Toasted Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner and this would be a great cake to serve if you're throwing a party! Sadly, I won't be doing much this weekend in terms of "fun". Chris has a marathon on Saturday and after he's done, he and Tim are driving out to Colorado for the remainder of the weekend to spend time with their family and friends. They will be attending a Derby Party, since that's on Saturday as well, and on Sunday enjoy a long bike race.

Toasted Coconut Tres Leches Cake 

Recipe from Fine Cooking

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 eggs, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

Rum Whipped Cream:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoon dark rum
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup coconut, lightly toasted

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Line the bottom of the baking dish or pan with parchment and lightly butter the parchment.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl. With an electric mixer, beat the yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined, 1 minute more.
• Clean and dry the beaters and then beat the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until they reach soft peaks, 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a stream, continuing to beat on high, until you reach firm but not dry peaks, 1-2 minutes more. Whisk a third of the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in a third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and egg whites, alternately, in two more batches each, until fully incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the prepared dish or pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely.
• Return the cake to the baking dish.
• In a  saucepan, stir together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk, and salt until the milks are well blended. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring to avoid scorching, until it begins to bubble around the edges, 3-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof 4 cup measuring cup.
• With a toothpick, prick the cake to the bottom in 1/2 inch intervals. Pour the soaking liquid slowly over the cake, starting at the edges and pausing to let it soak in before adding more. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
• In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium speed. When it begins to thicken, slowly add the rum, sugar and vanilla and continue to beat just until it holds firm peaks, 3-4 minutes. Spread the whipped cream all over the top of the cake, scatter the coconut over the cream and serve.

Ashley