Triple Coconut 'Tres Leches' Cake with Honey-Vanilla Summer Fruit (DF/GF)
 
 
This cake, from Alanna Taylor-Tobin's Alternative Baker, is one of the best I've ever eaten -- and it just happens to be both dairy- and gluten-free. While there's really only one milk involved (and coconut, at that), the custardy texture is truly reminiscent of a traditional tres leche cake. I think I might even prefer it to the original. :)
By:
Makes: 8-12 servings
Ingredients
  • For the Cake:
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • ¾ cup water
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup plus 2 T organic granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup sweet white rice flour
  • ⅓ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup millet flour
  • 1¼ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • For the Milk:
  • 3 T organic granulated cane sugar
  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
  • 2½ cups full fat, well-shaken canned coconut milk
  • pinch of fine sea salt
  • 3 T dark rum, optional (be sure to choose a gluten-free variety if you intend to keep the recipe GF)
  • For Finishing:
  • 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
  • 2-3 medium kiwi, peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons
  • 2 T honey
  • 1½ tsp Mexican vanilla
Instructions
  1. To make the cake: Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 325F. Line an ungreased 8-inch round baking pan with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, water, egg yolks, and vanilla, then whisk in ½ cup sugar. Place a strainer over the bowl and sift in the flours with the baking powder and salt, adding back in any bits left in the strainer. Whisk until completely smooth.
  3. In the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add in the remaining 2 T sugar and whip until the whites are glossy and just hold a firm peak, 1-3 mins.
  4. Use a flexible silicone to fold ⅓ of the whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining whites until just combined and no streaks remain. Immediately pour batter into prepared pan and bake until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 40-50 mins. Remove to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, make the milk mixture.
  5. To make the milk mixture: Place sugar in a medium saucepan and add the vanilla bean pod and scrapings. Use your fingertips to rub the seeds into the sugar to distribute them evenly. Stir in the coconut milk and salt. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10-20 minutes to infuse the vanilla. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve and into a heatproof bowl or jar. Let cool to warm, stirring occasionally to prevent skin from forming, then stir in the rum (if using).
  6. When the cake is cooled but still warm, slice it into wedges (you'll get 8 standard or 12 modest servings), leaving the cake in the pan, and poke all over with a slender chopstick or skewer. Slowly pour over 1½ cups of the coconut milk mixture, letting it absorb into the cake. Let cake cool completely at room temperature and then transfer both the cake and the extra vanilla-infused coconut milk to chill, at least an hour and up to a day or two.
  7. To finish the cake: preheat the oven to 325F. Spread the coconut flakes on a small baking sheet and toast until golden, 5 mins or so, keeping a very close on eye on them as soon as they start developing color.
  8. Combine the strawberries, kiwi, honey and Mexican vanilla in a small bowl.
  9. To serve, carefully remove a slice of cake from the pan and top with more of the chilled coconut milk, the honey-vanilla macerated fruit and the toasted coconut. Enjoy!
Notes
I've written the recipe almost exactly as printed in Alternative Baker with the exception of the topping, which is originally composed of mango and lime, as captured in Shelly's post, here.
Recipe by the pig & quill at https://thepigandquill.com/triple-coconut-tres-leches-cake/