot, poke a whole bunch of holes in the top of the cake with a fork. You could use the tip of a wooden spoon too if you like for a traditional poke cake.
Don’t stop until it looks like a swarm of four fanged mosquitoes took hold of it!
Spoon pineapple and juice over the hot cake, letting it soak in.
It should look like the picture above.
Now let’s make us some icing while that’s a coolin’!
For the icing, you will need cream cheese, butter, confectioner’s sugar, and crushed pecans. You can also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the frosting if you like.
Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Toss in butter and mix until light and fluffy. Add confectioner’s sugar and beat with an electric mixer until well incorporated and creamy, scraping down sides as need be.
Add in pecans and mix just until incorporated.
Once you have a on your hands, drop the icing in dollops onto the top of it.
Spread and smooth to ice cake. Top with additional chopped pecans, if desired.
Storage
- When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, Elvis Cake leftovers will last up to 5 days.
- You can also store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Recipe Notes
- To really enhance the pineapple flavor, opt to use a pineapple cake mix. You could also use a simple .
- We love pecans in the South, but you can substitute them for walnuts or omit them altogether.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make Elvis Presley Cake ahead of time?
Absolutely! It actually tastes best when it’s had time to chill in the fridge, so you can bake and store the cake, covered, in the fridge overnight if you like.
Here are more of my favorite Ice Box and poke cakes:
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 box vanilla pudding 3-ounce box that's not sugar-free
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1 can crushed pineapple 16 ounces, undrained
- 1 cup sugar
FROSTING:
- 1 package cream cheese 8 ounces, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans optional
(You can also add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the frosting if you like)
Instructions
- Please cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil, and milk in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for one minute. Scrape down sides and beat again for about two minutes, or until smooth.1 box yellow cake mix, 1 box vanilla pudding, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup milk
- Pour batter into greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, place pineapple and sugar into a medium saucepan on the stovetop. Bring just to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.1 can crushed pineapple, 1 cup sugar
- Once the cake is done, remove the dish from the oven and poke holes all over the top with a fork. While the cake is still hot, pour the hot pineapple mixture over the top and spread to cover. Let cool.
- For frosting, place the butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add confectioner's sugar gradually, scraping down sides as needed, while beating with an electric mixer. Stir in pecans, if desired.1 package cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 3 cups confectioner's sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Drop dollops of the icing onto the top of the cooled cake. Slowly spread the dollops together to cover the cake, being careful not to disturb the pineapple topping. Sprinkle the finished cake with additional pecans, if desired.
Nutrition
Rhythm is something you either have or you don’t have. But when you have it, you have it all over.
~Elvis Presley
I’m an Arkansan (Go Hogs!) and I completely understand your comments about Duncan Hines cake mixes. I bake and decorate cakes for friends and family and their Butter Recipe Fudge is the absolute best for making chocolate groom’s cakes or birthday cakes. It bakes up just firm enough to be the best for icing and decorating. I’ve made several hunting scene cakes, a couple of 4-wheeler mud riding cakes, and a retirement cake and they all turned out great. Everyone loves the flavor. It’s always fun to hear them talk about how wedding cakes usually don’t taste very good and then see their reaction when they take that first bite! I’m a Duncan Hines girl through and through!
Keep up the good work – I tell everyone I see about your website!
Hey could you not kinda combine the Twinkie cake (using the yellow cake mix instead of twinkies) and the Elvis Presley cake? Like add the bananas to the Elvis cake on top of the cooked pineapple before you frost it? Seems the two cake bases would be similar enough. Just thinking…
that sounds good
Okay, I seriously think this was just about the best cake I’ve ever eaten. The only problem I had was with the baking time. I took mine out after 35 minutes and it was almost too done. 45 to 60 minutes would have been way too long in a 9X13 pan. Next time for me probably 30 to 32 minutes would be just right.
Oh Christy, wanted to let you know you made our local paper today. (Times Record) in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. You were mentioned in Jay Harshaw’s Potluck column. She had Oatmeal Pie recipe in there and said, “I find it amusing that this oatmeal pie was discovered on southernplate.com, a blog I’ve written about extensively for the past couple of weeks. I told you it was worth checking out.”
I have one of these in the oven as I type. It smells so-o-o-o wonderful. Can’t wait to taste it. If it only tastes half as good as it smells it will be heavenly. Gotta go make my pineapple topping now. Will report back to let you know how it tastes.
Can’t wait to hear what you think Nancy!
I have The Cookbook that Elvis Presley’s Cook, Alvina Roy wrote. I purchased the Cookbook titled “Fit for a King” with Elvis’s Picture on the Cover. I purchased this Cookbook at Graceland when I went to Visit my Son who was doing his Residency At Baptist Memorial, the Hospital Elvis was pronounced Dead. This was in the eighties when I bought the Book. No where in it is the Cake you refer to as Elvis Presley Cake. There are many other Cake recipes but not this one. I doubt very seriously this was a fave Cake. This type Cake was not popular during the times he was living.im fact the only cake in the Cookbook using a mix was the Rum Cake…I’m sure he would have liked it but doubt he ever had it……. S. Donice Mauldin
I’ve published three cookbooks (over 800 recipes in them) and still think of recipes from time to time that I can’t believe I left out. These types of cakes were very popular in the sixties and seventies (when I came around).
I’m sure your cookbook is wonderful though and filled with great memories.
We may not agree on everything but I’d be honored to sit across from you over slices of any cake
This is a great cake, we have been making this cake for years! Its a family tradition!
With the anniversary of the KINGS death approaching, here is a recipe that I got off the Food Network, from Paula Deene.
ELVIS GOODY BUTTER CAKE
1 yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick butter, melted
mint leaves for garnish
whipped cream for garnish
Filling
1–8 ounce pkg. cream cheese
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 whole banana
1 stick butter
1–16 ounce pkg. powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter together and mix well. Pat into lightly greased 13 by 9 inch baking pan. Prepare the filling.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the peaut butter; beat. Add the banana and butter and mix well. Add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over the cake mixture. Bake for 45-50 minutes. You want the center to be a little gooey, so do not overbake. Top each slice with a mint leaf and dollop of whipped cream.
I haven’t made this yet, but thought it sounded interesting and goo.
the peanut butter sounds like Elvis. He sure liked his peanut butter.
This cake looks amazing. Can’t wait to give it a try.When I was 8 years old, in 1958, we lived with my great granny on her farm. She had no t.v. only an AM radio that I listened to all ay long. Then I got a record player and begged for all the Elvis 45’s, which I got.. Well, I was head over heels in love with this man and in my young mind he would love me as well, if he could find me. I was sure he was coming to get me and marry me. LOL. I did get to see him in concert about 6 months before his death. He wasn’t as handsome as he was in 1958, but he still was “The King” ~RIP Elvis~