Ugly Duckling Cake is a classic cookbook dessert topped with fluffy coconut that resembles a duckling’s soft feathers. With fruit cocktail and lemon pudding mix inside the cake, it’s fruity, fun, and perfect for coconut lovers.
If you like coconut, Ugly Duckling Cake is a must-try! It’s is covered in a layer of shredded coconut, giving it a fluffy appearance that looks like a duckling’s feathers, which is how it got its charming name.
The cake gets its light lemon flavor from instant lemon pudding mix, and a can of fruit cocktail adds sweetness and even more fruit flavor. It may seem like an unusual combination as you’re mixing the batter (I was thinking to myself, “is this even going to work?”), but it bakes into a tender, moist cake that’s surprisingly delicious and rivals a bakery.
And it’s not just plain coconut on top—there’s a sweet glaze that gets poured over the still-warm cake. Part of the glaze seeps into the cake, and the coconut part sits on top. The cake is delicious all on its own, though a spoonful of whipped cream never hurt anything!
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love this Cake
- It’s really moist and tender, with a light lemon flavor. I don’t think you can taste the fruit cocktail (it’s not my preferred canned fruit), but every other bite or so you’ll get a tiny piece of peach or pineapple or cherry.
- The GLAZE! It’s sticky and sweet, and you won’t even need frosting for this cake. Part of the glaze coats the coconut and the rest of it seeps into the cake. It’s heavenly.
- It’s made for sharing. It’s made in a 13×9-inch pan, and makes about 15 servings. I love it for potlucks or get-togethers.
Ingredients
- I tested this recipe with sweetened coconut, but I do think unsweetened coconut will work just fine here (there’s plenty of sweetness already in the cake).
- Make sure the can of fruit cocktail is in heavy syrup.
- The walnuts are optional, but I love the crunch that they add.
- You’ll just need a half cup of evaporated milk. You can use the rest of the evaporated milk in recipes like old fashioned apple cake, ding dong cake, or turtle cake (each of these also calls for a partial can of evaporated milk).
- Duncan Hines cake mixes are my preferred mix because they have 15.25 ounces in them. Some mixes only have 13.25 ounces now.
How to Make Ugly Duckling Cake
- combine the cake mix, instant lemon pudding, fruit cocktail (including syrup), coconut, eggs, and vegetable oil, and beat for 3 minutes with a hand mixer.
- Pour the batter in the pan, and top with the brown sugar and walnuts.
- Bake for about 45 minutes.
- Bring the butter, sugar, and evaporated milk to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the coconut.
- Pour the coconut mixture over the still-warm cake.
- Let cool before slicing, and enjoy!
Tips for slicing and storing the cake
Wait until the cake is cool before slicing so it doesn’t fall apart on you. You can heat slices in the microwave if you’d like to serve it slightly warm.
The cake will keep in the fridge, tightly covered, for up to one week. It’s delicious straight from the fridge!
📖 Recipe
Ugly Duckling Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 package (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding (such as Jell-O brand)
- 1 can (16 oz) fruit cocktail in syrup
- 1 cup coconut
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped nuts optional
For the glaze:
- 1 stick butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1⅓ cups coconut
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes each week!
Instructions
- Grease a 13×9-inch pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 package yellow cake mix, 1 package (3.4 oz) instant lemon pudding, 1 can (16 oz) fruit cocktail in syrup (including syrup), 1 cup coconut, 4 eggs, and ¼ cup vegetable oil.
- Beat with a mixer for 4 minutes.
- Pour the batter into the greased 13×9-inch pan, then sprinkle ½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup chopped nuts evenly over the top.
- Bake for 45–50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with dry crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
- While the cake is cooling, place 1 stick butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in 1⅓ cups coconut.
- Spoon the coconut glaze over the warm cake.
- Let cool before slicing. The cake is perfect on its own but a little whipped cream never hurts anything.
Comments
No Comments