If you love coconut, you will LOVE this Coconut Cream Poke Cake! It is full of coconut flavor, and it is so moist! Perfect for holidays, potlucks, and summer picnics!
Coconut Cream Poke Cake
When I came up with this recipe, I’d been dying to make something new in my kitchen, though I wasn’t sure what! Coconut sounded good to me, and poke cake sounded good too. So I thought, why not combine the two?! So I whipped up this coconut cream poke cake, and good gosh, it hit the spot.
You can have it at home with a hot cup of coffee, but it’s also amazing for potlucks and cookouts. Trust me on that one!! It’s super moist – and since it starts with a boxed cake mix, it’s so easy to prep for an event or get-together!
Even if you’re not a huge fan of coconut, you’ll probably enjoy coconut cream poke cake. It’s just that good and surprisingly filling for a dessert, too.
By the way, a poke cake is just a standard cake with holes poked into it so that you can drizzle a flavored filling into the holes and over the cake. Nothing too fancy! Although, with how good this coconut poke cake tastes, your friends may not believe you’re not a professional baker. 😉
Coconut Cream Poke Cake: Ingredients & Utensils
To make this recipe for coconut poke cake, you will need…
Ingredients
- White cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla – Your standard baking ingredients! For the white cake mix, feel free to use any of your favorite brands. Just make sure it’s a relatively neutral flavor, since we’re going to be adding lots and lots of coconut!
- Coconut cream pudding mix – You’ll add this to the above cake mix to make a coconut-flavored cake. Yum!!
- Cream of coconut, condensed milk – Poke cakes always need a gooey filling, and these two ingredients will easily create that. You can usually find cream of coconut, by the way, in the international section of the store – or check the alcohol aisle. Goya, Costamar and Coco Lopez are some fairly common brands.
- Cool Whip, sweetened coconut flakes – Your coconut cream poke cake toppings.
Utensils & Other Supplies:
- 9×13 inch baking pan – For baking your poke cake. Remember to spray it down with cooking spray!
- Two bowls – About medium-sized, for mixing the cake batter and the filling.
- Wooden spoon – Or something similar. You’ll use the end of the spoon to poke holes in the cake.
Coconut Cream Poke Cake: FAQs
Less than an hour – but you’ll want to also account for some chilling time! You can do the prep in 10 minutes and bake it up in 35 minutes. It’s so quick and easy!!
One 9×13 inch cake, which you can usually cut into about 18 to 24 slices/servings.
No, you need to use cream of coconut in this recipe! It’s an easy mistake to confuse the two, but the cream of coconut has a higher fat content, which is what this recipe needs.
I highly recommend it. You’ll definitely taste the difference. In fact, leaving it in the fridge overnight is even better. But if you’re in a rush, it’s not like it’s inedible if you eat it immediately!
Other recipes you may enjoy
Coconut Cream Poke Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (any brand) 15.25 oz.
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 box coconut cream instant pudding 3.4 oz.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 can cream of coconut 15 oz.
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz.
- 8 oz. container of Cool Whip thawed
- sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Mix together the cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, instant pudding, and vanilla until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 32-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Mix the cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Poke holes in the hot cake with the round end of a wooden spoon and slowly pour this mixture over the cake, trying to fill the holes. Let the cake cool completely.
- When the cake is completely cool, top with Cool Whip and sprinkle with the desired amount of sweetened coconut flakes.
- Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving.
Notes
- This recipe needs time to allow the cake to absorb all of the yummy coconut flavors. At the very minimum, I would let it sit for two hours. The closer you can get to eight hours, the better!
- This Coconut Cream Poke Cake is even better the next day (if you can wait that long!).
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
Originally published on April 17, 2013. Updated on February 22, 2022.
Oh wow. I LOVE coconut! This sounds and looks TO DIE FOR!!! PINNING!!!
~Jen @ Yummy. Healthy. Easy.
You know I am a coconut addict! Thanks for sharing, Jamie 🙂
That cake looks to die for, I'm drooling here and it's not 9am yet!
I know exactly what you mean, the internet has a lot to answer for, now we're not confined to our recipe books only, we've got amazing looking recipes coming at us left, right and centre, in our emails, from blogs we follow, and it's easy to collect them and then feel overwhelmed! This week I've been making a concerted effort to break out of my comfort zone and try some new recipes I've been hoarding and retry recipes I've only made once before but remembered we liked (we're talking from 5 years plus ago!).
Oh now that looks just fabulous! I love coconut anything and so does my FIL. I'm going to make him this for Father's Day! Thanks for sharing it!
Looks delicious! I just tried to post a comment but I don't think it went thru, so sorry if I double post.
This looks amazing! YUMMY! 🙂
I would love for you to join my Blog Hop!
http://www.pluckys-secondthought.com/pluckys-blog-hop-4-with-co-host/
Jamie, I made a coconut poke cake a couple days ago, too! It was SCRUMPTIOUS. I'm seriously loving anything that involves smothering a cake in sweetened condensed milk and coconut. Pure heaven! Yours looks divine and I want any and all leftovers!
It's a lovely cake Jamie!
I'm sending the recipe immidiately to my friend – as she LOVES coconut
Thanks for the share, Winnie 🙂
OK, I have to try that….I love coconut! thanks for the post!
