This light and springy coconut tres leches cake is soaked in coconut milk syrupy goodness and then topped with crunchy coconut, lime zest, and boozy whipped cream. And it’s so good!
The Best Coconut Tres Leches Cake Recipe
If you’ve never had one, a tres leches cake is a traditional Mexican dessert made of a sponge cake that’s been soaked for hours in a syrup made from three types of milk, hence the tres leches name. It’s then topped with whipped cream and often, fresh strawberries.
Here in Southern California, tres leches cakes are super popular. In general, though, I am not the biggest fan. I often find the cakes are super soggy, which really grosses me out, and/or too sweet.
But this one is spongy with a texture that is similar to an angel food cake. And it holds up really well while soaking in the coconut milk syrup for hours. And yep, it has just the right amount of sweetness. Plus, a little extra tang from the lime zest and of course, the rum whipped cream.
Coconut Lime Tres Leches Cake Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this coconut rum tres leches cake.
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
- BAKING POWDER
- KOSHER SALT
- EGGS
- SUGAR
- WHOLE MILK
- PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
- SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
- UNSWEETENED COCONUT MILK
- HEAVY CREAM
- DARK RUM
- POWDERED SUGAR
- FRESH LIME ZEST
- FLAKED OR SHREDDED UNSWEETENED COCONUT
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Tips for Making this Cake:
Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re making this cake.
- SOAKING TIME: Just a heads up. This cake needs to soak for 2-24 hours before serving.
- CAKE TEXTURE: The texture of this cake is very spongy. When it’s baking, it will not set up like a normal cake but will have a texture that’s more like a springy, angel food cake.
- RUM: The whipped cream topping contains rum. If you’d rather leave it out, just replace it with a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- SERVING & STORAGE: While best served shortly after assembly, the cake will last, covered, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
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Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Rum Whipped Cream
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12–16 servings 1x
Description
This tropical take on a tres leches cake is soaked in a coconut milk syrupy goodness and then topped with crunchy coconut, lime zest, and boozy whipped cream.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Milk Soaking Syrup:
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk ( I used Native Forest)
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- Pinch kosher salt
For the Topping:
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum, to taste
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest (or to taste)
- 1 cup flaked or shredded unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted
Instructions
For the Cake:
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking dish with a baking spray (or use butter) and then line the bottom of the baking dish with parchment. Spray (or butter) the parchment paper.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
- BEAT EGG YOLKS & SUGAR: Next, separate the eggs: put the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl. Using 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 MILK & VANILLA: Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined, 1 minute more.
- BEAT EGG WHITES + REMAINING SUGAR: Next, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until they reach soft peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue to beat on high, until you reach firm but not glossy, dry peaks, about 1 to 2 minutes more.
- WHISK IN DRY INGREDIENTS: Then whisk in a third of the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Next, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in a third of the egg whites. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and egg whites, alternately, in two more batches each, until fully incorporated.
- BAKE: Pour the batter into the prepared dish or pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. The cake will be very springy.
- COOL: Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, and then invert it onto the cooling rack. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely. When the cake is cool, return it to the baking dish or pan (my preferred method), or invert it onto a rimmed dish or platter.
- MAKE SYRUP: While the cake is cooling, make the soaking syrup. In a medium saucepan, stir together the condensed milk, whole milk, coconut milk, and salt until well blended. Cook over medium-low heat, gently stirring to avoid burning, until bubbles begin to form around the edges, about 3-5 minutes. Don’t boil it. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a heatproof 4-cup measuring cup to cool slightly.
- ADD TO CAKE: Using a toothpick or a skewer, prick the cake, going all the way through the bottom, in approximately 1/2-inch intervals. Pour the soaking liquid slowly over the cake, pausing to let it soak in before adding more. You might not need all of the syrup.
- SOAK: Cover loosely and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
- ASSEMBLE: When ready to serve, use an electric mixer to whip the cream, 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, the rum, and the vanilla extract together until soft peaks form. Stir in the lime zest (reserving some to sprinkle on top. Adjust for taste and then spread the whipped cream over the cake. Next, sprinkle the toasted coconut over top.
- SERVE & STORAGE: You can serve immediately or keep it covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes + 2 hours chill
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Mexican