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Fork digging into a slice of easy moist coconut cream cake
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5 from 1 vote

Coconut Cream Poke Cake

The most decadent coconut cream poke cake! A semi-homemade vanilla cake topped with a light and sweet coconut cream frosting. The perfect special occasion cake in a pinch!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword coconut cake recipe, coconut cream cake, coconut poke cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chilling Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 440.3kcal
Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE:

  • 1 15.25 oz. box yellow cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
  • 1 15 oz. can cream of coconut (such as Goya or Coco Lopez brand)
  • 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

FOR THE FROSTING:

  • 16 ounces frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), thawed
  • 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

FOR THE CAKE:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, oil, and water. Beat for 2 minutes on high speed, and then gently fold in the coconut. Pour batter into a prepared dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the cream of coconut with sweetened condensed milk and whisk until smooth.
  • While the cake is still warm, use a fork to poke holes all over the top. Slowly pour the condensed milk mixture over top, gently spread it with a spatula, and allow it to soak into the cake. This looks like a lot of liquid, but it will gradually absorb into the cake -- just go slowly. Allow the cake to cool completely on a wire rack -- it will continue to soak up the liquid as it sits.
  • Once the cake is completely cool, prepare the frosting.

FOR THE FROSTING:

  • Spread whipped topping over cake. Sprinkle with coconut.
  • Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

  • Make sure to keep the cake refrigerated before and after serving.
  • For a golden, deeper flavor, you can toast (and cool) the shredded coconut before adding it to the top of the cake.
  • While it will have a slightly different taste, you can substitute a boxed white cake mix for the yellow cake mix.
  • Add a teaspoon of coconut extract to the cake batter for extra coconut flavor.
  • Any variety of Cool Whip (or other whipped topping will work here) -- sugar-free, lite, or regular. Just make sure that you use 2 small containers or 1 large container to equal about 16 ounces.
  • Mix a box of coconut-flavored instant pudding into the Cool Whip for a coconut cream pudding topping.
  • If you want a more homemade taste, make a homemade whipped cream. Whip together heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until you can form stiff peaks. 
  •  

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 440.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 62.3g | Protein: 5.9g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.8g | Cholesterol: 41.4mg | Sodium: 267.7mg | Potassium: 39.3mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 40.8g