Eighty-Eight Years of Sweetness

Ok, ok... I promise this will be the last dessert recipe I post for a bit. I do not want to be held responsible for cavities or expanding waistlines. ;)

On Saturday, we had the great pleasure of celebrating a very special birthday: My grandma's 88th! She is something else, that lady.


Looking sassy... circa 1940-something.

Abuela has always been a great cook and baker, and she definitely instilled that same love for feeding others in me. Her Arroz con Pollo {Chicken & Rice} has reached semi-famous status around these parts, and pretty much anything that comes out of her kitchen is amazingly delicious. Grandmas just know how it's done.

For Abuela's birthday, I wanted to make her a special cake. Instead of baking a run-of-the-mill layer cake, I decided that a Tres Leches {Three Milks} cake would be perfect for the occasion. To give it a little extra flair, I turned it up a notch by making it a Coconut Tres Leches.

Tres Leches is basically a spongy vanilla cake that is doused with a sweet, creamy milk syrup made with... well... three milks, hence the name. The cake is perforated with little holes that drink up all that delicious richness and make for a moist, decadent dessert. To top it all off, a billowy meringue frosting is dolloped or piped over the cake. It's a milky spoonful of Heaven. Mmmm....

Traditionally, the three milks included in the mix are evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. For my recipe, I swapped out the condensed milk for coconut cream and used half and half instead of heavy cream just to lighten it up a tiny bit.

Horrible picture of the inside...
I was obviously ready for cake & pictures were an afterthought. :/

Surprisingly, the cake does not become soggy despite the addition of enough milk syrup to drown a small animal. {You will think that the cake is not going to absorb all the liquid when it is not visible under the sweet dairy pond, but it will. Have patience, grasshopper.} So, even though you may think "Ew, soaked cake?" I suggest you don't knock it before you've tried it. You'll definitely be missing out!

The birthday girl loved her cake, and while it certainly was sweet, nothing could be sweeter than my Abuelita. Happy Birthday! May God bless you today and always, as He has blessed us with your presence in our lives.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake
Cake Recipe from Alton Brown, Frosting Recipe from 3 Guys from Miami

For Cake:

• 6 3/4 ounces cake flour {approx 1 1/2 cups}
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces sugar {approx 1 cup}
• 5 whole eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine.

Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. {This will appear to be a very small amount of batter.} Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the syrup.


For Syrup:

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk {NOT condensed}
• 1 can Cream of Coconut {I used Goya brand}
• 1 cup half-and-half

Whisk together the evaporated milk, cream of coconut and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the mixture over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Frosting:

4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup {I only used 3/4 cup}
1 and 1/2 cups sugar {I only used 1 cup}

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a separate pan, mix the water, sugar, and corn syrup. Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reads 230°F. Remove from heat.

While beating the egg whites with an electric mixer, immediately pour the hot syrup into the egg whites; continue beating for about five minutes until thick and glossy.

Let frosting cool in refrigerator. Spread or pipe a thick layer of the frosting on the cake. To serve, cut individual squares, top with a red maraschino cherry, and serve cold. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.