Clear out space on your list of favorite cake recipes — my easy fruit cocktail cake recipe is a winner!
Great as a dessert or a treat with coffee, this old fashion cake is made from scratch, no box mix needed! But that doesn’t mean it’s complicated. Far from it — this whole cake recipe, with a yummy butter sauce full of coconut and pecans, whips together in less than an hour!
Grab that reliable childhood favorite, the canned fruit cocktail, and let’s get baking! This ain’t yo momma’s fruit cake recipes.
This was my grandma’s recipe, we also love her applesauce cake, coca-cola cake, and banana cream pie! Would you like to try these too?
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What I Love About This Recipe
Well, it’s cake. Need I say more?
- Childhood nostalgia in every bite!
- Easy homemade goodness
- Packed with delicious crunches like coconut and pecans
- Everyone will LOVE this, guaranteed!
How To Make Fruit Cocktail Cake Recipe
My cake recipe is so easy! You might be tempted to grab a boxed cake mix, but I promise you, it’s worthwhile to make this cake batter from scratch. And very doable! You got this, friends!
You’ll just need a mixing bowl, a baking pan, and a saucepan. Pour each of the cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir. While it’s baking, pour the icing ingredients into a saucepan and heat. Done!
Recipe Notes
This cake is always a fan favorite at potlucks, school events, or just family suppers. There are a few ways you can garnish the dessert to appeal to everyone – from your own kids to the president of the PTA. Read on for all the insider hints!
Tips For Making The Perfect Fruit Cocktail Cake
Making a cake from scratch is easier than you think!
Keep it simple: One of the best things about this cake is that it’s so simple to make even without being a fruit cocktail cake with cake mix. Don’t overthink it. You may be tempted to use a stand mixer or even an electric beater. You don’t have to!
Seriously, just dump your batter ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir. Using beaters or a Kitchen Aid may end up making your batter too dense.
Mind your pan: You can use either a glass or dark pan with this recipe, but grease both before you add the batter. Don’t forget that cake in a dark pan may bake faster than a cake in a glass pan, so set your timer about 5 minutes earlier than the recipe calls for.
Serving: This cake can be served at room temperature or warm. My family likes it best when it’s still oven-warm and ooey-gooey-moist. You can also pop leftover slices in the microwave or toaster oven to rejuvenate them!
Ingredient Notes
Simple steps, simple cake, simple ingredients!
Icing: When I make this, I spend about 20 minutes in the kitchen. You can put the cake in the oven to bake, then come back later to make the glaze. But remember: it’s important you add the glaze to a hot cake! About 10 minutes before your cake is set to come out, place your glaze ingredients in your saucepan.
You’ll want the ingredients to boil for about 1-2 minutes, then it’s ready to pour.
Fruit Cocktail in Syrup: The simple chemistry of this cake just doesn’t work the same way if you use a fruit cocktail in juice. The fruit cocktail in syrup is important!
Skip the Box: The reason I don’t use boxed cake mix in my recipe is that with the simplicity of this recipe, a mix doesn’t really seem like convenience at all! My recipe is quick, easy, and once you try it, you’ll never want to use boxed caked mixes again!
Cherries: You’ll only use one can of fruit cocktail, so you know what that means – the kids are going to be fighting over those three maraschino cherries! To stop any arguments, keep a can of Reddi-Wip and a jar of maraschino cherries on hand.
When it’s time to serve your cake, just add a dollop of whipped cream and one or two cherries. Crisis averted!
Storing Tips
While this cake is worlds better than the fruit cakes of yore, you can still treat it the same, storage-wise!
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! The product of this recipe freezes up wonderfully. You’ll definitely want to fully thaw it and heat it up before you eat any leftovers — this cake just tastes so much better warm!
You’ll be able to store this cake in the freezer for up to a full year.
