Coconut Tres Leches Cake

4.71 from 34 votes

Coconut Tres Leches Cake is a sturdy sponge cake soaked in three milks and filled with a delicate whipped topping sprinkled with sweetened flaked coconut.

Prep Time35

Cook Time35

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake recipe, coconut

Servings: servings

Calories: 536kcal

Author: Julie Clark

Ingredients

For the toasted coconut:

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

For the cake:

5 large eggs separated at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar (divided)
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoons coconut extract
1 cup all-purpose flour lightly spooned into measuring cup then leveled
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

For the soaking liquid:

1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 can coconut milk (only use 1/2 cup of the liquid & save the cream) (13.66 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

For the frosting:

1 3/4 cups cold heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 heaping tablespoons coconut cream (from the canned milk above)
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Instructions

Toast the coconut:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown, stirring every 3 minutes, for a total of 8-12 minutes. 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

Make the cake:

Start by separating the egg yolks from the egg whites into two separate bowls. You'll add them at different points in the recipe. 5 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease and flour the bottom only of a 9-inch springform pan.
Beat the egg yolks only with 3/4 cup sugar until light in color and doubled in volume. Stir the milk and coconut extract into the yolk mixture. 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup whole milk, 1 teaspoons coconut extract
Mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and the remaining ¼ cup sugar until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter. Then fold in remaining egg whites. Be careful not to mix too much. The fluffy egg whites are what gives this cake its soft texture.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Allow to cool 10 minutes. Then poke holes in the top of the cake with a large fork.

Prepare the soaking liquid:

In a large bowl, combine the condensed milk, heavy cream and 1/2 cup of the liquid from the can of coconut milk. Save the cream for the topping. Mix in the coconut extract. Whisk vigorously until combined. 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 can coconut milk (only use 1/2 cup of the liquid & save the cream), 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
Pour the milk mixture over the warm cake while it is still in the pan. Cool cake completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until cold.

Filling and topping:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (this works best if your bowl is cold) with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar and coconut cream until it thickens and holds peaks. 1 3/4 cups cold heavy cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 heaping tablespoons coconut cream,
Fold in the shredded coconut. 3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
Loosen edge of cooled cake with knife before removing side of pan. Frost cake with the whipped cream, then top with the toasted coconut.

Notes

Store the cake covered in the refrigerator.

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 12 pieces, with 1 serving being 12 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition