Coconut Poke Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

Coconut poke cake features a yellow cake infused with sweet coconut cream and topped with homemade whipped cream frosting and shredded coconut.

Our Relief Society annual Christmas progressive dinner is one of the highlights of the year for the sisters in our ward (ward = congregation). We submit recipes for an annual cookbook and then bring a sampling of our dish to the progressive dinner.

Then we spend the evening taste-testing everyone’s recipes, from appetizers and drinks to main dishes and desserts, and head home later that night with a ton of yummy new recipes for the upcoming year.

All of us head home wishing we’d remembered to wear stretchy pants to dinner…

This year my friend’s recipe for coconut poke cake became an instant family favorite—and that’s saying a lot since at least two of my kids don’t like coconut.

It’s super easy to make (even easier if you use thawed frozen whipped topping instead of homemade whipped cream) and great for serving a crowd. Plus, it looks so pretty with all that homemade whipped cream and shredded coconut…

I love any recipe that allows me to keep everything on hand in case I need a last-minute dessert and this coconut poke cake is just such a recipe. Yellow cake mix with the fixings (eggs, water, oil), coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla. That’s it!

We used my favorite homemade whipped cream from Nathan’s favorite key lime pie and it was absolutely perfect for this coconut poke cake. Plus there was just enough left over for everyone to eat a giant spoonful of the whipped goodness.

I did learn it works best to use a larger bamboo skewer to poke the holes rather than a fork.

If your poked holes are too small, the sauce will run to the sides of the pan and then your cake will be extra soaked around the edges while the center will be seriously lacking in creamy coconut goodness.

Printable recipe for coconut poke cake below. Enjoy!

Coconut Poke Cake

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This coconut poke cake features sweet coconut cream sauce poured over a warm yellow cake. Once cooled, the cake is topped with homemade whipped cream and shredded coconut. Makes one 9x13-inch pan.

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Ingredients

Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix plus ingredients to bake it (or your favorite yellow cake mix recipe)
• 1 (15-oz) can coconut cream (not coconut milk)
• 1 (15-oz) can sweetened condensed milk

Whipped cream frosting

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 6 T confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Shredded coconut (optional)

Instructions

Cake

1. Bake cake according to package directions (or bake your favorite homemade yellow cake).
2. Whisk coconut cream and condensed milk together during last few minutes of baking.
3. When cake is done and still warm, poke holes all over the baked cake using a fork or bamboo skewer. Pour coconut mixture over cake.
4. Let cool completely before frosting with whipped cream.

Whipped cream frosting

1. Using chilled beaters and a chilled small mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken.
2. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla; beat until medium peaks form. Frost cooled cake and top with shredded coconut. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Notes

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 272Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 265mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

Here are a few more cake recipes you might enjoy baking during the holidays!

Buttermilk glazed carrot cake with cream cheese frosting