Coconut Cream Pie Dump Cake for a Crowd
A 9×13-inch dish of coconut cream pie dump cake is easy to carry to a potluck and serve without cutting a pie. It has a soft coconut-pudding layer beneath a buttery cake-mix topping. Once cooled, it can be scooped into bowls or cut into loose squares. Expect a spoon dessert with some structure, not neat slices of coconut cream pie.
This version uses instant coconut cream pudding prepared with milk. That detail matters: dry pudding powder sprinkled into the pan may leave pockets that never hydrate. The cake mix, by contrast, goes on dry. Melted butter and a little milk moisten it as the dessert bakes.
Ingredients and equipment
Yield: About 12 to 15 servings
Prep time: About 15 minutes
Bake time: 40 to 50 minutes
Cooling time: At least 2 hours
Equipment: 9×13-inch baking dish, mixing bowl, whisk, spoon, and foil
- 2 packages instant coconut cream pudding mix, 3.4 ounces (96 g) each
- 3 cups (710 ml) cold milk
- 2 cups (about 170 g) sweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 1 box yellow or white cake mix, about 15.25 ounces (432 g)
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk, for moistening the topping
- Whipped cream, optional, for serving
Check the pudding packages before you start. Use instant pudding, not cook-and-serve pudding, and whisk it with the 3 cups of milk listed here. That is less milk than the two packages would ordinarily call for, giving the filling a thicker consistency. If your pudding packages are a substantially different size, this recipe may need adjustment.
A standard yellow cake mix gives the topping a familiar buttery flavor. White cake mix keeps the coconut more prominent. Either works; avoid a mix that includes a separate pudding packet or other add-ins unless you know how it behaves in this kind of dessert.
How to make coconut cream pie dump cake
Prepare the filling
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Whisk the two packages of instant pudding mix with 3 cups of cold milk for about 2 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir in 1½ cups of the shredded coconut. Spread the pudding evenly in the prepared dish.
The filling will still be soft at this point. It thickens further as it sits and cools after baking, so there is no need to wait for it to become fully firm before adding the topping.
Add the cake mix and butter
Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the pudding in an even layer. Break up large clumps with your fingers as you go, but do not stir the cake mix into the filling.
Drizzle the melted butter slowly across the surface, covering as much of the dry mix as possible. Drizzle the remaining ¼ cup milk over any obvious dry patches. Use the back of a spoon to gently dampen exposed powder without pressing down into the pudding layer. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup coconut over the top.
The topping will look uneven before it goes into the oven. That is normal. The goal is to avoid broad areas of loose, dry cake mix, not to make a smooth batter.
Bake and cool
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the topping is golden in spots and the filling is bubbling around the edges. If the coconut browns too quickly, loosely cover the dish with foil for the rest of the baking time.
Set the dish on a rack and let it cool for at least 2 hours before serving. The filling will be loose when hot. Cooling gives it time to thicken and makes portions easier to serve. For firmer portions, refrigerate the cooled cake for another hour or two.
What to expect when serving it
This is a good dessert for a crowd because the pan does most of the work. There is no crust to roll, no individual portions to assemble, and no need to keep the topping pristine during the trip to a gathering. Set the dish out with a serving spoon and let guests take the amount they want.
The texture depends partly on how long the cake cools. At room temperature, it is soft and best served with a spoon. After refrigeration, it holds together better when cut, though the squares will still be less tidy than bars. A small spoonful of whipped cream on each serving suits the coconut filling, but the cake is sweet enough without it.
For a potluck, bake the cake early enough to let it cool completely before covering the dish. Covering it while warm traps steam and softens the topping. If you plan to serve it chilled, keep it refrigerated until you leave and use a cooler for a long trip or an event where it will sit out. Because the filling contains milk, refrigerate leftovers promptly and do not leave the dessert at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F (32°C).
Small adjustments that help
A few choices can change the finished dessert without complicating the recipe:
- For a less prominent coconut texture, use 1 cup of shredded coconut in the filling and ½ cup on top. The pudding will still give the dessert coconut flavor.
- For a more golden topping, use yellow cake mix and bake until the edges bubble and the surface has browned in patches. Do not keep baking solely to brown every pale spot; the filling can become overcooked.
- For easier serving, chill the cake after it has cooled at room temperature. Cut it with a knife, then lift portions with a wide spatula. If the pieces slump, serve them in bowls instead.
Do not substitute coconut milk for all the dairy milk without checking that the instant pudding you are using will set with it. Instant pudding is formulated to thicken with milk, and results with plant-based milks vary by brand. For the most predictable filling, use regular dairy milk.
A practical 9×13 dessert to bring along
Coconut cream pie dump cake borrows the flavors of a coconut cream pie but serves them in a simpler form. Prepare the pudding, layer on coconut and dry cake mix, moisten the topping, and bake. Give the pan time to cool before packing it up. The result is a generous, scoopable coconut dessert that travels in the same dish it was baked in.
