Every dish that I make (and that subsequently appears on this here blog) is tried and tested by my toughest critic and ally: my husband, Brian. He is very, very honest in his reviews, which is a good thing but he isn’t necessarily eloquent in his replies. It usually comes down to:
a) not good (which translates into please don’t make it again…ever…again)
b) fairly decent (which means he’d eat it again in a pinch but it’s definitely not blog-worthy)
c) seriously awesome (which is food-talk for seriously awesome and the recipe is given the thumbs up to appear here)
When it came to this coconut tres leches cake (made with the ingenious make-ahead yellow cake mix), I didn’t even have time to ask Brian what he thought because he seriously took one bite, looked at me and said, “Wow, this is seriously awesome.” And then, this is where I knew it really was seriously awesome, he went on to say, “Best.Dessert.Ever.” And followed-up with a resounding, “I could eat this every day for the rest of my life.”
From the man of few words, this was shocking.
And so I must say to you: this dessert is seriously awesome. Best.Dessert.Ever. Make it every day for the rest of your life.
The cake is soaked in a coconut cream milk mixture that transforms this ordinary yellow cake into something positively decadent. Before you get worried about the soggy factor – listen up. I hate soggy foods. Oh, I loathe them. This cake, after chilling, turns more into a creamy, silky, cake-like pudding. It is velvety, sweet goodness that is absolutely irresistible. I must implore you to serve the cake with sliced bananas – the simple flavor of the bananas compliments the sweet cake in a way no other fruit could do.
Seriously awesome, people.
Coconut Tres Leches Cake
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version
*Note: the recipe calls for Cream of Coconut. This is different than canned coconut milk. I found Cream of Coconut easily in the Asian foods aisle at a large grocery store (but couldn’t find it at some smaller stores nor at Walmart) near the other cans of coconut milk. Several commenters have indicated it is a pretty easy find if you look in the alcoholic drinks/mixes section.
*Serves 12-16
INGREDIENTS:
Cake:
Make-ahead Yellow Cake Mix or other preferred cake mix or homemade yellow cake recipe
Milk Syrup:
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnishes:
2 medium-size ripe bananas
Sweetened cream (see instructions below)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted (spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake it at 350 degrees until golden brown, 7 minutes, or toast it in a skillet over medium-low heat on the stovetop)
DIRECTIONS:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set the baking dish aside. Place the make-ahead cake mix, 1 1/4 cups warm water and 2 large room-temperature eggs in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes (if using another cake mix or recipe, bake according to box or recipe instructions). Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake until it is lightly golden and is slightly pulling away from the edges, 30-34 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely, 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the milk syrup: in a blender, combine the cream of coconut, evaporated milk, cream, and vanilla and process until smooth.
Pierce the cooled cake all over the top with the tines of a fork or a thin wooden skewer. We are talking all over! The more pokes, the more the syrup will soak into the cake. Using a large spoon or ladle, spoon some of the milk syrup over the cake. Let the syrup soak into the cake, then continue spooning the syrup on top until all of it has been used up. When you have finished, not all of the syrup will be completely absorbed and might be pooling on the top but that’s ok because it will absorb as it refrigerates. Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until all of the syrup is absorbed, 2 hours. Cut the bananas, if using crosswise into ¼-inch slices. Slice the cake and serve it with sliced bananas, sweetened cream and toasted coconut, if desired.
Sweetened Cream:
Pour 1 cup heavy whipping cream into a large (preferably chilled) glass bowl and beat it on high speed until thickened 1 ½ minutes. Stop the machine and add ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Makes 2 cups.
Recipe Source: adapted from The Dinner Doctor
{ 76 comments… read them below or add one }
Brilliant. I love tres leches but have never used coconut. Perfect!
I think it is so sweet that Brian is your food critic (for your blog posts)! Wow…this recipe must be really good to deserve so much feedback from him!
I have never really liked tres leches cake (too soggy for me), but your description of this cake sounds heavenly! The coconut milk, toasted coconut and the bananas really set this recipe apart from the traditional tres leches cake (as well as your make ahead yellow cake mix!). If you (and Brian) love it, I am sold! Thanks for sharing with us, Mel!