Linda @ sewwhat
This looks delicious! I'm pinning so I can make it later! Would you consider sharing this recipe and any others you may have over at my Pinterest Party?
http://www.thetaylor-house.com/2013/04/17/pinterest-power-party-features-6.html
Thanks!
Chrissy
Ohhhh…. I bet that pudding makes it taste so scrumptious…!!!
🙂
hugs x
Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
Oh yeah, this would be a serious hit at a party. Thanks so much for sharing it with us on foodie friday.
Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
Hope to see you soon!
Miz Helen
I love coconut! It's an island favorite! Thank you for sharing @ The Show Off Blog Party 🙂
Jessica
The Wondering Brain
This looks amazing. I will have to give it a try!Simply Sarah
This recipe looks AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing on Blog Stalking Thursday. I have featured this recipe and would love for you to stop by and grab a feature button. You deserve it! Can't wait to see what you share next time! Blog Stalking Thursday Features
sounds amazing!! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up to the Tasteful Tuesday party @Nap-TimeCreations.com. Make sure to follow my blog via bloglovin, GFC or facebook so you don't miss out on my features posts… it could be YOU :o)
Emily
Oh my! I love coconut and this will definitely be made soon! Thanks so much for sharing at Tasty Creations Bi-Weekly (or tri this time, lol) I'll be featuring you this week 🙂
Michelle
Poke cakes are definitely fun to make. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday.
Looks so delicious. I love coconut! Thank you for joining Foodie Friends Friday!
That sounds so good. I will definitely be trying it. Thanks for the recipe!
were do u get coconut cream instant pudding…
This pudding is made by Jello and most large grocery store chains in the US should carry it near the other instant pudding mixes! I hope that helps! 🙂
I found the pudding at a Centrella chain (Ultra Foods in Illinois). I did also find that I could order it online from Wal-Mart
Hi, Jamie!
For the cream of coconut, do you mean the sweetened kind, usually used for cocktails, or the unsweetened part of coconut milk?
The sweetened kind used for cocktails
can not wait to go to the store to get the coconut and creme of coconut and try this love anything coconut ,thank's…
This is one of my favorite of your poke cakes!! I can't ever get enough of coconut cream!!
Coconut is one of those things I couldn't stand as a kid, but now I LOVE! This cake is calling my name!
I made a cake like this years ago and it was coconut heaven! I haven't done it since and I have no idea why…this looks so moist and delicious!
I want a big old bite! I don't drink coffee, but I love that coffee creamer in my cocoa!
Can you make this with chocolate or devil's food cake?
I wonder if this would hold up as a layer cake?
I can't find coconut instant pudding. Can I use cooked pudding mix instead?
I'm not sure how it would turn out with cooked pudding since I've never used it. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turned out!
I made this last week. People think I'm a god now. Thank you for such an easy and delicious recipe!
Make this every year but I put a can of drained chrushed pineapple on after the cream of coconut and condensed milk, then the cool whip.
Okay so I made a last decision to make this as my birthday cake and let me tell you!!!!!! This cake is AMAZING!!! My father just got told that he couldn't have nuts so I didn't want to make the family favorite german chocolate cake and I found this recipe and gave it a try and it will forever be my birthday cake!!! I added a little coconut to the cake batter and for the topping didn't even use half a tub of whipped cream but then I also put toasted and untoasted coconut on top and everyone in my family went nuts for this cake, didn't even last 4 days (german chocolate which is loved usually last a week minimum) Anyone who loved coconut should give this a try.
Making this tonight!! Can't hardly wait till it cools for the 8 hours!!
This is wonderful to make using a dark fudge cake. Tastes like a mounds candybar!
Hello! I’ve made this before and it’s a family favorite. At the same time I can’t for the life of me remember if I’m supposed to make the pudding and add it as “wet” or just put the powdered pudding in under step number two?! Thank you for your help 🙂
The pudding mix goes into the cake mix dry. Hope that helps!
Use instant pudding and add it to the cake batter.
Baked this cake today and it was wonderful, definitely a keeper recipe. I did add about ¾ cup of coconut to the batter. I also sprinkled a bit of coconut over the cream of coconut/eagle brand milk mixture before topping with the cool whip and more coconut. I thought it would be overly sweet but it wasn’t. I did omit the pudding as I didn’t have it, still turned out perfect. Using milk and a stick of melted butter instead of oil yielded a fluffy moist delicious.
Can these cake be frozen after it’s completely finished?
Yes!
Does this cake need to be refrigerated after serving?
Yes. It should be kept refrigerated.
This is one of my most requested cakes! I have been making this for years. It is a great recipe that can be made earlier than you need it. It is a must that you make the cake at least a couple of days before you’ll be serving it. The cake is so moist and delicious! If you like coconut, this is the cake for you!
Great cake, so easy to make and surprisingly light! The only change I make, I toast the coconut in the oven first and sometimes I added toasted pecans.
i made this cake a few times and it is so good.you would think it would be really sweet but its not.Get lots of compliments and eaten up
Put it in the refrigerator for at least 3 days for the moisture and flavor to absorb every bite. It is delicious!
Can I substitute vanilla pudding? Can’t find coconut.
Sure! It will slightly different, but will still be delicious!
Can you add additional mixed condensed milk and coconut milk to finished cake? Used a fork to make holes but they were too little.
Just note, the more liquid you add, the moister the cake will be and this is already a pretty moist cake. As long as you have holes, the liquids should soak into the cake.
I love this cake.