Hard to believe this is a doctored cake mix.  It tastes homemade!  The trick is simple, but forgotten, and has been around for years.

There’s quite a lot of tips and tricks floating around online for how to turn a boxed cake mix into something bakery style or even homemade.

Simple way to bakery-style cake

Those of us who can remember way WAY back to those commercials for a milk from “contented cows,” will know I mean Carnation and specifically their evaporated milk–which in the 1950s was touted as a miracle substance that could practically do your housework for you.

Well, I don’t know if it could actually do that, but they used to put out a lot of freebie leaflets for how to use the stuff.  My mother always picked up these little cards that were put by the displays.  One such hint was substituting water or regular milk in cake mixes with 2/3 Carnation and 1/3 water.

Tropic Isle Coconut Cake

I know it sounds pretty ridiculous, but this really REALLY works and turns a cake into a nice, fluffy yet substantial cake that tastes just wonderful.  The cake is light, yet it has “body” and can hold up to the nice dense texture of the frosting used here and the cake doesn’t get lost in the frosting either–it’s character comes through.

I love coconut so I made the frosting with that flavor and topped with toasted coconut, but the cake is just the plain-flavor so you can do the frosting up with any extract you like and top it with your favorite topping.

Old-Fashioned Taste and Texture

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Tropic Isle Coconut Cake

Hard to believe this is a doctored cake mix.  It tastes homemade!  The trick is simple, but forgotten, and has been around for years.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: cakes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake recipe, coconut

Servings: 12

Calories: 358kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 1 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil OR melted butter
• 1/2 cup toasted coconut

FROSTING

• 3 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1 cup very soft unsalted butter
• 1 tsp coconut extract*
• 1-2 tbsp cream

Instructions

• *Any flavoring you like will do. I flavored this cake coconut, but make it yours--can be topped with other things besides the toasted coconut
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F if using glass). Grease or spray a 13 x 9 baking pan.
• Place cake mix in a large bowl. Add evaporated milk, water, eggs and oil or butter. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Pour batter into pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and cool cake completely before frosting.
• To prepare frosting, you will need a *good* stand mixer as the initial mixture of sugar & butter will be quite stiff.
• Fit the mixer with the wire whisk attachment. Add the sugar and butter to the bowl. Mix at low speed until blended then turn mixer to medium speed and beat until the sugar & butter are a smooth paste-like consistency.
• Add the coconut extract and beat in.
• On low speed, add the cream, a tablespoon at a time, until frosting is of spreadable consistency. You may need to use more cream!
• Spread frosting on top of cooled cake. Sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Nutrition

Serving: 1person | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 584IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Tropic Isle Coconut Cake

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