Coconut Poke Cake
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Made with just 5 ingredients (including a box cake mix), this easy coconut poke cake recipe is oh-so-moist, sweet, and a traditional Southern holiday cake.
Around these parts, we call this my Daddy’s coconut cake, because he’s a and it’s his favorite cake at Christmas time and Easter. Luckily, none of us complain because it’s just divine beyond compare. It’s another great refrigerator cake recipe, which means you can make it up to three days ahead of time and then let it sit in the fridge. It will just grow moister and more delicious with every passing minute. There’s nothing like tender and moist coconut topping on a soft and fluffy piece of cake.
Coconut around the holidays is a tradition in the South, especially coconut cakes! Back in the old days that was the only time of the year you could get such an exotic thing as coconut in these parts (well, in Alabama anyway). So, it’s no surprise this coconut poke cake recipe is just one of four on my blog! You can also check out my Grandmama’s coconut cake with 7-minute frosting, my key lime coconut sheet cake, and Miss Patsy’s too easy coconut cake.
You only need 5 ingredients and a little bit of time to whip up this coconut poke cake. Once you bake the yellow cake mix, you’re going to poke holes in the warm cake and top it with a deliciously creamy and sweet combination of ingredients: sugar, whipped topping, sour cream, and coconut. Then you let it chill and let all of those delicious flavors soak into the cake. It’s no wonder it’s a family favorite right? My mouth is already watering over here, so let’s get bakin’!
For the complete listing of all recipes I have posted to the Holiday Baking Category (including gift mixes), click here.
Recipe Ingredients
- Yellow cake mix
- Flaked coconut (you can use any kind of coconut, including canned coconut).
- Sour cream
- Whipped topping (such as Cool Whip)
- Sugar
How to Make Coconut Poke Cake
We’re making a coconut sheet cake today, so prepare your pan by lightly greasing it with cooking spray.
Then you’re going to need to bake a yellow cake. Just get a boxed mix like I do or use your favorite recipe.
The cake isn’t that important as the icing is our key player here. I used a yellow boxed mix and made the according to the package directions.
While the cake is warm, we need to assemble our topping. So place all icing ingredients (sugar, , whipped topping, and sour ) in a mixing bowl.
Mix until well blended.
Poke holes in the warm cake with a fork.
in the pan for about 10 minutes and then spread the icing over the top of the entire cake.
Spread over, cover, and refrigerate!
You can make this as a layer cake but I find it is much easier to deal with (and store in the fridge) as a sheet cake.
YUM!
Storage
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Because there’s sugar in the frosting, the cake will also freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and then bring to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes
- You can use the box cake mix (including white cake mix) or pound cake recipe of your choice. You could even use a chocolate cake mix to make and top the cake with shaved chocolate. YUM. Or how about a strawberry cake mix with fresh strawberries?
- If you like, you can toast some coconut flakes quickly in the oven (keep an eye on them as they brown quickly) and sprinkle the toasted coconut over the poke cake before serving.
- For added coconut flavor, add 1.5 teaspoons of coconut extract to the whipped cream topping.
- Some coconut cake recipes substitute sour cream and sugar for 1 can of coconut cream (NOT coconut milk, folks). If you prefer this method, go ahead. Another option (if that’s too much coconut flavor) is to opt for a can of sweetened condensed milk instead.
Check out these other holiday favorites:
Southern Plate’s Must-Make Christmas Cookies
Coconut Macaroons Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe From Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whipped topping
- 16 ounces sour cream
- 12 ounces shredded coconut
Instructions
- Prepare the cake batter according to the package directions and bake it in a 9x13-inch pan.1 box yellow cake mix
- Combine the sugar, sour cream, whipped topping, and shredded coconut in a mixing bowl. Blend well and chill.2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups whipped topping, 16 ounces sour cream, 12 ounces shredded coconut
- Poke holes all over the top of the warm cake and pour the coconut mixture over the cake (after it has rested in the pan for about 10 minutes).
- Cover well and refrigerate for 1-3 days before serving. Store in refrigerator.
Yum: this looks so sweet!
I made cookies with shredded coconut over the weekend: great minds think alike 😉
I hope you have a great Christmas Christy and your family!!! It’s Christmas Eve today, and I’m about to go out shopping! Not that I’m disorganized, but you see, on Christmas Eve everything gets marked down because we have another holiday the day after Christmas, I’m sure you would approve of that! I’m hoping for some of those yummy boxed chocolates.
Have a great holiday!!!
Christy,
Love the new site but, if you could, please put the link to the recipe in the email…I like to save the mark these pages in my favorites. Used to be a link…Thank you so much. Your site is wonderful and you have been fortunate to get web mention and advertisment.
Mmmm… There was always a coconut cake as one of the many sweets at my Maw Maw’s house, too! That and Martha Washington candy are the main things I remember! She and my aunt would bake for a week before Christmas and fill up a spare bedroom with cakes, pies, and candies!
Merry Christmas!
Coconut must be a dad thing because my dad loves that cake too, we just leave out the fact it contains sour cream which my dad despises.
I’m brand new to this site and loving every single minute and recipe. I think your daddy might be related to my father-in-law. He hates sour cream but loves food that it’s in (as long as he doesn’t know). But, heck, y’all he hates MAYONNAISE (he’s a true yankee)! ‘course he LOVES devilled eggs. Wonder what he thinks goes in them. LOL!
OMG I never thought about chocolate cake! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
The candy cane idea is great, it would be SO PRETTY!!!!!!
hehe!
I just love your food!
Christy 🙂
I was wondering if your coconut cake would be good made as a bowl cake. If I made it just like your recipe says, but then crumble or tear the cake in pieces and layer it in a punch bowl with cake then the icing, and layer until the cake is gone and then top it with the icing that’s left. Would that work? Should I make the cake like a layer cake or in the 9×13? What do you think would work best? By the way, I have all of the ingredients on the counter and about to make the cake. So if you get this in time, that would be great. : )
Thanks so much,
Maria Petty
just emailed this to you so you’d get it sooner!
Hey!
I think the cake would work great as a bowl cake like you described! Its so amazingly good and that recipe gives you lots of frosting so yes, go for it! Let me know how you like it, okay?
Gratefully,
Christy 🙂
I’ve made a recipe very much like this for a while now and I think it would be great as a bowl cake. I usually do a 9×13 cake, but I’ve also made cupcakes and used this icing. It’s so versatile… and delicious! (oh and i use either Ideal Sweetener or Splenda instead of sugar)
Oh, that frosting looks so delicious! I bet it would taste good on a chocolate cake too, or sprinkled with crushed candy canes, or mini chocolate chips… Hmm, I think I’m sweet-toothing. Gotta go bake something…