Fruit Cocktail Cake
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This old-fashioned fruit cocktail cake is made from scratch. With a delicious coconut and pecan sauce that soaks into the cake, it’s so rich and moist you won’t be able to resist bite after bite.
I love and adore this old-fashioned fruit cocktail cake with sauce. This is another one of those long-ago recipes that we’ve been making in my family for as long as I can remember. But it’s easy to see why!
Made from scratch, the ingredients in our easy fruit cocktail cake are simple shelf-stables and the recipe itself is not fussy at all. For the fruit cocktail cake itself, you’ll need fruit cocktail (of course), along with flour, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix those ingredients together, pour them into a baking dish to make a Texas sheet cake (it’s the Southern way, y’all), and bake until golden brown.
While the cake’s a-baking, make your topping by combining butter, coconut, sugar, vanilla, evaporated milk, and pecans on the stovetop and bringing them to a boil. How creamy, buttery, and deliciously nutty does that sauce sound? I can’t wait for you to try it! We spread the topping over the hot cake and then let it sit so it soaks into every bite of moist cake.
Let me tell ya… the fruit cocktail cake combined with the coconut and pecan-flavored buttery sauce is absolute perfection. Y’all aren’t ready for it. The sauce soaks into the cake for a rich, moist, and flavorful bite every time. It’s honestly a very unique flavor, unlike anything you’ve ever had! Once you give it a try, I know you’ll definitely make this again. If you are craving other types of fruit cakes try make these recipes like Easy Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Sam Club Strawberry Cake (Homemade Recipe), or Fresh Strawberry Cake With Cream Cheese Icing
Surely you’re ready to give it a go now, right? I feel like I was very convincing 😉.
Recipe Ingredients
Cake
- Self-rising flour
- Vanilla extract
- White sugar
- Eggs
- A can of undrained fruit cocktail in heavy syrup
Sauce
- Butter or margarine
- Shredded coconut flakes
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Evaporated milk
- Chopped pecans
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How To Make Fruit Cocktail Cake
To make the for this , you’re going to “dump” all the in a mixing bowl.
Start with the flour…
Then add the canned fruit cocktail ( and all)…
Eggs…
…
And the vanilla.
Mix on low speed until well blended like so.
Scrape down the sides and mix again for about another minute.
Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour batter into the pan.
Like so.
Then bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until it looks as golden brown as this.
Instructions for the Fruit Cocktail Cake Topping
Place all ingredients in a medium to large saucepot, including the butter…
Sweetened flaked coconut…
Sugar…
Vanilla…
Evaporated milk…
And pecans.
Stir.
Bring to a boil, while stirring, over medium heat.
Keep boiling for one to two minutes until it looks something like this.
This icing will remain pretty runny, which will be great when you pour it over your hot cake and it soaks all in.
Take the hot cake out of the oven.
Pour the hot topping over the hot cake.
You want to spread as you pour.
TIP: Work fast now because this is going to immediately soak down into the cake and you don’t want the coconut to be concentrated in one area and completely absent in the other. Spreading the topping as you pour will help avoid this problem.
Now it’s time to take a bit of your delicious dessert creation!
Storage
- You can store leftovers, covered, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- You can also freeze the cake in an airtight container for up to a year. Thaw in the fridge before enjoying cold or reheat quickly in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
- You can serve your cake warm, cold, or at room temperature. Personally, I love this cake any way you can give it to me!
- If you want to go the extra step, serve your cake slice with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a maraschino cherry on top.
- If you prefer, you can use toasted fresh coconut flakes in the sauce instead.
- You can also substitute pecans for .
- But if you don’t like pecans or coconut, feel free to omit one or both.
- Another easy variation is to use 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar instead of all white sugar in the cake batter.
- Please note that this recipe calls for self-rising flour in order for the cake to rise. To learn how to make self-raising flour, visit my FAQs page.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use different fruit in this fruit cocktail cake recipe?
If you prefer, you can use canned peach slices or canned pineapple instead.
Can you add fruit to a boxed cake mix?
Yes. Instead of making your cake from scratch, feel free to mix the fruit cocktail with a boxed cake mix (a white or yellow cake mix would be best) and bake it according to the package directions.
Can I make fruit cocktail cake cupcakes?
No, cupcakes don’t work for this particular cake recipe because of the topping that soaks into the cake.
Can I make this cake in advance?
Yes, you can make this cake in advance and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days.
You may also enjoy these other fruit cake recipes:
Pineapple Upside Down Cake (Super Moist)
Peach Dump Cake Recipe (3 Ingredients Only)
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 1 15-ounce can fruit cocktail, undrained
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, place all the cake ingredients and beat at low speed until blended. Scrape down the sides and beat again at low speed for one minute more. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan.2 cups self-rising flour, 1 15-ounce can fruit cocktail, undrained, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups sugar
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is boiling, continue stirring and boil for 1-2 minutes.1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup butter or margarine
- Pour the sauce over the hot cake and quickly spread it with a spatula for even coverage.
Video
Nutrition
50,s kid, mom used to Maké this one. Thanks
🙂
My mom use to make this cake for me back in the 70’s. She now is 82 and doesn’t do any cooking. Last night we were talking about the good old days and this cake came up, she says why don’t we make one knowing she was meaning me so I took her up on it and today we made the cake. It ment the world to her that she could come into the kitchen and help make this cake we both loved from our youth…..
Now just waiting and it smells like I remembered from way back when…YUMMY!!!!!!!!
I think I’ll use butter in the topping sauce next time. Also, I had a small bag of coconut, not a can but because you didn’t give the ounces, I wasn’t sure if I out too much. Please add ounces to coconut. Otherwise, delicious cake. I was worried because my batter was very thick and yours didn’t look that thick. But it came out fine. I would probably use half cup of pecans next time because they overwhelmed the top. I did a a bit of cinnamon and it was good! Thanks for the step my step pictorial!
My recipe says 1/2 cup coconut. Hope this helps.
I’ve never come across self rising flour in Canada. What would be the substitution? Also an alternative to canned coconut? Thank you. Love your cook book
Hi Margaret!!! You aren’t alone in having trouble finding self-rising flour so I put a simple solution in my Frequently Asked Questions. Here is a link to that page, just scroll down a bit and you will see what options you have: https://www.southernplate.com/faq
You can try using bagged shredded coconut if that is available in your area.
OHHH, I just made this cake! It is totally awesome and delish! I used real butter in the topping (was what I had on hand), And I can agree with Tricia Landers’ comment, “I cant stop eating this cake,” I just kinda seem to grab a bite when I pass by it :D, a person could almost eat the icing by itself, it is sooo good! 🙂 Thank you Mama Reed and thank you Christ Jordan! Oh and by the way, I posted a pic of my cake on your Facebook wall 🙂
As a follow up question, if it doesn’t freeze well, how long can it be kept refrigerated? I’m sure it sounds silly since it’s so good that you should not have to worry about that, right? I just made the cake and wanted to save some for my mom which I will be visiting later this week. Wondering if I should be freezing it or just keep it refrigerated. Interesting thing about this cake is that my family up in Quebec makes it as part of our traditional Christmas meal …and everybody fights for the middle piece since it is so moist… 🙂
This is an amazing cake! I make the icing without the pecans and coconut and it is also delicious!! Can this cake be frozen? Will it taste just as good?