Recipes
Chocolate and Coconut Tres Leches Cake
Toasted meringue and cocktail cherries complete this decadent rendition of the popular Latin American dessert.
- Makes
one 9-inch cake
- Time
2 hours
Spanish for “three milks,” tres leches is easily one of the most popular desserts in Latin America. As the name implies, recipes typically call for three different types of milk—evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk—to soak a freshly baked sponge cake. In this decadent riff on the classic, star baker and Pan y Dulce cookbook author Bryan Ford swaps out the whole milk for coconut milk, adds coconut flakes to the cake batter and topping, and introduces chocolate to the mix.
Adapted from Pan y Dulce: The Latin American Baking Book by Bryan Ford. Copyright © 2024. Available from Voracious.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- Vegetable oil, for greasing
- 1⅓ cups (175 g) all-purpose flour, sifted
- ½ cup (45 g) cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp. plus ¾ tsp. (17 g) baking powder
- 1 tsp. (3 g) kosher salt
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar, divided
- ¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. (200 g) full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tsp. (5 g) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (80 g) sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes
For the meringue:
- 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. (240 g) sugar
- 4 large egg whites
For the soaking liquid:
- ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (213 g) full-fat coconut milk
- ¾ cup plus 2 Tbsp. (213 g) evaporated milk
- ⅔ cup plus 1 tsp. (213 g) sweetened condensed milk
- Pinch cinnamon
For the topping:
- ½ cup (50 g) toasted coconut flakes
- Luxardo cherries or sliced red cherries (optional)
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Instructions
Step 1
Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with oil. Set aside.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3
To a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the egg yolks and ½ cup of the sugar and beat on medium until homogeneous, 1–2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and mix until completely incorporated. Scrape the egg yolk mixture into a separate bowl and set aside.
Step 4
Wash and dry the stand mixer bowl and switch to the whisk attachment. Add the egg whites and beat on medium, adding the remaining sugar halfway through, until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.
Step 5
Add half of the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and fold together until combined, about 2 minutes. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until homogeneous, then fold in the stiff egg whites and coconut flakes until fully incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
Step 6
Bake until the top cracks and domes, the cake doesn’t jiggle anymore, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20–30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.
Step 7
Make the meringue: To a medium pot fitted with a candy thermometer, add the sugar and ¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon of water (180 grams). Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continuously, until the temperature reads 240°F and the mixture starts to bubble up, about 12 minutes.
Step 8
Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high until frothy and stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. When the sugar mixture reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the egg whites with the mixer on medium-high and beat until creamy and firm with a stiff texture that holds its shape on the whisk, about 10 minutes. If it’s still runny and doesn’t hold onto the whisk, continue beating for 5–10 minutes more. Set aside.
Step 9
Make the soaking liquid: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cinnamon.
Step 10
Using a fork, poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Pour the soaking liquid directly onto the cake while still in the pan, making sure to pour slowly to let it absorb. Set aside for at least 1 hour.
Step 11
Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and pipe directly onto the top of the cake in your desired pattern. Using a kitchen blowtorch, brown the meringue all over. Top with the toasted coconut and cherries (if desired) and serve.
- Make the cake: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- To a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the egg yolks and ½ cup of the sugar and beat on medium until homogeneous, 1–2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and mix until completely incorporated. Scrape the egg yolk mixture into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Wash and dry the stand mixer bowl and switch to the whisk attachment. Add the egg whites and beat on medium, adding the remaining sugar halfway through, until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and fold together until combined, about 2 minutes. Fold in the remaining flour mixture until homogeneous, then fold in the stiff egg whites and coconut flakes until fully incorporated. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the top cracks and domes, the cake doesn’t jiggle anymore, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 20–30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and set aside to cool completely.
- Make the meringue: To a medium pot fitted with a candy thermometer, add the sugar and ¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon of water (180 grams). Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continuously, until the temperature reads 240°F and the mixture starts to bubble up, about 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high until frothy and stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. When the sugar mixture reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the egg whites with the mixer on medium-high and beat until creamy and firm with a stiff texture that holds its shape on the whisk, about 10 minutes. If it’s still runny and doesn’t hold onto the whisk, continue beating for 5–10 minutes more. Set aside.
- Make the soaking liquid: In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cinnamon.
- Using a fork, poke holes all over the surface of the cake. Pour the soaking liquid directly onto the cake while still in the pan, making sure to pour slowly to let it absorb. Set aside for at least 1 hour.
- Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag and pipe directly onto the top of the cake in your desired pattern. Using a kitchen blowtorch, brown the meringue all over. Top with the toasted coconut and cherries (if desired) and serve.
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