This Tres Leches Coconut Cake Is Vegan and Amazing
Every chef needs a dessert recipe . Even if you insist that you are more of a cook than a baker, even if you are turned off by the scales, table mixers, special flour and expensive silicone mats, I promise there is a recipe for you from the back pocket – and I think it should be cake.
The cakes are the best and I am here to tell you why. Unlike butter-based cakes, which require a hand or bench mixer to achieve the desired whipping level, butter cakes are hand-blended in one bowl in about five minutes. Plus, they are incredibly wet and stay that way for days, if not weeks, even in the fridge. If there’s a downside, buttery pie is too tender and too moist for a flaky pie, but those qualities are perfect for a fuss-free leafy cake that is the only type of cake I’ve ever gotten interested in cooking. (Or, frankly, to eat.) Puffs are perfect, that’s what I mean.
Better yet, in my opinion, is a subcategory of butter-based cakes known as ” wacky cakes .” These miracles without eggs and milk originated during the Great Depression, when animal products were difficult to obtain. Instead of beaten eggs, stupid cakes are fermented with baking powder and a little vinegar; their moisture comes from cheap vegetable oil instead of butter. They have short ingredient lists and are even easier to make than a standard butter pie: Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients. Bake. Oh, and they turned out to be vegans.
The love of my cake mad life is Smitten Kitchen’s Chocolate Cake , which uses strong coffee and fruity olive oil to enhance the flavor of even mediocre cocoa powder. However, thanks to a few unsuccessful rounds of experimenting with no-drain coconut based ice cream, I have a bit of excess coconut milk in my kitchen. So today we are making an equally delicious coconut version in the tres leches style.
The classic tres leches cake is my serious dessert weakness, but even though I’m blessed enough to be mostly lactose tolerant, it’s a lot of dairy products to take straight away. Since I’ve always liked the coconut-spiked versions of the classic drink, I figured replacing cream and condensed milk with an all-coconut-based version would work.
I was wrong, I was right. This cake is a coconut lover’s dream. Butter and coconut milk in batter means the crumb is soft, tender and firm. Soaking it in three different forms of coconut milk – sweetened condensed, thickened, and straight out of the can – basically turns it into a coconut-flavored truffle:
Top it off with a generous layer of ready-made whipped topping and a rain of toasted unsweetened coconut and you’ve got a cake that’s the best of all worlds: full-bodied, decadent, light, fluffy, crunchy and bursting from a full range of coconut flavors, from fresh and creamy to deep. toasted. It fits the bill for a great coconut cream pie, but it’s vegan and makes up a tenth of the work. Bring this to your next late summer BBQ and watch it disappear.
Tres Leches Vegan Coconut Cake
The base cake is adapted from a plush coconut cake from Smitten Kitchen . I use a blend of vegetable oil and ghee for texture reasons and I always, always add vanilla. Since this is a sheet cake, I also use a two-step baking technique to keep the top as flat as possible. If you start the cake at 325ºF, it will bake without a bubble; a quick burst of heat at the end reaches that golden brown crust we all love.
You will notice that there are no instructions for making the whipped coconut topping. This is because the success of whipped coconut cream depends on the fat and water content of your coconut milk, which is inconsistent not only from brand to brand, but also from can to can. Vegan whipped cream is readily available and guaranteed to work and taste great. (The frozen coconut whipped topping is just outrageous here, but I find it loves to melt, so keep that in mind when choosing topping.)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut or coconut flakes, shredded
- 3 13.5-ounce cans of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream
- 30 grams of sweetened condensed coconut milk
- 2 rounded cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 cup neutral vegetable oil, melted coconut oil, or a mixture
- 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Prepared coconut whipping cream or frozen whipped toppings for serving
Preheat oven to 325ºF and place coconut on baking sheet. Roast in oven until golden brown, about 5 minutes, then let cool. Watch out for them because they will burn out quickly. Transfer to an airtight container.
Shake the coconut milk jars thoroughly, measure out 1 1/2 cups from one of them and set aside. This portion is for cake dough; everything else is for soaking.
Pour the rest of the first can of coconut milk – you should be left with about 1/4 cup – plus another whole can into the saucepan and bring to a full boil over medium to high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds. Let cool slightly, then add the sweetened coconut milk condensed milk and the last full can of coconut milk.
While the coconut milk has subsided, make a pie. Lightly coat a quarter-sheet baking sheet or 9-inch round baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl until completely combined, then add 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Continue whisking until smooth. Scrape the dough into prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spoon or spatula.
Bake the cake at 325ºF until it hardens in the center but is still pale on the top and sides for at least 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the baking dish. Once the cake has set, increase the heat to 350ºF and bake until the cake is evenly golden brown, another 10-15 minutes.
Chill the cake completely in a skillet, then pierce it with a chopstick and pour the coconut milk mixture completely into the pan; leave coffee leftovers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Just before serving, pour your favorite toppings onto the cake and paint an attractive pattern with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle liberally with toasted coconut flakes and bury. Do I even need to tell you how good it is for breakfast with a cup of black coffee? I didn’t think so.