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
Christy,
My mother used to make this cake, but I never had the recipe until now. I’m so glad I found it just in time for my company’s Bake Off last week. I made it as a layer cake and made a little more of the “icing” and just sort of dolloped it on top and let it run down the sides. Everyone raved about it! What a hit. Thanks for helping me bring back an old favorite.
I love your website and it often brings back memories for me. As the world grows smaller and more “homogenized,” I thank you for saving and passing on a little bit of what makes the South so special. **I reckon it’s bound to be your calling.**
P.S. Mama also used that icing on her German Chocolate cakes. Delicious!
This was a great cake! Very tasty and moist. I had several people ask for the recipe. You GO GIRL!! Thanks so much for the awesome recipes!!
ok this recipe is on thursdays menu. looks so good .
Baking at 375 for 45 minutes is way too long for this cake. I only baked mine for 30 minutes at this temperature and it was so dry we could not eat it. Try 325 for 30 minutes.
Hey Lily!
I’m so sorry you had problems with this. My recipe actually says to bake at 350 for forty five minutes, rather than 375, so I can see how it would have been overdone. I’m sorry you misread that.
Also, if you can bake a 9×13 inch cake at 325 and have it done after thirty minutes, your oven might be baking a little hot. It sounds like the temperature is off by about twenty five degrees, meaning that if you baked the cake at 375, it actually got about 400 degrees for that time.
I always check my oven at least once a year to see if it is baking properly or if the temperature has gotten a bit off. You can do this buy buying a simple oven thermometer at Wal Mart or some other store. They sell for a few dollars and hang on the oven rack. For more information on calibrating your oven, check out my cookie challenge video at the link below.
Thank you so much and good luck!
Gratefully,
Christy
https://www.southernplate.com/2008/12/the-cookie-challenge-can-i-teach-1stopmomcom-to-make-cookies.html
Actually I mistyped the 375. I did bake it at 350 for 45 minutes in 9 x 13 pan. My oven may be running a little hot, but I’m going to stick with recipe I’ve used in the past that suggests 325 for 30 minutes.
Thanks
You sound like a smart woman! As long as it works for you, that is the most important thing. 🙂
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to let me know! I really appreciate you reading and hope to hear more from you, Lily!
Gratefully,
Christy 🙂
Hey Christie,
I want to do this cake for my friend whose birthday is coming up – her mom always made it for her as a layer cake. How long do you think it should stay in the oven if I do two 9 inch round pans instead of the 9×13 pan?
Thanks!
It’s the 2 cups of flour instead of 1 1/2 …does not make the original cake, the nice dark gooey, fruit is consumed by flour…makes a completely different cake with 2 cups.
I just returned from a family reunion in Alabama(I live in North Carolina). I have always known it as “Big Mama’s Fruit Cocktail Cake”. She made it in the 40’s & 50’s. I made it for the reunion & it was devoured!! Few people & especially the younger generation had never heard of fruit coctail cake. Now they know what a treat it is!!
This is a great cake. I made it for the first time years ago (around 30 actually) and won a blue ribbon in a 4H contest with it. But the name I know it by is interesting. When I found the recipe and made the cake it was called Ugly Duckling Cake and in my mind that is what this cake will always be to me. It is a yummy cake and very easy to make. I have also used a yellow cake mix for the cake portion of the recipe and it turns out great that way too. Thanks for the memories.
Ugly Duckling Cake has brown sugar and nuts sprinkled over the batter before baking. Just a little different- the recipe came from Baker’s Coconut many years ago.
I was called upon to make a dish to a funeral dinner. I got to thinking about ingredients I had in the house and fruit cocktail cake came to mind. So I got on line and found this wonderfully delicous recipe. And it’s also easy to make, now I get request for potlucks to bring “the cake”.:)) Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much this cake has so Many memories for me My grandma made it when i was a little girl and then my grandma past down the Recipe to my mom so then my mom and I started Making it together i was about 7 years old So many memories of me and my mom making this cake But we moved And I guess in this move we lost the recipe we were so sad But then I seen your Recipe and said omg thats the cake me and my mom would make togethers so thank you so much for Posting this recipe im happy to say me and my mom will be Making this cake together for Thanksgiving just in time well im 52 years old now So as we’re making this cake together it’s gonna bring back so many memories and now new ones thank you again sorry i didnt mean to write a book I couldn’t help it I got all excited LOL