My coconut cake with cake mix recipe is easy and delicious. With sour cream, pudding mix, and cream cheese frosting, my cake is an easy version of the old fashioned southern cake. This simple recipe also improves upon the coconut flavor by including a good amount of shredded coconut and coconut extract. Although the idea of taking 3 days to make a coconut cake discourages home cooks from making this traditional Christmas cake, my simple recipe allows even beginner cooks to make an eye-catching dessert for the holidays–or any day! If you are looking for a simple version of this Southern Christmas classic, keep reading!

Coconut Cake: A Southern Christmas Tradition

Coconut cake is a traditional southern Christmas dessert, its snow-white color making it perfect for the season. Google trends data also shows that it is popular for Thanksgiving and Easter, too. In addition to the classic version, there’s also a pineapple coconut cake with pineapple filling that’s delicious, too.

Despites its popularity, it can be a bit difficult to make. In a YouTube video, chef Paula Deen says that recipes range from easy to hard, and that the cake she is going to make “is a lot of trouble.” Her version is very traditional, so I will use it as a guide to explain why the recipe can be so intimidating for home cooks.

Sour Cream Filling and 7 Minute Frosting

As Paula Deen shows, old fashioned coconut cake starts with white cake layers. I was surprised to see that the cake layers themselves did not have any shredded coconut in them. I researched coconut cake online a bit, and I realized that most traditional recipes do not call for adding coconut to the cake layers themselves. In fact, most do not even call for coconut extract–just vanilla.

Instead, the coconut flavor comes from a sour cream and coconut filling spread between the cake layers. What is shocking is that after putting the filling between the cake layers, most recipes then call for putting the unfrosted cake in the refrigerator for 3 days. Although Paula Deen does not do that in her video, she highly recommends putting the cake in the refrigerator for “three days and three nights” so that the layers can absorb the coconut flavor.

If the idea of taking three days to make coconut cake does not discourage you enough, the finicky frosting might. Traditionally, southern coconut cake is covered in a cooked 7-minute frosting. Sugar, egg whites, and other ingredients are beaten in a bowl placed over boiling water, then the frosting is put on the cake. Even though it comes together quickly, Paula Deen recommends not even attempting to make it on a rainy day because humidity negatively affects the recipe.

Simple Cake Mix Recipe

I have no doubt that old fashioned coconut cake is absolutely delicious. However, most people do not have the time–or the patience–to let a cake sit in the refrigerator for 3 days. Even fewer people want to make frosting that might not turn out right if it is raining outside. Along with the fact that the cake layers themselves do not have much coconut flavor, home cooks might think twice about making coconut cake.

But do not worry: I developed a much easier recipe that is absolutely the best for home chefs.

Simple Coconut Cake Recipe — My simple coconut cake recipe uses cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, and cream cheese frosting.

How to Make Coconut Cake with Cake Mix

Instead of making the cake from scratch, I started with a box of white cake mix. Yellow cake mix would work as well, but the cake might not have the pure white appearance it is known for.

Like I said earlier, I was surprised to learn that most traditional recipes do not include coconut in the cake itself. That is why I decided to add shredded coconut, coconut extract, and coconut cream instant pudding to the cake batter.

I wanted to maintain the snow-white color that is characteristic of the cake, so instead of adding whole eggs, I only used egg whites in this recipe. Remembering to only use egg whites may be difficult, so if you accidentally use whole eggs, do not worry–your cake is not ruined. It just might not be pure white.

Although you could definitely follow tradition and spread a sour cream and coconut filling between the layers, I decided to skip the filling. I wanted this cake to be quick and easy, and keeping the cake in the refrigerator for 3 days would definitely not be “easy.” However, I think the tanginess of the sour cream would help to balance out the sweetness of the cake, so I will have to try the filling in the future when I have more time.

In addition to leaving out the sour cream filling, I also made this recipe easier by replacing the cooked 7-minute frosting with cream cheese frosting. I chose cream cheese frosting because it has a bit of tang that would help to balance out the sweetness of the cake. As always, I used my no butter cream cheese frosting recipe. Leaving out the butter would give the coconut less “competition,” allowing the flavor to come through stronger.

I then finished off the cake my adding shredded coconut to the middle, top, and sides of the cake. It took a few minutes to put the coconut around the sides, but it was well worth the bit of effort.

What Type of Coconut to Use?

I used shredded coconut since it is the most widely available type of coconut for baking in the United States. In spite of its convenience, its main drawback is that most shredded coconut is sweetened. The cake mix has sugar, as does the box of pudding that I add to the cake. Together with the sweet cream cheese frosting, I had to be careful to not make the cake too sweet.

In order to tone down the sweetness, I added white vinegar and sour cream to the batter. In addition to helping to make the cake light and fluffy, these acidic ingredients help to make the cake less sweet.

I admit that this cake was on the sweet side, but I still think I did a good job of toning down the sweetness.

Should You Toast the Coconut?

