This Fruit Cocktail Cake is a classic old fashioned cake recipe that’s so easy to make! It's a soft and moist cake on the bottom with hints of fruit and coconut, topped with a creamy vanilla glaze that's just divine. With just 10 ingredients and 15 minutes of prep time, you can have a sweet treat perfect for any party or celebration.
This retro Fruit Cocktail Cake is a total crowd winning recipe. It’s simple to whip up, no special equipment required, and guaranteed to work for kids and adults alike. My family loves this cake as a snack in the afternoon or dessert any time of the year, it’s fruity and just so good!
The best part about this cake with fruit cocktail is the approachable ingredient list. There’s nothing crazy you need to buy or shop for, it’s all pantry staple items that are affordable too!
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Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Nostalgic cake recipe. This is a retro cake recipe that is still so delicious and tasty! It’s truly a great dessert for any age group to enjoy.
- Easy to make. With just 10 ingredients and 15 minutes of prep time, its easy to mix together and bake up in no time.
- Customize with your favorite ingredients. Add lemon zest, almond extract, or orange zest for a hint of a flavor twist.
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Full Printable Recipe Card Below
Cake:
- Fruit cocktail: A great nostalgic ingredient of your childhood, the canned kind is the best!
- Large eggs: For binding the cake batter.
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure and light and fluffy texture for the cake.
- Granulated sugar: Adds the sweetness to the cake batter.
- Baking soda: Keeps the cake tender and soft in texture.
- Salt: Always season your baked goods with salt, it enhances the flavors.
- Dark or light brown sugar: Adds a hint of caramel and molasses flavor.
- Sweetened flake coconut: A tropical flavor that pairs perfectly with fruit cocktail.
Topping:
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the glaze and makes it glossy in texture.
- Salted butter: The base of the glaze, the fat helps to bind everything together.
- Evaporated milk: Adds a creaminess to the topping. This is a version of milk where 60% of the water has been removed, making for a sweet concentrated milk flavor.
- Dark or light brown sugar: Adds a hint of caramel and molasses flavor.
- Pecans: Adds texture, a rich, nutty flavor, and visual appeal to the top of the cake.
- Vanilla extract: Adds nice caramel and floral notes to the topping.
TOOLS YOU'LL NEED
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
- 13"x9" Baking Dish
- Small Saucepan
How to Make Fruit Cocktail Cake
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 13"x9" baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together fruit cocktail and eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and fold just until combined.
- Pour the batter in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar and coconut on top.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- When 20 minutes remain on the cake, make the topping. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, stir together butter, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar and pecans. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 ½ minutes. Turn off the heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour the topping over the cake. Cool 10 minutes. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Pro Tips
- Do not drain the fruit cocktail. You are going to want all of the fruity flavors in the fruit cocktail syrup to infuse the cake with a delicious flavor.
- Use the toothpick test to make sure you don't over bake the cake. When the cake has finished baking, insert a toothpick and it should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Pour the topping over the warm cake. This will help the topping to set and make a glaze consistency.
- Omit the coconut if desired and add additional chopped nuts instead. Walnuts or pecans are both delicious if you're not a coconut fan.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. That's what we recommend, it's too delicious!
- How to Make Fresh Whipped Cream: In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat on high speed with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Storage
Store this cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. We don't recommend freezing this cake as it compromises the texture and will prevent it from being so moist.
You can make this cake up to a day in advance for easy serving, if desired.
FAQs
Yes! You can make a dump cake with canned fruit or a cake like this with fruit cocktail.
It tends to sink to the bottom. Toss the fruit lightly in flour prior to folding it into the cake mix. You can also chop it up into smaller pieces to prevent it from sinking as well.
Peaches, pears, grapes, pineapple, and cherries that are packed in fruit juice from concentrate.
Yes, it is safe, though it may be quite sugary!
More Easy Cake Recipes
Fruit Cocktail Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 15 ounce can fruit cocktail not drained
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark or light brown sugar
- 1 cup sweetened flake coconut
Topping
- ½ cup salted butter
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark or light brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped or diced pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease an 13"x9" baking dish.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together fruit cocktail and eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and fold just until combined.
- Pour the batter in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar and coconut on top.
- Bake 35-40 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- When 20 minutes remain on the cake, make the topping. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, stir together butter, evaporated milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar and pecans. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 ½ minutes. Turn off the heat, and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour the topping over the cake. Cool 10 minutes. Serve with a scoop of ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Notes
- Do not drain the fruit cocktail. You are going to want all of the fruity flavors in the fruit cocktail syrup to infuse the cake with a delicious flavor.
- Use the toothpick test to make sure you don't over bake the cake. When the cake has finished baking, insert a toothpick and it should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Pour the topping over the warm cake. This will help the topping to set and make a glaze consistency.
- Omit the coconut if desired and add chopped nuts instead. Walnuts or pecans are both delicious if you're not a coconut fan.
- Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. That's what we recommend, it's too delicious!
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