Coconut Lime Tres Leches Cake

This is one of my most requested cakes to bring to birthdays and gatherings. Everyone loves it and it’s easy enough to make it a perfect quarantine baking project with the kids. Inspired by a Food52 recipe, this is a great update on a classic cake and perfect for celebrating Cinco de Mayo. You can make the cake up to 1 day ahead and keep it in the fridge overnight to finish absorbing all the delicious ‘tres leches’. Just top with the whipped cream & coconut before serving.

Coconut Lime Tres Leches Cake

Yields (1) 9x13-inch cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup (8 TB) unsalted butter

1 TB agave syrup (or maple or honey)

5 large eggs

3/4 cups white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/8 tsp coconut extract)

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 cup white rice flour

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1, 13.5 oz can full-fat coconut milk

1, 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2 tsp lime zest (from 1 lime)

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Melt the butter and agave in the microwave. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs, sugar & vanilla on high speed until pale & thick, 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the bowl and continue mixing on low speed until full incorporated, 1-2 minutes or so, scraping down the bowl once or twice as you go. Pour in the butter & honey and mix briefly until fully blended.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth with a spatula and bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until it is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This is going to look like a shallow cake, don’t worry!

5. While the cake bakes, mix together the coconut milk, condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Whisk to break up any chunks of coconut cream and to make the mixture smooth. Spread the coconut flakes on a baking sheet and toast them for the last 6-8minutes of the cake baking. Remove both the cake and coconut flakes from the oven.

6. Use a toothpick to poke little holes all over the warm cake within 2-3 minutes of removing it from the oven. Now pour the milk mixture over the cake, slowly. It will look like a lot of milk and do not worry if the cake even floats up a little bit in the pan. 95% of that milk will be absorbed into the cake as it cools. Whatever does not get absorbed will form the lake in the bottom of the pan, which is what you are looking for. Allow the cake to cool completely.

7. Whip the cream and lime zest together until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream all over the cooled cake then sprinkle the toasted coconut on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!