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The Best Coconut Cake made with a Box Mix

Best Coconut Cake made with a box mix, iced with cream cheese frosting and topped with coconut!

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cake, coconut, coconut cake, cream cheese frosting, frosting
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
cool and frost 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 12

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 3/4 cup coconut milk see recipe notes*
  • 1 white cake mix I like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker
  • 1 small package instant vanilla pudding

Frosting and decorating cake:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar
  • dash of salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk or half and half
  • 1 7-10 oz coconut flakes, sweetened
  • 1-2 pints fresh raspberries washed, drained well

Instructions

  1. Grease and line 2-9 inch cake pans, 3 8-inch pans or 24 muffin tin with parchment paper/cupcake liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in center of oven.

for cake:

  1. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff, spoon into a small bowl, set aside.

  2. Combine egg yolks, sour cream, vanilla, water and coconut milk into the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl until blended well. This can be the same bowl used to beat the egg whites.

  3. Add white cake mix and instant pudding to the egg yolk mixture. Mix till smooth. Fold in the egg whites gently. It is okay if a few white streaks are visible.

  4. Pour batter into 2-9 inch round pans. Sprinkle a little coconut on top of cakes, if desired. bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Invert onto cooling rack and let cool completely. For cupcakes, bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes.

frosting:

  1. Blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt and milk until desired consistency. Mix well. Spread frosting on cooled cake. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top and sides of cake and gently press into frosting.

  2. Chill until serving. Remove about 30 minutes before serving for best results. Before serving, place fresh raspberries on top of cake if desired. Reserve some raspberries for sprinkling on each piece of cake when served. Store any leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Recipe Notes

  • As stated in the recipe, do not over mix this cake. Once the pudding is added, mix just until ingredients are incorporated.
  • Coconut pudding may be used in place of vanilla pudding.
  • Nan's recipe calls for coconut milk, which is sold on the shelf and often found in the Asian section of grocery stores. I have also used coconut cream which is thicker than coconut milk.
  • I do not usually add the coconut to the frosting while mixing, but Nan does.  When adding coconut to the frosting, add about 1/2 of a 7 oz package while mixing the frosting. 
  • If you like toasted coconut, place coconut on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 325-350 degrees until golden. Top cake with toasted coconut.
  • If  baking this cake in a high (over 50%) humidity, reduce the water to 1/4 cup and add 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour to the cake mix. 
  • This cake may be made in a jelly roll pan with great results! Place a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan before spreading on the batter, for best results. Baking time is usually about 18 minutes. 
  • The layers of this cake freeze well. After baking, let cool and wrap each individual layer in plastic wrap, making sure to cover all of the cake.