Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Cake
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Rich chocolate bundt cake with a coconut tunnel inside. Drizzled with both chocolate and vanilla icing. Just like that age old mix time forgot. If that particular cake mix held a special place in your heart, you are going to be very happy that you came across this recreation. I have been told by countless people that it tastes just like the Pillsbury box mix from years ago.
I originally posted this Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake recipe in October of 2011, although the process of perfecting this cake took years before that. Back in 1991, at one of my bridal showers, my Aunt Carol gave me my first bundt cake pan. She had remembered Brian saying how he loved a cake made by Pillsbury, called a Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Cake.
Making the Pillsbury Chocolate Macaroon Bundt Cake Mix at Home
Before I share the recipe with you, let me tell you how I went about trying to make this cake. Now, I am not a fan of coconut, so if it wasn’t his favorite cake, the fact that the mix was discontinued would have gone totally unnoticed by me. But it was. I searched high and low, and couldn’t find one anywhere.
Getting the chocolate macaroon bundt cake right
Ingredients in Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Cake
If you can’t wait to make this chocolate bundt cake with its delicious coconut filling – the ingredients may be close by, right in your pantry! It doesn’t call for anything crazy. Just some basic baking ingredients.
- One Devils Food Cake Mix, plus all of the ingredients the mix requires; egg, oil, and water. You can sub in chocolate or chocolate fudge if you’d like.
- For the coconut filling, you’ll need egg white, sugar, vanilla, sweetened flaked coconut, and a little bit of flour.
- For the glaze, you can make it from scratch with butter, milk, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Or you can take a shortcut and warm a little bit of canned frosting in the microwave and drizzle that over the top. Works great!
How to make a chocolate coconut bundt cake
Just like the chocolate macaroon bundt cake mix from days gone by, this recipe has 3 separate steps, the cake, the filling, and the glaze.
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and spraying your bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare cake mix as per box instructions. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, with a fork quickly mix egg whites. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix again. Stir in coconut and flour.
- Pour about ½ of the cake mix into your bundt pan. Now spoon filling in a “tunnel” on top of the batter. Be careful not to let the filling touch the pan. Now pour and evenly cover the tunnel with the rest of the batter.
- Next, Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 20-30 minutes before turning it onto a plate to cool the rest of the way.
- Finally, Drizzle with frosting/glaze and dust with a little extra coconut to “pretty” it up!
Warm Fuzzy Comments – Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Bundt Cake Mix Recipe
Spring K. says “My husband and I will celebrate our 46th anniversary next Saturday. We made this bundt cake while we were dating, and after we were first married. I’m going to surprise him with this cake!”
Kay says “I was very excited to find your recipe. I too loved this mix and was sad when it went away. I made this cake today and it was just like I remembered it. Thank you!!!”
Marianne said “Yay!! I’m totally with your husband. I think you did it! My sister always asked for the Pillsbury chocolate macaroon Bundt cake for her birthday and when they stopped making them we tried to copy it. Not ever really successful. But we used your recipe mostly for her birthday this Sunday and she’s crazy picky but said it was just what she remembered. Thank you!”
Most recently I received a facebook messsage from Jamie. This one really got me! Here is what it said –
“I’m one of 5 boys, my mom was an decent baker, and for some reason, this cake was my absolute favorite cake, but everyone else in my family hated it. No one else would eat it, so the only time she really made it, was for my birthday. Every single year, that cake marked my birthday.
When I became an adult I wanted to start making it, and I was crushed to find out it was discontinued. Last week I found your recipe, and I’ve made it twice. It’s so incredibly good, but more than that, every single bite somehow takes me back to every birthday I ever had as a kid when mom made that just for me. You know how good food can trigger wonderful memories like that? This recipe did exactly that for me.
Two days ago, we had my parents over, and I made it for my mom, and it was beyond special. It may sound corny, but having this recipe, has really added something special to my life, a direct connection to my childhood. THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! It’s hard to describe, but finding this recipe, to me, is just like finding an old photo album that has pictures from every birthday I ever had as a kid. It’s exactly that special, that powerful. I feel like I had lost a photo album that had every picture of me as a kid, and then I just found it. It’s hard for me to describe, but you probably know what I mean.
