Shortcut Preacher Cake
Using boxed cake mix makes this dessert a breeze to prepare!
This recipe for Shortcut Preacher Cake is a last-minute dessert recipe that is impossibly easy to make. The legend behind Preacher Cake is that it is a homemade cake recipe simple enough to whip up when the preacher unexpectedly stops by for a visit.
Shortcut Preacher Cake is even faster to make than the original because it uses boxed cake mix. No one will ever be able to guess that this rich and moist cake was made using a mix. This is one shortcut dessert recipe that is fit for even the finest company, especially since it is topped with homemade cream cheese frosting.
To make this shortcut cake taste as homemade as possible, we add one more egg than called for on the box and use melted butter instead of oil. To make this shortcut cake even easier, you can simply follow the directions on the box and then fold in the pineapple, coconut, and nuts. If you are really scrambling for time, you can also frost the cake with a can of store-bought vanilla or cream cheese frosting.
Serves18
Preparation Time20 min
Cooking Vessel Size9 x 13-inch baking dish
Our recipe for Shortcut Preacher Cake was inspired by this recipe for Preacher's Cake
Ingredients
- For the Cake:
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 2/3 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 4 eggs
- pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided
- 1 cup sweetened coconut
- For the frosting:
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
-
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, melted butter, eggs, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Gently stir in the crushed pineapple, walnuts, and coconut until combined. Pour into the greased baking dish.
-
Bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely before frosting, about an hour or more.
-
For the frosting: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, softened butter, vanilla, and salt. Whip until combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in the powdered sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.
-
After frosting the cake, sprinkle with chopped walnuts to garnish.
Want to learn how to make all of your cakes taste like they came from a bakery? Check out our helpful guide, 10 Cake Mix Hacks: How to Make a Cake Mix Taste Homemade
Read Next"Real Deal" Southern Preacher Cake
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golady11
Sep 17, 2015
Re Preacher Shortcut Cake Please provide cake mix size is the coconut liquid? I look forward to your response. Thanks Gee
Editor Kaitlin
Sep 17, 2015
Hi golady11, The recipes uses a standard 15.25 ounce box of cake mix and shredded sweetened coconut. Hope this helps! Kaitlin, FaveSouthernRecipes Editor
emmylyy
Nov 17, 2014
This cake is unbelievably moist! I love that I can doctor up the cake mix to make it taste just like it came from a bakery. I remember my grandma making a similar recipe to this, but it was much more complicated. I like that I can achieve something similar but with way less work. My favorite part is the delicious cream cheese frosting!
Emily Michelle
Nov 11, 2014
I would have liked this cake better if there weren't nuts in it, but I kept eating it because the cream cheese frosting was so good!
Zimm102090
Nov 11, 2014
I never would have known that this was made with a box of cake mix with how much flavor it had. I really enjoyed the pineapple and coconut combination, especially with the cream cheese frosting. Next time, I'd cut myself a slightly smaller piece though, because the cake was sweeter than I had anticipated.
CreativityGoddess
Nov 10, 2014
If you like carrot cake, you'll love this dessert which has a similar light and fluffy texture and decadent cream cheese frosting. I couldn't believe this was made with a boxed mix!
Julia L
Nov 10, 2014
I loved the cream cheese frosting and walnuts! The pineapple and coconut weren't overpowers - they added a little sweetness that was very much appreciated.
Julia L
Nov 10, 2014
I didn't know what to expect with this cake, but I really loved it! The cream cheese frosting and crunchy nuts were my favorite parts. I really couldn't taste the coconut or the pineapple, it just added a tiny bit of sweetness.
nashmeow
Nov 10, 2014
Moist, delicious, AND easy. How can you beat that? If you don't tell anyone it's not made from scratch, they'll never guess.
Jordan S
Nov 10, 2014
I love the addition of melted butter and an extra egg ... you could hardly tell this was made with a mix! I would definitely spend the extra effort on the homemade frosting - so worth it.
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