Homemade vanilla cake filled with homemade coconut cream pudding, topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut — the cake for coconut lovers! Make it from scratch or use cake mix or pudding mix to make it quick and easy!
I love me some toasted coconut. I have a small (BIG) obsession with this ice cream stand called The Velvet Dip here in the summer and they have a toasted coconut cone dip that is out of this world. Toasting coconut brings out this amazing sweetness unlike anything else. Mmm.
I found this amazing white cake recipe a few weeks ago on Add a Pinch and it changed my life. I have nothing against cake mix when you’re in a pinch, but, man, nothing compares to homemade vanilla cake. This cake is not dry and crumbly like cake mixes tend to be, but super moist.
Ever since I found this recipe I’ve been wanting to make a poke cake completely from scratch. Who doesn’t love pudding poke cakes? Moist cake and moist pudding topped with fluffy whipped cream? Sign me up. And I’ve often made them using cake mix and pudding mix, as many poke cake recipes call for, but this cake recipe got me wondering….. How amazing could a poke cake be if you were to make a scratch cake and slather it with vanilla coconut homemade pudding? And then top it with whipped cream and toasted coconut? Let me tell you. Outstanding.
I am a huge coconut lover, but if you don’t like coconut you could leave it out and stick with vanilla, add some other extracts or fresh berries on top.
*Recipe and photos updated from the original.
Homemade Coconut Cream Poke Cake
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 tsp vanilla
Pudding:
- 2 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp coconut extract
Assembly:
- Whipped cream
- Toasted coconut
Instructions
- Cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick spray.
- In an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in applesauce and eggs. Mix in buttermilk and vanilla.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined. Turn mixer to high for 5 seconds to make sure ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour into prepared pan and bake for 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the pudding.
- Pudding:In a large pot, combine milk, egg, sugar, corn starch, and salt with a whisk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened (so that it coats the back of a spoon like a thin pudding — will thicken slightly as it cools). Stir in extracts.
- Assembly:Using a wooden spoon, poke holes 1″ apart in the slightly cooled cake. Pour warm pudding over.
- Let set in the fridge until cold, at least 2-3 hours.
- Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
Nutrition Information
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Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Stacey! Had to come back and tell you a story. We have a very good friend who I gave some of this cake to and today he brought me coconut milk – his way of asking for more! He brings me bananas and pecans when he wants banana bread and ground beef when he wants goulash! He claims he doesn’t eat butter, real mayonnaise or bacon, but he sure does when I cook! He just turned 80 and looks and acts about 60!
Ashley Fehr says
Haha, that is very interesting! It’s always nice to have someone to share good food with 🙂 I’m glad he liked it!
Melanie @ Gather for Bread says
This looks like what I’d be requesting for dessert!
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I’m a coconut girl all the way. No leaving it out. In fact, the more the better. This cake looks absolutely delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Thao!
Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says
Look at you making the whole thing from scratch! Your awesome! Even the pudding. This sounds fabulous and I need to make it asap! I love a good vanilla cake recipe too and I think homemade is best. I love how easy yours looks too. Not to complicated. Making and Pinning!!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! I picked up coconut extract yesterday and it gave me an idea. I bought canned coconut milk and am going to sub that for the milk in your recipe. I figured more coconut couldn’t hurt! I’ll let you know the outcome.
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great idea! I think it would also be a great addition to the pudding! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! Today was baking day! First I made Challah bread, using the dough cycle of my new bread machine(my old one “died” the other day) and then on to your cake. OMG it turned out fabulous! I used coconut milk in the cake and pudding and I added a half cup of shredded coconut to the cake. I also didn’t frost it with whipped cream – I sprinkled about two cups (yeah, I’m a coconut junkie) of toasted coconut onto the pudding layer. I’m calling it Coconut overload cake! If that’s alright with you… 🙂 I’m thinking tapioca pudding made with coconut milk and toasted coconut would be pretty darn good! Thank you so much!
Ashley Fehr says
That sounds amazing! Love your Coconut Overload Cake! And I love the dough cycle on the bread machine — mine died and I still haven’t gotten a new one 🙁
June @ How to Philosophize with Cake says
I totally agree–there is nothing like cake from scratch. They taste different, and plus you get those warm fuzzies from knowing you’re eating homemade goodness 🙂 This cake looks terrific!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks June! Homemade is definitely the way to go when there’s time!
Alyssa @ My Sequined Life says
I love coconut! In this cake and in that coconut cream ice cream. Mmmm. This cake looks outrageous!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Alyssa!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Ashley, I am also a huge coconut lover so I LOVE this cake!!!! Beautiful!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! I am a huge fan of coconut! I like that you chose to make the cake and pudding from scratch – I like my cakes dense and moist. I came up with my own recipe for carrot cake because none of the recipes had everything I wanted (namely pineapple, pecans and coconut). It’s the cake I make myself every year for my birthday and the frosting is covered in toasted coconut.
Ashley Fehr says
That sounds incredible! I definitely need pineapple in my carrot cake!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I love how thick and fluffy this cake looks, Ashley! Definitely screams summer to me!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
This looks amazing and love that it’s all from scratch!