An old-fashioned cake recipe that is impossible to mess up and super moist. Perfect topped with whipped cream and great to serve any time of year.

A sheet pan of cake with a slice missing from the pan and placed on a nearby plate, topped with whipped cream.

Old Family Recipe

I was collecting old family recipes and my Mom offered up this classic gem from her Great Grandma Ruby. I hadn’t had fruit cocktail since elementary school when they served it on the lunch line in the cafeteria.

Fruit Cocktail is the Magic Ingredient

The canned fruit cocktail adds the magic and moisture to this cake. Granted, you drain both cans that are called for in the recipe. But all that extra sugary juice from the fruit seeps into the cake and gives you a super moist cake. It reminds me of how pro bakers sprinkle simple syrup on top of their cakes after they’re baked, but without the extra effort.

a sheet pan of fruit cocktail cake with two slices cut out and placed onto plates with forks and whipped cream

Super Easy

This recipe is nearly fool-proof. Baking recipes can sometimes feel overwhelming with step after step. This recipe is pretty much a three step process and super easy. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients. Mix the wet and the dry together. Kaboom, you’re in business.

a straight on shot of a slice of square cake with whipped cream on a plate on a grey surface surrounded by plates and the baking dish

Modification of the Original

The original version of this recipe did not call for brown sugar. But, I made Ruby’s original a few times and felt it needed a little extra “oompfh”. I subbed in 3/4 cup of brown sugar in place of some of the white sugar. It was just what this recipe needed to make it a little more caramel-y and to add depth of flavor.