I’ve been calling this a coconut poke cake for years, but my neighbor insists it’s basically an Italian cream cake that took a shortcut. She’s not wrong, I just don’t like admitting it. Anyway.
I got this recipe when I was visiting my cousin up in Ontario. When I woke up that first morning. There was a moose outside my bedroom window. Just standing there staring at me like I was the one who showed up uninvited. I may have screamed loud enough to wake the whole street. My cousin came running in thinking I was being murdered.
I was not being murdered. It was a moose. I tell ya, every Christmas she drags that story back out and every year I get a little more unhinged in her version of it. Last year I was apparently standing on the bed throwing pillows at the window. I was not. Probably.
And the weather! I walked outside the first morning, made it approximately six feet from the door, and went straight back inside. Done. That was my outdoor time for the day.
Her friend threw a little get-together that week and this cake was sitting on the counter when we walked in. I had three slices before I thought to ask what it was. She was happy to share the recipe, said people ask for it every time she makes it.
Five ingredients. Cold, creamy, almost tropical. My husband asks for it every summer now. I’ve also made it in January just because. Zero regrets.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ya know something? I have never once brought leftovers home from a party when this shows up on the table. Not once.
- Only five ingredients: Cake mix, sweetened condensed milk, coconut cream, Cool Whip, shredded coconut. Nothing weird, nothing you have to hunt down at three different stores.
- Make-ahead friendly: This cake gets better overnight. The milk mixture keeps soaking in and the whole thing settles into something way better than it was four hours earlier. Make it the day before and honestly just don’t tell anyone how easy it was.
- No frosting skills required: You spread Cool Whip over a sheet cake. That’s the whole job. No layers, no piping bag, no YouTube tutorial needed. IMO this is the most underrated thing about it.
- Feeds a crowd without drama: Sheet cake travels well, slices easy, and people go back for seconds without asking. Bring it to one potluck and you will be asked to bring it to every potluck after that. Consider yourself warned.
- Freezer-friendly: Slice it, wrap the pieces, freeze up to two months. Future you will be so grateful. Past you was really thinking ahead.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Short list, but a couple things worth knowing before you start.
- White cake mix: Any brand works fine. Prepare it however the box says. That’s your whole job for this part, I promise.
- Sweetened condensed milk: The thick sweet stuff in the can, not evaporated milk. They look almost identical on the shelf and they are absolutely not the same thing. I learned this the hard way on my second batch and I’d rather you didn’t.
- Coconut cream: Thicker and richer than coconut milk, which is exactly why it works here. Full-fat coconut milk is an okay swap if that’s what you’ve got, just know the coconut flavor won’t hit as hard.
- Cool Whip: Has to be fully thawed before you try to spread it or it’ll tear the top of your cake right off. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. Homemade whipped cream works too but it won’t hold up as many days.
- Shredded coconut: Sweetened is what you want here. If you feel like toasting it in a dry skillet for a few minutes first, do it. Adds a little crunch and color on top. I do this when I’m feeling ambitious, which is maybe twice a year.
Tips for Success
A few things that matter more than you’d expect with this one.
- Hot cake, not warm cake: Pour the milk mixture while the cake is still very hot. A cooled cake just sits there with liquid pooling on top instead of soaking in and that is a sad situation nobody wants.
- Don’t cut the chill time short: Four hours minimum. Overnight is better. The difference between four hours and the next morning is real and it’s not subtle.
- Thaw the Cool Whip first: Cold Cool Whip drags and tears. Fridge thaw overnight is the only move here. I have ruined the top of this cake before trying to speed that up and it is not pretty.
- Wipe the knife between slices: This cake is soft and it smears easily. Clean blade every time for clean slices.
Storage and Reheating
Keep this covered in the fridge the whole time. The Cool Whip topping needs to stay cold and so does the milk-soaked cake underneath it. Covered tightly, it keeps up to four days and honestly tastes better on day two than day one.
It can sit out at a party for about an hour before the topping starts looking rough. After that, back in the fridge it goes.
To freeze, cut into individual slices, wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap, and put them in a zipper freezer bag. Good for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Don’t try to speed it up on the counter or the texture gets weird and you’ll be annoyed at yourself.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it cold, straight from the fridge. Fresh pineapple or extra toasted coconut on top of each slice if you want to make it look fancy with zero extra effort. Pairs really well with iced coffee or sweet tea. Also pairs well with nothing at all except a fork and a quiet kitchen.
FAQs
My milk mixture isn’t soaking in. What happened?
Cake was probably too cool when you poured it. Hot cake absorbs fast, warm cake sort of absorbs, cool cake just lets the liquid sit on top and you end up with a soggy mess instead of a moist one. Extra time in the fridge will mostly save it but next time, move fast.
Can I use fresh whipped cream instead of Cool Whip?
Sure. Whip it to stiff peaks so it holds its shape. Just know it won’t last as many days in the fridge as Cool Whip does, so plan to serve it within a day or two.
Notes
My cousin’s friend pulled this out of the fridge at the end of the night like it was an afterthought, just set it on the table and walked away. It was gone in maybe ten minutes. She said people ask for the recipe every single time she makes it and I believe her completely.
I add a little more coconut cream than the original called for because I like the flavor really loud. But the base of it is exactly what I had that night in Ontario, standing in a kitchen I’d never been in before, already plotting when I was going to make it at home.
Creamy Coconut Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 16-20 Large white button or baby bella mushrooms
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted butter
- 2 Cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz. Lump crabmeat drained and picked for cartilage
- 4 oz. Cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup Finely grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 Green onions finely sliced
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs divided
- 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tsp. Fresh lemon juice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet or baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Clean the mushrooms gently with a damp paper towel to remove any loose dirt. Carefully pop the stems out of each mushroom cap. Set the hollow caps aside and finely chop the removed stems to use in the filling baseline.
- Melt the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and the finely chopped mushroom stems, sautéing for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables soften and release their moisture. Remove the pan from the heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, grated parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar, sliced green onions, Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, and the sautéed garlic-stem mixture. Whisk firmly with a fork until the base forms a smooth, cohesive matrix.
- Gently fold the drained lump crabmeat and exactly ¼ cup of the panko breadcrumbs into the cream cheese mixture. Use a silicone spatula to combine the elements carefully so you keep the sweet crab chunks relatively intact. Season with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper to preference.
- Arrange the hollowed-out mushroom caps gill-side up on your prepared baking sheet.
- Spoon a generous portion of the crab filling into each cap, pressing down lightly to secure it and mounding it slightly over the top edges.
- Scatter the remaining ¼ cup of crisp panko breadcrumbs uniformly over the top of the stuffed mounds to create a texturized upper layer.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle oven rack and bake at 400°F for 18 to 20 minutes. The appetizers are finished when the mushroom bodies are tender and juicy, and the top breadcrumbs take on a beautiful golden-brown color.