I just enjoyed a piece of tres leche cake this last weekend at Cafe Rio while in Utah – I love it!! Can’t wait to try it at home now. How strong is the coconut flavor – have a few non coconut lovers at our house?
i can’t wait to try this. i have never made tres leches cake because of the soggy factor, but this one looks like a keeper~
I absolutely love tres leche cake (I just made it for the first time last month) and I LOVE coconut. What a great combination! I will be trying this for sure. Thank you!
You’re lucky to have a good critic! My man will eat anything, even if it fails. He even eats my cupcakes when they sink in the middle.
Yum! This looks fabulous!!! Now I need a reason to make this so I don’t eat it all myself!
Wow! This looks absolutely delicious! I love coconut– In fact, I make your coconut cream pie recipe ALL.THE.TIME, so I’m really anxious to try this. Your recipies never disappoint!
This sounds so good. I will definitely make this one…maybe this weekend. Also, if you can’t find cream of coconut at your store just add a bunch of sugar to regular coconut milk, that’s all cream of coconut is. It will work great!
This looks really good. We all love coconut so I’ll have to try it. Also, I have found cream of coconut at several stores by the alcoholic drink mixes. Wierd place but I guess it is used to make drinks.
Totally trying this on my new husband for our next special occasion. Sounds TO DIE FOR! Also – if you have any recommendations on an easy (non-flambe) Bananas Foster, I’d love to hear it!
Every store I have been to sells Cream of Coconut including Wal-Mart but you have to look in the mixed drinks section it’s not normally with the coconut milk. Just thought I would let you know so people don’t spend to much time looking for it. I use it for coconut ice cream. Yum! I will defiantly have to give this recipe a try.
Janeil
I tried Tres Leches Cake recently and thought it was ok, but a bit bland. But will be absolutely thrilled to try this with the coconut, etc…..it just seems to up the taste into a heavenly place
)
Thank you!!
Janet
Thanks for the tips on where to find cream of coconut!
This looks involved (which I usually stay away from). This also looks really good…totally awesome. Thank you for inspiring me. I will make it.
I make a similar cake with only cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk. It is to die for! I’ll have to give your’s a shot. It looks equally, if not more, satisfying.
omg. this looks awesome (seriously!). i wanted to let you know that most of the time, if your supermarket has a liquor section, the cream of coconut will be in there…ya know..because people like pina coladas, i guess. it doesn’t make sense to me either but it’s there.
Hi,
I am from Australia, and discovered your amazing food blog by accident. I am so very, very pleased to have found it.
I would love to try this cake but noticed there is no added sugar to the soaking milks. Other recipes use condensed milk, which is the sweetener.
Where does the sweetness come from in this recipe? Also we have cans of coconut cream (just thicker than coconut milk – not sweet though)…would that be the same as your cream of coconut?
Thanks again for taking the time to share with the world…even down here in Australia.
Regards
Angela
You had me at coconut. This will be made. Oh yes, it will be made.
Angela – thanks for your comment! No, there is no added sugar in the milk syrup with this particular tres leches cake. Chalk it up to me being just so healthy! Uh, that was a joke of course.
That particular fact is actually what I liked best about it – the finished cake wasn’t over-the-top sweet but there is definitely enough sugar in the actual cake and in the sweetened whipped cream to give it a perfect balance. I think the coconut cream you are referring to would make a great substitution. I hope that helps!
This does look seriously good! Do you think it would be okay to make the night before? Or would you want to serve it the same day?
so wait. are you saying this particular breed of cake is seriously awesome? don’t be so subtle about it next time!
tremendous, mel–i don’t usually go for soggy piles of stuff either, but i love tres leches cakes and i ADORE coconut in anything. this’ll be making its debut in my kitchen soon!
I’m a fan of Tres Leches…I’ve never made it with a cake mix though. I’m sure willing to try, although I think I’ll miss my condensed milk, which was always one of my ingredients. Mine is soggier too…and really, really rich.