Make Ahead Tips
Honestly, there’s no way to speed up this baking process! The batter is already as quick as can be (just as easy as boxed mixes!) and the baking time is necessary for cake doneness. You can always make the cake ahead of an event though — it’ll keep just fine!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Sadly, no! I don’t recommend that you store the product of this recipe in the fridge. The cold air changes the texture of the icing, and I promise you won’t like it as much. But! It will do just fine on the counter for a few days.
Recipe Variations
The variety of fruit in a standard fruit cocktail brings up dreams of fruit shake-ups! Let’s get wild:
Can I Use Apple?
Apple cake is just divine! Fluffy cake and sweet, tart apples come together beautifully in recipes like Jewish apple cake (great in a bundt pan!) and my personal favorite, caramel apple sheet cake! Everyone loves the sheet cake and its creamy caramel deliciousness.
Can I Use Pudding Mix?
Pudding in cake mix is too delicious not to try! If you’ve ever seen a bundt cake, chances are, it was some sort of pudding cake, like a lemon pudding cake or the classic Harvey Wallbanger cake. But if you don’t want a bundt, go for my easy banana pudding poke cake!
Can I Turn This Into A Coffee Cake?
This cake already goes perfectly with coffee, but if you want a spread of cakes to serve, I have recipes for you! Peach coffee cake is a great way to brighten up your coffee date and cherry coffee cake goes wonderfully with tea. Another winner is banana coffee cake — great with whipped cream!
Can I Make This Recipe More British?
This recipe is pretty iconic Americana — but what about British twists? The closest would have to be simnel cake, with its decadent fruit cake flavors. Also, try eccles cake — these little pockets of dessert yumminess are teatime favorites! And who can say no to the checkerboard prettiness of battenberg cake?
Can I Add Lemon Flavor?
Lemon and cake is irresistible! Lemon cream cheese pound cake is that perfect blend of creamy and tart, just like lemon icebox cake — which stores great! One of the best coffee time treats is lemon poppy seed cake. I love those little crunches!
Grandma's Fruit Cocktail Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 can (16-ounce) fruit cocktail with syrup undrained
Topping:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup pecans chopped
Garnish:
- Reddi Wip
- maraschino cherries
Instructions
Cake:
- Adjust an oven rack to medium position. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9X13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together all cake ingredients until well combined. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Topping:
- Meanwhile, make the topping by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Pour over hot cake and smooth evenly with an offset spatula.
Garnish:
- Top individual slices of cake with a dollop of Reddi Wip and Maraschino cherries.
Fans Also Made:
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More Fruit Cake Recipes
Want more desserts like this cake? Here you go, friends!
- No Bake Summer Berry Icebox Cake – The best summer party treat!
- Coconut Cupcakes – Tropical flavors in every perfect cupcake bite
- Blueberry Dump Cake – Dump, bake, indulge!
- Peach Cake – Celebrate peach season the right way!
- Pig Pickin Cake – An incredibly moist, delicious, refreshingly fruity delight
Conclusion
I hope this fruit cocktail cake recipe made you a believer in how easy it is to make delicious cakes at home! No need to spend hours baking — you can whip together decadent, fruity treats in a snap.
What did you serve your fruitcake with? Let me know in the comments!
Source: Gonna Want Seconds
I’ve made this cake three times for a potluck and everyone wants it again. It was requested I make this for a gentlemans family reunion. I did add an extra cup of drained fruit cocktail. I’m making one now for my son. It’s so easy and delicious!
Kathy, I love hearing this! I’m so glad the cake is such a hit for you. My family loves it, too <3
I think this is a very adaptable recipe, thank you for posting. I altered mine quite a bit and still turned out very nice indeed!
-halved the amount of sugar
-added a grated carrot (really recommend this!)
-replaced 1 egg with 1/4c applesauce (could definitely replace both eggs if needed to be egg-free)
-added a glug of AC vinegar (made it nice and fluffy!)
-didn’t add the salt or vanilla
-didn’t bother with icing as I wanted to keep it dairy-free
Very nice to have with a coffee, or warmed with custard
Thanks again!
