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Semi-Homemade Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake

Name: Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 1 package boxed Devil’s Food Cake mix; 1 cup water; ½ cup vegetable oil; 4 tbsp cornstarch; 1 can coconut cream (or full fat coconut milk - see our section in our post about the difference); 1 cup heavy cream; ¾ cup sugar; 1 egg

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Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake

Make this Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake with a simple cake mix and homemade coconut pudding that will wow your tastebuds and look like you slaved for hours in the kitchen! Make sure to check out our Death by Chocolate Poke Cake too!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Chocolate cake mix – we used a Devil’s Food Cake this time but we’ve also used German Chocolate and a regular chocolate cake mix. Choose your favourite.
Ingredients needed to make cake (egg whites, oil & water)
Can of Coconut Milk (full fat) or some cans say coconut cream
Sweetened coconut flakes
Vegetable Oil
Cream
Eggs
Cornstarch
Sugar

chocolate coconut poke cake with coconut pudding

What is the difference between cream of coconut, coconut milk and coconut cream?

Coconut milk: Coconut milk has a similar consistency to regular milk and is used as the basis for Thai curries. A can of coconut milk will have cream that rises to the top, it’s thick, there’s no missing it, this is coconut cream as well (see below)
Coconut cream: Coconut cream is thick and rich it is four parts shredded coconut in one part water.
Cream of coconut: Cream of coconut is a sweetened version of coconut cream and you can usually find it with the cocktail mixes. It has added sugar so it’s not the same as using coconut cream. For this recipe, you can use full-fat coconut milk and use the entire can or you can use coconut cream but NOT cream of coconut unless you skip the sugar for the pudding.

If you don’t have time to check out or try this tasty chocolate coconut poke cake now make sure to PIN it for later!

Spreading Topping Tip

You can see in the video (& photo below) that the top of our cake was scraped/cut off. You don’t have to do this but we did it as the cake has more of a slight dome shape once it’s baked. This makes it flat and makes it so you can spread the pudding evenly over the top.

HOW DO YOU MAKE Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake?

Prepare cake batter to package directions
Bake
Poke holes in the cake (optional scrape off (slice) the top layer of cake to even out instead of having it domed shaped)
Add homemade coconut pudding
Optional – top with whipped cream or better yet stabilized whipped cream (see recipe notes & separate recipe)
Sprinkle with toasted coconut or if you prefer just sweetened (untoasted) shredded coconut

Check out our recipe video to see how easy it is to make this delicious chocolate coconut poke cake!

This chocolate coconut poke cake really is that easy to make! Now here’s the full recipe, who’s ready to make this tasty dessert?!

Yield: 10-12

Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake

Make this Chocolate Coconut Poke Cake with a simple cake mix and homemade coconut pudding that will wow your tastebuds and look like you slaved for hours in the kitchen!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

1 package boxed Devil’s Food Cake mix
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
4 tbsp cornstarch
1 can coconut cream (or full fat coconut milk - see our section in our post about the difference)
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup sugar
1 egg

Instructions

Beat together cake mix, water, and vegetable oil until smooth, and pour into a 9x13 baking dish sprayed with nonstick. You can also use any box cake you like and follow instructions on the box for this step.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until the middle is thoroughly cooked.
Once cooked, let cool completely. If your cake top isn’t flat, you may need to cut off the top.
Poke rows of holes into the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon, and set aside.
Make your pudding by whisking together coconut cream, heavy cream, sugar, and egg over medium-high heat for around 10 minutes. Stir frequently, and your pudding will thicken as it cooks. You can also ass vanilla or coconut extract if you would like.
Let pudding cool, and it will thicken more. Pour over your cake and smooth out.
Top with toasted coconut, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Optional topping which is my favourite is before sprinkling on the toasted coconut top with a stabilised whipped cream and then add the toasted coconut. This is a whole new decadent level. See notes for how to make our favourite stabilised whipped cream.

Notes

Cake options: We have used Devil's Food Cake in the photos here but also love German chocolate cake, regular chocolate cake and hey if you really want you can use a white cake, vanilla cake or go over the top and make it with a coconut cake. Choose your favourite, but our favourites are either Devil's Food or German chocolate cake.

We explain in our post the difference between coconut milk, coconut cream and cream of coconut. You can only use 1 of 2 of those in this recipe.

Check out in our full post how to make stabilized whipped cream as this is an amazing additional topping to this chocolate coconut poke cake. It brings it up to to a ultra-decadent level.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 331mgCarbohydrates: 52gFiber: 1gSugar: 33gProtein: 3g

Please note that we can not guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information. They are a best guess calculation.

Here’s the recipe for stabilized whipped cream that makes this dessert ultra-decadent but it’s totally optional and the cake is so good as is too!

Yield: 1 cake