Going to try your recipe, Mel.
Robyn – the cake needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours, so my gut says you could make it the night before, however, ideally, I think it should be made the morning or afternoon of – just to give it enough time to soak up all the syrup and chill for a bit. The leftovers we ate the next day were good, but not as good as the day of.
WONDERFUL recipe! This was sooooo good! What we liked about it was that it wasn’t too sweet like a lot of tres leche cakes are. This is definetly a keeper!!!
We have a very similar cake on Clouse Cousins Cookin’ that uses strawberries instead of bananas and sweetened condensed milk combined with the cream of coconut for the mixture poured on the cake. It is also delicious! I’m excited to try your version now! Thanks for the recipe. http://clousecousinscookin.blogspot.com/2009/05/coconut-strawberry-cake.html
uh oh, i am in soooo much trouble. i loooooove tres leches but with added coconut and banana? i will pretend i never saw this delightful recipe. ☺ actually, i will, and i will probably make it for next week bbq. ha! thanks for the yumminess!
Kara – that’s the exact reason I loved this – not too sweet but definitely decadent. Thanks for letting me know it was a hit!
I made this cake the other day and it is amazing! The cake is big enough to share with several people, but my husband and I have been keeping it to ourselves.
I didn’t make the topping and it still tastes fantastic. It has kept well in the fridge and I think the flavor has gotten better over the past couple of days. Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Like Janeil posted, cream of coconut can be found by the pina cola drink mixes in almost any store. I have my cake cooling right now and am about to pour on the coconut mixture. Can’t wait this smells so good! Thanks Melanie!
Ruchita – I’m thrilled this cake turned out so well for you! Thanks for your review.
I am so excited to try this! Since I am away from home, I don’t want to buy all the ingredients to make the homemade cake mix, so I’m buying one. Will one box mix equal the amount you have here? Or do I need to double it???
Thanks!
-Stacie
Stacie – a store-bought yellow cake mix, baked and cooled, is the exact substitute for the homemade yellow cake mix. So buy one cake mix and you are good to go!
Great, thanks
This was yum yum! I used coconut milk instead of cream of coconut, since my store didn’t have it. It turned out perfectly, although I would like to know what the actually version tastes like. Everyone loved it! (I even used a box cake mix). My hubby said it was the BEST Tres Leches cake he’s ever had. He’s not a big cake eater either.
Thanks!
We worship coconut in our house. Seriously. I’ll have to make this for Father’s Day! Thanks!
Stacie – good to know coconut milk worked out just as well for you, although if you ever make it again with cream of coconut you’ll have to let me know any differences you can detect. Glad your husband gave it high praises!
Uh oh… HELP!! I made it tonight for a bbq that we had but it never soaked into my cake. It’s still “flooded” over. Has this happened to anyone?
Marcela – Did you let it sit in the fridge for a few hours to let the cake soak up all the milk? It will appear “flooded” at first, but after a few hours, the milk should absorb into the cake. If it has been in the fridge for a few hours and still isn’t soaking up but you have a few hours yet before you serve it, try taking a skewer and poking more holes in the cake. This cake absorbs best when there are millions of little holes to let the liquid seep in.
I hope that helps! (If you are in a crunch and don’t have time to try anything else, take a spoon and scoop off the excess liquid so you can at least serve it still.)
I made this last night and it was delicious! After reading some of the comments I was a little worried it would be soggy, but it wasn’t. I will definitely make this one again!
Hillary – I’m glad that despite your reservations this cake turned out well for you!
Let me first just say that I absolutely love you and your website! You inspire me with all of your cooking adventures and I don’t do any meal planning without first opening up to your site to have in front of me. Thank you!
Just a note: I went in search of cream of coconut and I have found it (Smith’s and Walmart, so far) in the wine section where the mixes and such are. Know where I mean? I’ve never seen it by the canned coconut milk and I had to ask at the store. Since then, I find it easily in that section.