Toasting coconut really brings out the flavor. I thought about toasting the shredded coconut, but then I remembered that the classic version of this cake is pure white in color. Toasting the coconut would change one of the defining characteristics of the cake, so even though I knew the coconut flavor may not be as intense, I decided to not toast the coconut.

Besides, toasting the coconut is extra work. I wanted my cake mix version to be easy, so I was OK with a potentially less flavorful cake.

Pudding in the Mix

Coconut Cake with Sour Cream and Pudding — Coconut cake with sour cream and pudding is light, fluffy, moist, and delicious.

Many online cake recipes suggest adding a box of instant pudding to cake mix, and this coconut cake is no exception. Pudding in the makes the cake more flavorful and more moist, so it is definitely a good idea.

I added instant coconut cream pudding, but if you can’t find that, vanilla pudding would be perfectly fine. Although I used instant pudding, I have accidentally used cook and serve pudding in past cakes, and I could not tell a difference. So, if you cannot find instant pudding, a small box of cook and serve pudding mix will work, too.

Does Coconut Cake Have Coconut Milk?

Contrary to what you would expect, most old fashioned recipes for southern coconut cake do not have coconut milk. Instead, buttermilk is used to make the cake light and fluffy. I think it makes sense to use it, so I will definitely experiment with it in the future.

Coconut Cake with Sour Cream

Coconut cake with sour cream is a common combination for a reason. Like buttermilk, sour cream helps to create an acidic environment inside the cake batter to help the leavening agent. Although I usually use buttermilk in my southern style cakes, I decided to use sour cream this time. You might feel a bit hesitant to use a sour ingredient in a cake recipe, but do not worry: you won’t be able to taste it at all.

Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Putting cream cheese frosting on coconut cake is a good way to make the recipe simple. Although I am sure the classic cooked icing is delicious, a lot of home cooks are intimidated by beating raw egg whites over boiling water. The fact that humidity, a factor nobody can control, affects the frosting makes the recipe even less appealing.

So, I decided to replace the cooked icing with cream cheese frosting. Many people already know how to make it–and if worst comes to worst, you can buy a can of frosting at the grocery store. Cream cheese frosting is also a good choice because it has a bit of tang that will help to tone down the cake’s sweetness. Many southern cakes have cream cheese frosting, so it just makes sense to put it on a coconut cake, too.

Recipe Review

Easy Coconut Cake with Cake Mix Recipe — My easy coconut cake with cake mix recipe is the best way to make this old fashioned southern favorite as home.

Appearance: 10 / 10

In my opinion, this cake was absolutely beautiful. I think I did a great job of recreating the pure, snow white appearance of old fashioned coconut cake. Using egg whites instead of whole eggs was a good idea. I also did a good job of putting the shredded coconut on the outside of the cake. This cake is very eye-catching, so it would definitely be a conversation starter on any Christmas table.

Taste: 9 /10

The flavor of this cake was awesome. Even though I did not toast the coconut like I did for my Italian cream cake recipe, this cake still had a lot of coconut flavor. I guess that the combination of shredded coconut, coconut extract, and coconut pudding mix was enough.

The only caveat to this recipe is that the cake is a bit on the sweet side. I think the sweetened shredded coconut is what put this a bit over the top. I was happy I used cream cheese frosting since the tang in the icing helped to balance out the sweetness. Most people expect desserts to be sweet, so I don’t think anyone would complain about this cake.

Texture: 10/ 10

I also really enjoyed this cake’s texture. The vinegar and sour cream made the cake layers light and fluffy, almost like eating a cloud. The shredded coconut I added to the cake layers softened enough to almost “float away” in the cake. The coconut I used around the outside of the cake added a nice contrast to the creamy frosting, too.

This cake both tasted and felt pleasant on the palate.

Ease: 9 / 10

Making this coconut cake with cake mix recipe was easy. All I had to do was pour a few ingredients into a bowl, mix them together, and then bake the layers. I did not spread sour cream filling between the layers, so my cake was ready to eat in hours, not 3 days. I used cream cheese frosting instead of a 7 minute frosting, I did not have to worry about the humidity. As you can see, my recipe is a lot easier than the traditional version.

The hardest part of this cake was adding the shredded coconut to the outside, especially the sides. However, if you take your time and are not obsessed with perfection, it isn’t too hard.

Possible Changes to the Recipe:

I was really happy with the way my coconut cake with cake mix and sour cream recipe turned out. I think I did a good job of simplifying an old fashioned recipe and making it doable for beginner home cooks. The finished product was beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. In spite of my success, I would still like to try a few things in the future:

Add coconut milk to the batter
Spread a sour cream and coconut filling between the two layers
- Let the cake absorb the filling for 3 days
Frost the cake with a 7 minute cooked frosting

Changes aside, this coconut cake was the best. If you want coconut cake but don’t want to wait 3 days, make this recipe. It would be the perfect homemade Christmas cake, or for any day, so be sure to give it a try!