This recipe was such a gift to me, you can’t imagine!! I’m 51. I’ll make this cake at least 200 times before I’m gone, and every single time I do, every bite I take, I’ll remember what it was like to be 10 years old again, when the whole day revolved around my birthday. I want to be buried with this cake.”
Please know that I read every one of my messages and comments myself, and I appreciate it so much when you take the time to share your stories with me.
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Hungry for more Coconut Recipes?
- Coconut Cream Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream Frosting (pictured above)
- Pineapple Coconut Tunnel Cake
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Coconut Pudding Poke Cake
- How to Toast Coconut
- Coconut Banana Cream Pie
- Jamaican Coconut Sweet Rice
Chocolate Macaroon Tunnel Cake
Rich chocolate bundt cake with a coconut tunnel inside. Drizzled with both chocolate and vanilla icing. Just like that age old mix time forgot.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- One Devils Food Chocolate Cake Mix- prepared according to box instructions
For the Filling
- 2 egg whites
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups flaked coconut
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
For the Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- For chocolate glaze you can add 2 Tablespoons of cocoa to the above mixture.
- (I glaze with both flavors. Because did I mention how good that puddle of icing in the middle is?!?!)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare cake mix as per box instructions. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, with a fork quickly mix egg whites. Add the sugar and vanilla and mix again. Stir in coconut and flour.
- Pour about ½ of the cake mix into your bundt pan. (see photo in blog post) Now spoon filling in a "tunnel" on top of the batter. Be careful not to let the filling touch the pan. Now pour and evenly cover the tunnel with the rest of the batter.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 20-30 minutes and turn onto a plate to cool the rest of the way.
- Drizzle with frosting if you desire.
Notes
You can mix up the glaze per the recipe instructions, but I always use this short cut:
Microwave about 1/3 cup of each vanilla and chocolate frosting in a can in 30 second intervals, until it's warm but not hot. Using a spoon, drizzle it over the cooled cake and allow it to set. I use both chocolate and vanilla frosting. Sprinkle with some shredded coconut to decorate the top.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 159Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 59mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 26gProtein: 1g
Please note that nutrition is not guaranteed accurate.
Good recipe.Easy peasy,Good looking.Taste great! And the puddle in the middle is mine,all mine.
Happy you loved it, too, Margot!
I will make this cake for a birthday celebration at a retirement apartments for Feb birthdays. My husband of 56 years birthday is next week. A group of us get together week days for coffee and socialization. I think the group will go crazy. Also I will make one for celebrating with out daughter. She was a teen when this cake was popular. She would eat the tunnel after it was cut. We often laugh and tell the story of the tunnel bandate. Thanks for sharing.
That makes my heart so happy!! I have a “tunnel bandit” of my own! 😉 I would love to see a photo if you take one! Sounds like a wonderful group of friends!
This chocolate cake is absolutely genius! I love the flavors combination and it looks amazing ♥ Can’t wait to try this recipe.
I love chocolate and coconut in desserts, so this cake is right up my alley! Can’t wait to make it soon!
I was just telling my husband about this box mix cake that my grandma used to make! I had looked for it for years even before Pinterest existed!
It is just like it!! I hope you love it!
I have a 12 cup Bundt pan—which means it can hold 2 cake mixes worth of stuff. Do you think it would be successful using the two instead of one?
If you know it holds two cake mixes then I think that it would. You will probably have to adjust the baking time.
I am beyond thrilled to find this recipe. I can’t wait to try it, as soon as I buy a new Bundt cake pan. I swear I mourned the passing of the mix. It was my all time favorite as a kid. Thank you, thank you!!!
I never get tired of hearing stories like yours!! Thank you for sharing – I totally know what you mean, as my husband shares the same childhood memories. I would love to hear what you think after you make it! 🙂
I was just talking to my husband this morning about this box cake mix that was chocolate with a coconut tunnel that my mom used to make when I was a kid. I loved it! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
I hope you love it as much as we do!!
I don’t see instructions for the glaze…only the ingredients. Do you melt the butter?
My apologies. In all of these years, I have never noticed that! You can whisk it all together, no need to melt the butter. Add the milk in a little at a time to get to your preferred consistency. 🙂 I Hope this helps.