Salted Caramel Coconut Poke Cake

The preparation for this Salted Caramel Coconut Poke Cake is incredibly easy for the end result to be SO tasty. The base cake can be made from scratch using my Old Fashioned Butter Cake recipe or using a butter cake mix, either way it’s a stunner. The buttery vanilla-coconut cake is soaked with caramel, then frosted with whipped cream and topped with toasted coconut, pecan pieces and a sprinkle of sea salt to finish. The only thing that trumps the simple preparation is the spectacular flavor combination of caramel, coconut and pecans with a touch of salt.

When it comes to poke cakes by nature they’re designed to be low stress and usually start with a cake mix. While I bake completely from scratch nine out of ten times, it’s perfectly acceptable in my opinion, to use a cake mix for making this dessert. My kitchen theory is that baking should be fun, and if someone is most comfortable baking with cake mix then why sweat it? There are so many things to love about this cake, starting with the coconut laced cake, decadent caramel and whipped cream topped with toasted coconut, pecans and a light sprinkling of sea salt. The combination makes each bite one worth taking. It’s one of those stunning desserts that remain delicious to the very last bite.

• 1½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided
• ½ cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 Recipe Old Fashioned Butter Cake OR 1 (15.25) oz Butter Cake mix plus ingredients to prepare
• 1⅓ cup quality prepared caramel or dulce de leche, divided
• 1 (16) oz frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 tsp kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Spread the pecans and ½ cup coconut on a sheet pan in a single layer. Toast the nuts for 6 minutes, then remove to cool.
3. Toast the coconut for 6-8 minutes stirring periodically for even browning, Set aside to cool.
4. Prepare the butter cake per the directions. After preparing the batter mix 1 cup coconut into the batter by hand.
5. Spread the cake batter evenly into the pan. Bounce the pan a few times on the counter to remove any trapped air bubbles..
6. Bake per the package instructions until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes back clean.
7. Remove from the oven and immediately poke the cake generously using a fork.
8. Pour 1 cup caramel over the hot cake. Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread evenly gently pressing into the holes. Cool completely.
9. After cooling, frost the top with whipped cream. Drizzle with the remaining caramel and sprinkle with kosher salt.
10. Top with toasted coconut and pecans.
11. Store chilled..

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