Thanks, Brittany! I’ve found it in the Asian foods aisle at only one grocery store and everywhere else, I’ve had to look in the “drink mix” section by the alcohol.
No words can describe how amazing this cake was!! Nobody that ate it could stop at one piece… We topped ours with ripe pineapple and it was like the ultimate pina colada in cake form. Truly delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Thanks, Susie! I think the fresh pineapple sounds absolutely divine!
Yup. Delicious. Here’s my question though–Where has cream of coconut been all my life? Holy cats that stuff is good. So good in fact, that I think next time I make it I would double the amount of cream of coconut in place of the evaporated milk because I felt like once it was all absorbed the coconut flavor wasn’t quite as strong as I wanted. But with the toasted coconut, bananas and cream on top it was just divine.
I made it tonight and it was a hit. It wasn’t as coconut-y as I expected, but I thought it had the perfect amount of sweetness. I love the idea of using fresh pineapple on top. I can’t wait to try that.
Heather – I’m so glad you liked this cake! Thanks for letting me know.
Reyna – it sounds like others felt like it could be more coconut-y also, so I agree with you, perhaps doubling the cream of coconut is the key. Can you even imagine all the other wonderful applications for cream of coconut?
I Stumbled on this page… and i just wanted to let you know that this cake was HEAVEN. Now, I had to make some adjustments, since I could not for the life of me find cream of coconut, so… I used full flavor coconut milk, and instead of evap milk, I used sweetened condensed, since it was thicker. It turned out so good that I almost hid it and did not share! Thank you for this delicious recipe. I WILL be making it again… and again…. and again!
Thanks, Lili – I love your changes!
This looks wonderful! and I LOVE coconut! Will be making it this coming week!
I knew i would find something here that would kick me right in the rear. I LOVE tres leche cakes.. the photo reached out and grabbed me. I AM making this tomorrow. I’ll have to change the cream of coconut for coconut milk and condensed milk mixed together.
And your banana bread is flying around facebook like crazy… everyone loves it.
I made this dessert today, and while it wouldn’t win any awards for appearance, it was mighty delicious. I used the your make-ahead yellow cake recipe and the outside edges rose and cooked to a beautiful golden brown, but the center remained flat, though not wet enough to say that it didn’t cook, but it was extremely dense. I followed your directions and poked a jillion holes for the coconut syrup, but the center of the cake never absorbed it. I let it sit in the fridge for five hours hoping for a miracle to occur, but in the end my cake was a gooey wet mess; however, the flavors were delightful all the same and I served it in a bowl instead of on a plate.
Meredith – hmmm…it’s strange that the liquid didn’t absorb, it must have been related to how dense the cake baked up. But kudos to you for rescuing the dessert anyway. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavors!
I am making this for a potluck later this week (Thursday). How far in advance do you think I can make it and keep in the fridge? I already made up the dry portion of the cake mix and it is in the fridge.
Also, I found two brands of cream of coconut at my local Kroger. They are with the “cocktail mixers.” Apparently the stuff makes a mean pina colada.
Tanya – I would say you could make this 24 hours in advance. Maybe a day and a half if you are pushing it. While it is supposed to be a “moist” cake it tends to get a little soggy if it sits too long (the leftovers we had weren’t very good by day 2-3).
I made this cake yesterday (one of TWO cakes from your site that my husband requested for his birthday) and it was great! It took me all week and 5 grocery stores to find the cream of coconut, and thank the heavens I finally read on the comments to look in the alcoholic drink mix section, there it was all along.
The cake turned out delicious! I used a boxed yellow cake mix and forgot the banana garnish, but still didn’t think there was room for improvement. The toasted coconut can’t be underestimated, it added a great texture, and completed the coconut flavor. Thank you for another great recipe! I will be making this one again.
Amber – that’s dedicated searching to look through five stores. I’ll have to add the tip on where to find it to the recipe. Glad the cake turned out great for you and I agree on the toasted coconut – it wouldn’t be the same without it!
Made it tonight for a potluck — LOADS of compliments and recipe requests (I am sending them the link to here). THANKS!
