Easy Coconut Cream Poke Cake (With A Cake Mix)

Coconut Poke Cake is a dreamy, moist poke cake dessert bursting with sweet coconut flavor in every bite. A doctored up white cake mix gets soaked with a coconut cream poke filling, then topped with fluffy whipped cream and shredded coconut. This is one for all the coconut lovers🥥

For another must-try coconut cake dessert – be sure and make my Coconut Tres Leches Cake. 

Easy Coconut Poke Cake Recipe

How To Make Coconut Cream Poke Cake With A Boxed Cake Mix (Printable Recipe Card)

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside for now. 

Make The Coconut White Cake : In a large mixing bowl, beat the white cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, and coconut extract with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and evenly spread it out. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The cake is done when the edges are pulled away from the sides of the pan, a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, and the middle of the cake should look puffy and spring back when gently pressed with a finger. 

Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool closer to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before proceeding.

Make The Coconut Cream Poke Filling : In a small bowl stir together the cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk until thoroughly combined. 

Use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes evenly all over the cake, about 1-inch apart. Pour the coconut cream mix evenly over the top of the cake, making sure to fill all the holes. Cover the cake pan with a lid or plastic wrap, and let the cake refrigerate for 1 hour before adding the whipped cream topping.

Make The Whipped Cream Topping : Spread the thawed Cool Whip evenly over top the cake. Then sprinkle the coconut flakes in an even layer on top of the Cool Whip, and gently press down so they stick. Cover the cake pan with a lid or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours (or overnight) before serving. 

Substitutions & Ingredient Notes

• White Cake Mix : A vanilla cake mix is another good option. Be careful of the boxed cake mix sizes because now there are like 3 different ounce sizes of cake mix; so make sure you are getting the 14.25 oz. Betty Crocker is the only brand I have seen that uses this size of cake mix. 
• Coconut Extract : I do not recommend using something else in it’s place – such as vanilla extract – as you will lose that coconut flavor in the cake. 
• Cream of Coconut : This is a canned item and it’s different from coconut milk. Cream of coconut is thicker, creamier, denser, and sweeter so make sure you are using the correct ingredient or else the cake will probably not turn out and be too soggy. I use the Coco Lopez brand and it comes in a blue can with a margarita type drink on the front. It is a non-alcoholic product but it is normally used for margaritas, which is why there is one on the can. 
• Sweetened Coconut Flakes : My family doesn’t love the texture of coconut flakes (me either!) so I usually skip this garnish and make my homemade coconut whipped cream which makes up for the no coconut flakes on top. You could also use unsweetened coconut flakes or chips if you want something less sweet as a garnish. 

Recipe FAQs

Can I Toast The Coconut Flakes and Use Toasted Coconut As The Garnish?

You don’t need to toast the coconut flakes, however, if you want that toasted coconut flavor then yes you can. Toasted coconut flakes will add a bit of a crunch to the cake, and the toasting step helps deepen their flavor so it will be even more present in the cake. To toast coconut flakes, evenly spread them onto a baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes at 325°F making sure to stir them a couple times for even toasting. Let them cool completely and then use them as garnish. 

Can I Make The Cake Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can make this cake up to 25 hours in advance of when you plan on serving it. The more time it has to chill in the fridge, the better it tastes, so I always plan on making poke cakes either the night before or the morning of so it has several hours of chill time. A longer chill time gives the cake more time to better absorb all the coconut flavor.

How Many Holes Should I Poke In The Cake?

There is not a set amount of holes you should poke in a poke cake. You want to make sure that you are poking holes evenly across the cake, in rows, so that the whole cake is covered in holes that are about 1-inch apart. Place the holes in even rows/columns and about 1-inch apart, and that will be sufficient and give you good spacing for maximum absorption of the cream of coconut mixture. 

Should I Poke The Holes All The Way Through The Cake?

You don’t want to poke the holes all the way through or else the poke filling could just soak out the bottom of the cake. Poke the holes almost to the bottom of the cake but not all the way through. 

More Sweet & Savory Coconut Recipes

• No-Bake Coconut Cream Lush Dessert
• No Bake Coconut Cream Pie
• Coconut Pistachio Cream Pie
• Coconut Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
• Homemade Coconut Almond Granola
• Coconut Rice Recipe (Made In Rice Cooker)
• Coconut Cream Fruit Dip
• Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken