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slice of coconut cake on plate
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5 from 2 votes

Coconut Cake

This is the best Coconut Cake recipe! Coconut pudding mix and toasted coconut flakes are baked into this moist cake mix cake then topped with a coconut cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Servings: 16 pieces
Calories: 433kcal
Author: Jennifer Debth

Ingredients

Coconut Cake

  • 1 (15.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3.4 oz) package instant coconut pudding mix
  • 1 cup canned full fat coconut milk
  • 5 large eggs room temperature
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (1/2 cup = 1 stick)
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 (3.4 oz) package instant coconut pudding mix *
  • 6 tablespoons canned full fat coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut **
  • 1 cup toasted chopped pecans **
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coconut Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, coconut milk, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
  • Stir in 2 cups coconut.
  • Pour into the prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes (mine was perfect at 38), or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
  • Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Place cream cheese and butter into a medium sized bowl.
  • Use a hand or stand mixer and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Add in powdered sugar, pudding mix, milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.
  • Beat until smooth.
  • Frost cooled cake, then sprinkle evenly with the toasted coconut and pecans.
  • Cut into pieces and enjoy!
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Notes

*There’s a slight grittiness from the pudding mix - if you keep beating, it goes away, but regardless, you can’t really tell once you have it with the the coconut, pecans, and cake.
**How to toast coconut and pecans: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread coconut and pecans evenly onto an unlined rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 2-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the coconut is golden brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 265mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

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