Coconut Kiwi Tres Leches Cake

This idea is a rift off of Tres Leches Pastel that I created for Miguel’s dad’s birthday. I adapted the recipe from the Three Guys from Miami.

Start with the sponge cake:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk (don’t accidentally use a full cup, or if you do, know that with a little extra baking time you can totally salvage this cake!)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Beat the whites until very foamy and frothy. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer (or not as in my case. I used a whisk). Continue mixing and slowly add the milk. Then start adding the flour mixture, a little at a time, until all the flour is incorporated and the batter is smooth. Finally, use a spatula to gently fold in the beaten egg whites until completely mixed.
Pour batter into a greased and lightly floured 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Split in half if you want a layered cake.

Now here’s the exciting part! Prepare the milk mixture:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk

Whisk these ingredients together, pierce the top of the cake all over with a fork, and pour away. You’ll need to be patient and wait as the cake soaks up the milk mixture. There maybe be some puddlage at the bottom of the plate, that’s ok. Cover and refridgerate overnight.

If you have two halves of a cake, use one for the bottom, covering it in a thick layer of kiwi slices. Top with second layer. This can be tricky since the cake is extremely moist and heavy with the milk mixture. I used two spatulas and a lot of nerve. Then I whipped up some slightly sweetened whipped cream for the frosting!

I think it came out fantastic considering I made up the variation to the recipe and I messed up on the amount of milk in the cake. I’m sure yours will turn out even lovlier. You can definately taste the coconut milk and it pairs wonderfully with kiwi.