Thanks, Tanya! So glad this was a hit for your potluck!
Love your site and can’t wait to try this cake! I live in Utah and have had the hardest time finding the cream coconut. I finally caved and just got coconut milk today. If anyone in utah has found the cream coconut, please let me know what store and where! I haven’t found it with the asian isle and there isn’t really mix drink stuff in Utah stores as alcohol, other than beer, isn’t really sold in grocery stores here. Thanks again for the amazing recipe!
made this for Thanksgiving & it ROCKED!!! best stuff ever! thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks, Valerie!
Mel,
You are the best! I made this for my bf’s birthday and it was all the rave. =) As with some others, had a hard time finding “Cream of coconut” but finally found it at “Superior Market”. Heads up, seems the 99 cent store sells it and so does Bevo. I’ll be storing this recipe for sure! Thanks!
Briana – I’m thrilled this cake worked out for your boyfriend’s birthday – thanks for the tips on the cream of coconut!
I am making this tomorrow morning for a dinner tomorrow night. Will reply back at how it worked. In answer to Julia, my local store has the drink mixers by the soda, not in the isle that has beer. Give it a try. I find it everywhere. One brand name is Coco Lopez. You’re store employees will know. : )
Thanks again Mel for another delicious recipe. Just had this last week and really enjoyed it. Reminded me of Mexico and the warm weather. Here’s my post on it. http://hobbiesmakemehappy.blogspot.com/2011/02/coconut-tres-leches-cake.html
Can’t wait to try some more recipes!
Made this cake yesterday. Your husband is right about being able to eat this everyday. It was SOOO GOOD! We had guests over and they said they would have paid to eat this cake and that it was now their favorite cake. Loved it! Thanks again for another great recipe.
Hi Mel – I’m trying this recipe today. I’ve already baked the cake and poured the milk mixture all over the cake; now its in the fridge. My question: Is the sweetened cream going to be ok to spread over the top like a frosting?
I hope my guest will love it as much as you husband enjoyed your cake. Thanks for the recipe.
Becky – yes, you could probably spread the sweetened whipped cream all over the top. I don’t see why not! Hope everyone loved this!
I LOVE this cake! I crave the Tres Leches Cake served at the Cafe Rio restaurant chain (we have them here in Utah, so sorry if you don’t have one!). And this recipe is just as good. And it is so easy. The tricky part is waiting until an appropriate event to make it, because if there aren’t fellow partiers to share it with, I WILL finish the whole cake myself over 3-4 days. I recently made it for my birthday cake and everyone loved it, children and adults. We ate it with fresh strawberries and peaches–like, picked-off-my-tree-between-dinner-and-dessert FRESH. Soooo yummy!
In response to Julia, who asked about finding Cream of Coconut in Utah. I found it at my local grocer, Ream’s in Springville. But that is not a chain store, it is locally owned. In my store they stock it in the beverage aisle by the soda and bottled water in a tiny mixed drink section. It’s worth it to search for.
made this last night and it ROCKS! yum!! i keep finding myself standing in the fridge, snagging bites with my fingers.
i couldn’t find the cream of coconut (should have looked in the comments for the mixed drink aisle tip!) so i used lite coconut milk and it worked fine. still had a nice hint of coconut.
Oh my word delicious! I’m so glad I found this recipe
the only change I made was instead of plain whipped cream, I made coconut whipped cream! Very good especially for those that want a more coconut-y flavor! You just take a can of coconut milk and refrigerate it for a few hours, then take the cream only part and whip it up like regular cream. I also took half the whipped coconut cream and about 3 oz of cream cheese and whipped slightly sweetened cream cheese until light and fluffy, added vanilla bean paste (my new favorite thing), then folded in the coconut whipped cream! To die for!
I made this as my birthday cake (cause that’s how I roll) and it was a big hit. Unfortunately, I forgot the bananas when I served it originally, and that’s a shame because they were really delicious when I remembered them the next day. I wish now that I had read Jnl2211′s comment about coconut whippped cream – that sounds great! Thanks for the recipe and for making a very happy birthday
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