Fruit Cocktail Cake

Fruit cocktail cake is a retro recipe that stands the test of time! This cake is moist and slightly sweet, topped with a decadent coconut and pecan frosting.

Maybe it’s because I grew up learning to bake from my Nana, but I kind of love old-fashioned recipes. 

Sometimes they’re kind of quirky, like eggless chocolate cake. Sometimes they use a lot of jello or cool whip, like strawberry pretzel salad or watergate salad.

And sometimes they’re just darn delicious, like date cake, date bread, and this fruit cocktail cake.

What is fruit cocktail cake?

If you’ve never heard of fruit cocktail cake…well, you’re not alone. This is definitely a retro recipe that is wildly popular in some areas and pretty unknown in others.

But I’m petitioning that we bring this recipe back into popularity, because it really is a good one!

Fruit cocktail cake consists of a moist, slightly sweet cake that is topped with a hot coconut and pecan frosting. It can be served warm or at room temperature.

It’s called fruit cocktail cake because an entire can of fruit cocktail makes up the wet ingredients in the cake batter. (Kind of like how we make easy peach coffee cake!)

The fruit cocktail gives the cake a slightly fruity flavor, tons of moisture, and a bit of sweetness. When you pair it with the rich frosting, it’s almost impossible to stop after just one piece!

Oh, and did I mention that it is a SUPER easy recipe to make? Like, you literally just need 1 bowl to make the cake batter. 

How to make fruit cocktail cake

This is such an easy to recipe to make, I bet this fruit cocktail cake is going to go into permanent rotation at your house when you need a simple dessert.

Ingredients you’ll need

For the fruit cocktail cake batter, you will need:

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can fruit cocktail in heavy syrup, undrained

Super short ingredient list, right? If you bake a lot, you probably already have most of what you need on hand.

You’ll notice that aside from the eggs, there is no fat in this recipe. But I promise that the fruit cocktail is still going to give this cake a moist, rich texture, so you won’t miss the butter or oil!

You do need to use fruit cocktail in heavy syrup, not juice. And make sure you do NOT drain it! You need the syrup for the cake batter to come together.

If you don’t like all of the fruits in fruit cocktail or if you are allergic to some of them, you could easily substitute a 15.25-ounce can of diced pears or peaches in heavy syrup instead.

The frosting is really what makes this cake shine. For that, you will need:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup toasted chopped pecans
• ¾ cup toasted flaked coconut

This is a hot frosting that gets cooked together on the stove before you pour it over the still-warm cake. 

You can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut, whichever you happen to have on hand.

I like to toast the pecans and coconut before adding them to the frosting, but you can leave them both untoasted if you want.

Making this easy cake

The batter for this cake comes together in one bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until light in color and well combined. Whisk in the vanilla.

Switching to a spatula, stir in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and fruit cocktail with its syrup. Spread the batter into a greased 9×13-inch cake pan.

Bake the cake at 350°F. for 35-40 minutes; the top of the cake will be dark and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. 

About 10 minutes before the cake is done baking, start making the frosting.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, start stirring constantly and boil for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes, take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, pecans, and coconut.

When the cake is done baking, use a fork to poke holes all across the cake. Pour the hot frosting over the hot cake and spread it out evenly with a spatula.

Let the fruit cocktail cake cool for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Helpful resources

• Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly so that your cake turns out perfect every time.
• For extra flavor, try toasting the pecans before adding them to the frosting. If you haven’t done this before, check out my guide on how to toast nuts.
• I also like to toast the coconut for the frosting. Learn how to toast coconut with a few different methods.

Frequently asked questions