Super Simple Coconut Cake
This Duncan Hines coconut cake mix recipe makes a soft, fluffy coconut cake with cream of coconut, cream cheese frosting, and a layer of sweetened coconut on top.
If you like coconut cake that actually tastes like coconut (not just “vanilla with a sprinkle of coconut”), this is the one you want.
It starts with a white cake mix and the addition of cream of coconut and sour cream keeps it soft for days.
The cream cheese frosting adds tanginess, and the sweetened coconut on top gives it the classic look and a little extra texture.
This is the kind of cake that works for birthdays, potlucks, and holidays, and it’s just as good straight from the fridge the next day.
Love coconut? Don’t forget to try our pineapple coconut margarita, coconut rum mojito, and coconut cream pie!
What you’ll need
Here’s an overview of what I use to make this cake. The full recipe with ingredient amounts is further down the page.
- White cake mix.
- Cream of coconut: Make sure you use cream of coconut not coconut cream. They are not the same!
- Cooking oil (neutral).
- Eggs.
- Sour cream.
- Cream cheese. Full-fat cream cheese works best.
- Powdered sugar.
- Milk.
- Vanilla extract.
- Sweetened coconut flakes.
How to Make a Duncan Hines Coconut Cake Mix Recipe
This is a family recipe that my grandma made me as a kid. Pretty sure she got it off the back of the cake mix box, but that doesn’t take away from how delicious it is!
- In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, cream of coconut, oil, eggs, and sour cream until smooth and combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake at 350°F until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a little milk until smooth and spreadable. Add more milk only as needed.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled cake, then sprinkle sweetened coconut evenly over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips for the best coconut cake
Dense or “eggy” cake: Double-check that you used a 15.25-ounce cake mix and large eggs, and don’t overmix. Overmixing is the fastest way to make a cake mix cake bake up heavy.
Cream of coconut confusion: If the can says coconut milk or coconut cream, that’s not the right one. You want sweetened cream of coconut.
Can I use a different cake mix flavor?
Yes. Yellow, vanilla, French vanilla, lemon, or even chocolate can work. Just keep the same method and bake time cues (golden brown top, toothpick test).
Can I use canned coconut milk instead of cream of coconut?
Not for this one. Cream of coconut is sweeter and thicker, and it’s adding a lot of the flavor and texture.
What’s the best pan for this?
A metal or ceramic 9×13 pan tends to bake this most evenly.
Storage
Because this has cream cheese frosting, store the cake covered in the refrigerator for 5–6 days. For longer storage, wrap individual slices and freeze for up to 2 months.
More Cake Recipes to Try
How to Video
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix
- ¾ cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut, stirred
- ½ cup canola oil, or vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 16 ounces powdered sugar
- 8 ounces block-style cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- 7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
How to Store Leftovers
Instructions
To Make the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, cream of coconut, oil, eggs, and sour cream. Mix until smooth and well combined.15.25 ounces white cake mix¾ cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut½ cup canola oil3 large eggs1 cup sour cream
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before frosting.
To Make the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix until smooth and spreadable, adding more milk if needed.16 ounces powdered sugar8 ounces block-style cream cheese1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract2 to 3 tablespoons milk
- Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake.
- Sprinkle the sweetened coconut flakes evenly over the frosting.7 ounces sweetened coconut flakes
- Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve.
How to Store Leftovers
- Store the leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for 5–6 days.
Suggested Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
We’d Love If You’d Rate It Leave a Review!Meet Kimberly
Hi, I’m Kimberly Vargo! Comfort food is at the heart of everything I make like easy dinners and sides to desserts, cocktails, and condiments. A lot of my inspiration comes from old family recipes, personal favorites, and vintage cookbooks.
This is a great recipe and very simple. A lot can be done with box cake mix and this is one.
Thanks so much, Kathy! We’re glad you enjoyed the cake and appreciate the comment and star rating. Have a fantastic evening! 🙂
This cake came out way too dense and eggie. More like flan. Wondering if a dry ingredient was left out of this recipe. It seemed like there were too many wet ingredients to one box cake mix. I may try again using 3 eggs and no sour cream. I liked the idea of the cream of coconut
Hi, Betty!
I’m sorry this cake didn’t turn out as expected. All the dry ingredients are there. You could definitely try the cake the way you mentioned (using 3 eggs and leaving out the sour cream), and that should give it different texture.
If you want another variation to consider, try using a box of cake mix, 1 cup of water, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 3 eggs, 1 (3.4-ounce) box vanilla instant pudding mix, and ¾ cup of either sour cream or coco lopez. Use the same frosting. This way reduces the eggs and omits one of the other ingredients and still leaves you with a moist cake. Hope that helps! 😊
Try the original recipe box of white cake mix,
8.5 oz cream of coconut, 1 cup sour cream,
3 eggs,
1/4 cup oil and I use a little coconut extract
This cake tastes like what I would imagine it would be like biting into a wet heavy sweet dish spong and then frosting it with a heavy cream cheese frosting made it even worse, definitely not worth making
Good morning Julie, thank you for your unsolicited feedback. It’s clear from your comments you didn’t actually try the recipe. Therefore, I removed your 1-star rating. You only get to rate a product if you try it. That’s how rating systems work. Have good day.