Hi, KB! Thank you for sharing your tweaks, I gotta try it 🙂
Just like my Grandmas! One of the best!❤️
Right! It’s hard to believe just how delicious this simple cake is!!
I like the use of one utensil and few ingredients to make a cake. I just blended all the ingredients and have put it in the oven in a glass dish with timer on. Hopefully it turns out good.
Good luck, Jamila! Enjoy the cake 😀
This was deeeeee-licious!! I didn’t have the coconut or pecan for the glaze, but it was still super yummy. I can only imagine how they add to this recipe. Thank you!!
Woot! Glad you liked it, Jen! 😀
This was a hit at my most recent Summer get together. I used brown sugar in the cake, no white sugar, because I like the taste better. I added 2 cups of coconut instead of the 1.5 cups to the frosting because it looked a little on the runny side and I poked holes in the cake before frosting to let the moistness in. It turned out delicious and everyone loved it.
The brown sugar in the cake sounds like a yummy alternative! Generally, any moisture in the frosting is absorbed into the cake in a delicious way. So very happy this was a hit for you <3
I love this cake! It is so yummy!!!!❤️
So happy to hear you liked it, Patsy! 😀
This recipe has been in my old recipe box for…a really long time. There’s a reason we keep the good recipes!
That’s so awesome, Judi! 😀
Made this yesterday, delicious beyond words!
Yay! So happy you like it Donna!
My mom use to make this recipe and it was my favorite cake. In fact I always requested this cake for my birthday. I,be now mare this cake for the last 37 years. It is the absolute easiest cake and I love it the next and subsequent days. Thanks for taking me back to my childhood again. Everybody who loves a moist fruity cake will adore this one and don’t get me started on the frosting. I don’t normally like coconut, but love this frosting. Thanks for taking me back to another day and time.
Cathy
You’re welcome, Cathy! ? So stoked to hear it’s a big part of your childhood!
this reiepe souns like one I made years ago except the icing was made with sweetened condensed milk
So my grandmother made this cake often! It was in the better homes and gardens cookbook wayyyyyyy back when. This is exactly the same! So awesome!
Can this be made using a bundt style of pan with a regular glaze and chopped nuts?
No, I don’t think it can darn it!
Delicious. My mother used to make something like this, sometimes without the coconut in the topping. Good that way, too, for those that don’t like coconut. Not a traditional cake texture. This recipe didn’t last long in our house!
Hi Susan. Well put! It’s doesn’t have a tradition cake texture. I think its because the sugars from the fruit caramelize which makes it totally addicting! It’s a really fabulous old fashioned recipe! <3
Did you forget to include the lemon juice in the recipe? There was no acid to react with the baking soda.
Hi Barbara. No, the original recipe I was given ages ago did not have any lemon juice. I guess there must be enough acid in the juice of the fruit cocktail.
This was so easy to make and super delicious. But my cake didn’t look as dark as on recipe. Did I not cook it enough?..we ate anyways ?..
Hey Linda! The photos may look darker than your cake because of the light I’m shooting photos in. If the texture was right, you nailed it <3
I have been making this cake for 40 years! Delicious and bonus…it is better the day after because it becomes so very moist! TY
Thank you Marg! You’re so right! It’s better the next day <3
This was absolutely delicious and not like any cake I have tasted before . It had such a unique, sweet, and fruity taste throughout and topped off with that yummy coconut topping, so good! I definitely will make again with some friends for coffee, thanks for the recipe!
The topping seems to have a lot of sugar in it (1/2 cup brown sugar plus 1 cup of sugar). Are the amounts listed correct? Also could this recipe be used for cupcakes?
Hi Cathy. Yes the amounts listed are correct, this is how my Grandma made it. She did like her desserts sweet 🙂 You could easily cut the sugar back to 1 cup and still have excellent results. That being said, honestly, I don’t find the cake overly sweet at all. As for cupcake, I’ve never tried them but would love to hear back from you if you do.
This looks AMAZING!!! Can’t even wait to try it 🙂