Coconut tres leches with toasted meringue
A coconut dream, if I may! This cake did not last long in my house. This milky cake is a staple throughout Latin America. Soaked in three milks, or tres leches, the result is an ultra delightful treat.
I’ve added coconut milk to the milks and the subtle coconut flavor is lovely and light. There’s pillowy meringue with vanilla beans and toasted coconut - oh my!
You’ll need a 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) baking dish.
Ingredients:
Coconut tres leches:
1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 oz
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk, canned, full-fat
2/3 cup evaporated milk, full-fat
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, caster or granulated
1/4 tsp fine cooking salt
6 large eggs
Vanilla meringue with toasted coconut:
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar, caster or granulated
3 tsp vanilla extract, with seeds
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup toasted desiccated coconut
Method:
Start this recipe the day before serving, so you can leave the cake in the fridge overnight to absorb all the delicious milk mixture!
Prep: preheat the oven to 325F/162C and grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with cooking oil spray or butter all over the sides and base.
Crack eggs: separate the eggs and yolks from all 6 eggs, adding each into separate mixing bowls.
Beat yolks and sugar: add yolks to large mixing bowl and add sugar. Beat using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer on medium speed until the sugar has dissolved and the yolk mixture is thick and fluffy.
Whip egg whites: beat egg whites in a clean medium mixing bowl (if using the same stand mixer or bowl as before with the yolks, make sure to transfer the yolks elsewhere and clean the whisk and bowl throughly). Whip on medium-high speed for 10 minutes or until stiff peaks form! So if you pull the whisk away, the peak remains standing tall.
Fold the whites into the yolks: working super gently, you want to use a silicone spatula here and fold in half of the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the outsides into the center, to keep as much aeration as possible. When only a few white spots remain, fold in the other half of the whipped egg whites and continue until only a few white spots remain.
Sift the flour in: add flour and salt to a sieve and sift over the eggs. Gently fold the sifted flour into the eggs, until there are no visible pockets of dry flour remaining and the batter is just combined.
Bake: pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, you’ll notice the sides pulling away from the pan, which is totally normal. Whisk together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and coconut milk until well combined in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Soak: using a fork or a wooden skewer, poke a bunch of tiny holes all around the top of the cake. Pour the milk mixture evenly all over top the cake, making sure to coat all the corners too. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. By pure lack of time, I did two nights in the fridge and it turned out so good. Though that’s unnecessary, just know that it won’t get soggy. One night is perfect.
The next day.
Making the meringue: add egg whites, vanilla, sugar and cream of tartar to a heat-safe mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Place over a pot of simmering water and stir constantly, until the sugar is dissolved, or reaches 160F. Remove from the heat and whip using an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed for 5-10 minutes or until thick and glossy.
Serve: I like to individually top each slice with meringue and then toast it with the blow torch, though you can do the entire cake all at once too. If you want to do it individually, portion the slices of cake and place them on individual plates. Place 2 tbsp of meringue on top of a slice of cake and using a blow torch, go over the top and sides of the meringue until golden brown. Top with toasted desiccated coconut. Enjoy!
