Coconut lovers, there’s a new go-to cake in town! This Easy Coconut Poke Cake Recipe is the perfect moist, coconutty sheet cake for birthdays, sports gatherings, holidays, and more.
Do you ever take a look at the boxed cake mix in the pantry, wishing you knew how to add some excitement to it? While cake mixes are absolutely delicious on their own, there are tons of ways to improve them with fresh ingredients and flavors. By simply adding a bag of frozen blueberries to the cake mix, or swirling in some cinnamon sugar, you have a brand-new dessert with minimal effort!
That is where the idea for Easy Coconut Poke Cake was born! Boxed cake is prepared before soaking in sweetened condensed milk for added richness and sweetness. Then, a homemade frosting and a layer of coconut tops the cake. It is a beautiful and delicious cake that is perfect for any occasion. Plus, it makes enough to share with friends and family!
Choosing the Perfect Cake Mix
The cake you choose is the foundation of this Easy Coconut Poke Cake, so it must be the variety you like! Luckily, the supermarket is packed with tons of different cake flavors, brands, and more. You can even find organic cake mix these days!
Since we are going for a moist, fluffy cake, you will want a mix that calls for at least 2-3 eggs. Eggs in cake batter create a light texture, which is important because we want those air pockets to soak up the sweetened condensed milk very well!
Go for any of these cake flavors when choosing your perfect cake mix:
- French vanilla
- Yellow cake
- White cake
- Coconut cake
- Spice cake
- Lemon cake
- Cinnamon cake
The Importance of Sweetened Condensed Milk
A poke cake is a unique and delicate dessert that always calls for a sweet liquid to soak the warm cake. The liquid adds not only moisture into the cake, but also some additional sweetness that really tickles the taste buds. It is absorbed into the cake via holes poked throughout the baked cake.
The liquid that is almost always used in a poke cake is sweetened condensed milk, located in the baking aisle of the grocery store. Be sure to get sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk, as they are two very different products that look similar! Condensed milk is a thickened, sweet milk product that has the consistency of a thin caramel. In fact, many folks use sweetened condensed milk to make homemade caramel with few ingredients!
Ingredients in Easy Coconut Poke Cake
This recipe is so easy, it requires less than 10 ingredients to make the whole cake!
- 1 box vanilla or coconut cake mix, prepared in a 9×12 cake pan
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (here’s a great organic brand)
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- a teaspoon coconut extract
- 1 cup shredded coconut, for topping
How to Make Easy Coconut Poke Cake
Begin by preparing your boxed cake mix as per the package directions. Bake in a 9×12 cake pan.
Using a chopstick or the back of a wooden spoon, poke evenly spaced holes all over the entire cake, about every inch or so. Do this while the cake is still warm.
Pour the entire can of sweetened condensed milk over the cake, being sure to fill each hole in the cake with the sweet milk.
Allow the condensed milk to soak into the cake while you make the frosting.
To a bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on low until most of the sugar has been worked into the cream cheese.
Slowly add the heavy cream and whip until thickened. Add the coconut extract and beat until you see stiff peaks, but do not overmix beyond the stiff peak stage.
Frost the top of the soaked cake with the frosting. Top the frosting with the shredded coconut to coat.
Slice into squares and serve.
Notes/Tips/Troubleshooting: Instead of making your own frosting, use a favorite prepared frosting if desired.
Use a high-quality boxed cake mix for best results.
Storage: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutritional Facts:
Calories: 395
Total fat: 16.3g
Saturated fat: 10.5g
Cholesterol: 82g
Sodium: 186mg
Total Carbohydrate: 58.6g
Fiber: 0.8g
Sugars: 36.1g
Protein: 5.3g
Vitamin D: 8mcg
Calcium: 115mg
Iron: 2mg
Potassium: 117mg
FAQs
Yes, absolutely! Poke cake can be made with chocolate, strawberry, cinnamon, or any other flavors of cake you can imagine!
You can find this essential ingredient in the baking aisle of the grocery store, near the chocolate chips and nuts.
Sure! You do not have to make your own homemade frosting, but it is a nice homemade touch on a cake using store bought ingredients.
Yes, poke cakes work best if you use this size of pan. Be sure the pan has high sides; a sheet tray will not work for this cake.
This recipe as written used a vanilla boxed cake. If you can find a coconut cake flavor, all the better!
Other Recipes You’ll Love!
How To Make Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
Coconut Cream Frosting Recipe (Vegan)
PrintEasy Coconut Poke Cake Recipe
Indulge in this incredibly Easy Coconut Poke Cake, made super simple with your favorite boxed cake mix and a coconut cream cheese frosting before topping with even more coconut!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
1 box vanilla or coconut cake mix, prepared as per the box directions in a 9×12 cake pan
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup shredded coconut, for topping
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your boxed cake mix as per the package directions. Bake in a 9×12 cake pan.
- Using a chopstick or the back of a wooden spoon, poke evenly-spaced holes all over the entire cake, about every inch or so. Do this while the cake is still warm.Â
- Pour the entire can of sweetened condensed milk over the cake, being sure to fill each hole in the cake with the sweet milk.
- Allow the condensed milk to soak into the cake while you make the frosting.
- To a bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on low until most of the sugar has been worked into the cream cheese.
- Slowly add the heavy cream and whip until thickened. Add the coconut extract and beat until you see stiff peaks, but do not overmix beyond the stiff peak stage.
- Frost the top of the soaked cake with the frosting. Top the frosting with the shredded coconut to coat.
- Slice into squares and serve.
Notes
Instead of making your own frosting, use a favorite prepared frosting if desired.
Use a high-quality boxed cake mix for best results.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 of cake
- Calories: 395
- Sugar: 36.1g
- Sodium: 186mg
- Fat: 16.3g
- Saturated Fat: 10.5g
- Carbohydrates: 58.6g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 5.3g
- Cholesterol: 82g
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