Coconut Almond Tres Leches Cake

It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! In America we celebrate this holiday as if it is our own celebration. It’s so fun to have tacos and margaritas and chips and guac and everything else that comes along with Cinco de Mayo celebrations. But last night I came across a video on Facebook that made me stop and think about the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo. I encourage to take a look. As fun as it is to celebrate, it’s also important to know what we are celebrating and to be mindful of Mexican culture. As a black woman, I’d expect the same thing from people when celebrating my culture.

This year I am celebrating Cinco de Mayo with girlfriends. We are actually celebrating today because well #MomLife.

So happy Cinco de Mayo Eve!

Enjoy my take on Tres Leches cake, and remember we don’t have to reserve celebrating Mexican culture for this one day. And while you’re celebrating, remember to recognize all of the contributions Mexicans and Mexican Americans have made to our country.

What you need:

For the cake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 12 oz can evaporated milk
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup coconut milk

For the whipped topping

• 1 pint Heavy Cream , for Whipping
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• ground cinnamon, for topping

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Lightly spray a 9×13” pan with non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In 2 medium bowls, separate the eggs.

5. Add 3/4 cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add the 1/3 cup milk and almond extract and stir to combine.

6. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (do not over-mix).

7. Beat your egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar as you mix and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
8. Fold your egg whites into the batter gently, just until combined.
9. Pour your batter into the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely.

12. Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.

13. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, near the edges, and all around.

14. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.
15. While you wait, whip the heavy cream, sugar, almond extract and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
16. Smooth the whipped cream over the top of the cake.
17. Sprinkle cinnamon on top.

FYI: It’s a pain to get this cake cut into nice little squares. I’d suggest just serving it from the pan and letting folks scoop it out themselves. But if you want to be fancy, do it at your own risk 😉