About This Coconut Tres Leches Cake
If you’re looking for a fresh twist on a classic Latin American dessert, this coconut tres leches cake delivers big flavor with a tropical touch. As a seasoned baker, I’ve tested dozens of variations, and this one stands out for its perfect balance of richness and lightness.
Instead of a traditional sponge, this version uses a coconut milk-based cake that stays incredibly moist after soaking overnight in three milks—coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Finished with a cloud of whipped cream and a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes, it’s a showstopper that’s surprisingly easy to make!
For more delicious sheet cake recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Cake Recipe collection! Popular recipes include this Guava Chiffon Cake with Guava Cream Cheese Frosting and this Texas Sheet Cake Recipe for 9 x 13 Inch Pan.
This coconut tres leches cake is based on a classic tres leches cake recipe by my friend Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen.
Ingredient Recommendations
- Canned Coconut Milk. There are many types of coconut milk available in grocery stores. You can buy shelf-stable coconut milk in cans, or perishable coconut milk in cartons in the refrigerated aisle. For baking and cooking, it’s best to stick with canned coconut milk—that’s usually what recipes mean when they call for “coconut milk”. My personal favorite is Arroy-D coconut milk.
- Coconut Extract. Coconut extract is similar to vanilla extract; however, its primary flavor is coconut! Unlike vanilla extract, which can be artificially flavored or made from vanilla beans, most coconut extracts are artificially flavored. You can typically find a bottle of coconut extract in the baking aisles of most major grocery stores. In a pinch, I rely on McCormick since it’s easy to find in most grocery stores. However, if you don’t mind sourcing an ingredient online, I recommend Watkins.
- Coconut Flakes. In a pinch, you can use sweetened flaked coconut instead of coconut flakes in this coconut tres leches cake recipe.
Making The Recipe Fit Your Schedule
In case you somehow missed it, I wrote a cookbook about how to turn any baking project into a weeknight baking project. What does that mean, exactly? That means taking recipes that usually take all day in the kitchen (I’m looking at you, pie and layer cakes) and breaking them up into multi-day components where you’re only working in the kitchen for 30 to 60 minute segments.
This coconut tres leches cake recipe lends itself particularly well to that format. I recommend making the cake and soaking it the day before serving. On the day you’re planning to serve the cake, make the whipped cream and assemble the cake. Here’s what that looks like:
- Day One: Make the Cake, Make the Coconut Tres Leches Soak, and Soak the Cake!
This is where the lion’s share of the work will be. It takes about an hour to make the cake and soak (including Bake Time). Then, you’ll need to let the cake cool before soaking it. - Day Two: Make the Coconut Whipped Cream, and Serve!
All in all, making the whipped cream and swooping it on the cake should take less than 10 minutes.
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Help! My egg whites wouldn’t whip to peaks. They stayed liquid even despite whipping for ages! What did I do wrong?
Did you start with a clean and dry mixer bowl? Egg whites won’t whip if your mixer bowl has any kind of liquid, fat, or soap residue leftover from an earlier step in the recipe or from storage. That’s why in the recipe, I instruct you to whip the egg whites first—this ensures that the bowl is clean and dry!
Help! My cake wouldn’t absorb the tres leches soak. What did I do wrong?
First things first: did you overwhip the egg whites? The recipe instructs you to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks—check out the baker’s notes below on how to test if you’ve whipped them to the right consistency. However, if you go too far, the egg whites will eventually come out VERY stiff and almost clumpy. You can see what that looks like in this Martha Stewart YouTube video. Food52 also has a great article on how to diagnose overwhipped egg whites, and what to do if you’ve gone overboard. But for this recipe, you can tell you’ve overwhipped them if it takes you a long time to fold them into the rest of the ingredients (and despite all your work, you still have some stubborn lumps that won’t go away).
Second of all: did you wait until the cake was completely cooled before soaking? I mentioned above that you’ll need to cool the cake completely before soaking it in the tres leches soak. Doing so gives the cake a sponge-like quality that allows it to soak all the liquids completely. If you soaked the cake while it was still warm, there’s a chance that the structure hadn’t set fully and will never be able to because of the soak! Also, your cake might be too soggy and I’m sorry.
And third: how much leftover soak are we talking about here? If the cake absorbed 80% of the liquid and you’re only left with a thin layer of milk in the pan, don’t panic. That’s totally normal and is actually desirable in some tres leches cake recipes!
Can you freeze tres leches cake?
Yes, but only the cake. Specifically: you can make the sponge cake, cool it completely, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator, then follow the recipe’s instructions for soaking the cake and topping with whipped cream.
DO NOT SOAK OR TOP THE CAKE BEFORE FREEZING—you’ll end up with a sad, soggy mess if you do.
My Best Recipe Tips
About Canned Coconut Milk
- Canned coconut milk typically separates into two distinct layers: coconut cream and coconut water. So before using in this recipe, give your can of coconut milk a vigorous shake to incorporate the two layers. Don’t be afraid to do so vigorously! If the coconut milk is unincorporated, your tres leches soak might come out lumpy.
My Secret Pro Baking Techniques
- When making the cake, you’ll need to prep your eggs by separating them into whites and yolks. The most efficient way is to crack each egg one at a time into a bowl, separate the yolk from the egg white, and pour the egg white into the bowl of the stand mixer. Why? You’ll be whipping those egg whites in the recipe—might as well save yourself a bowl!
- You’ll notice that the recipe instructs you to whip the egg whites to “stiff peaks.” The best way to determine the egg whites’ texture is to do a test with the whisk attachment. Dip the tip of the whisk into the egg whites, remove it, and quickly turn it upside down. If the egg whites are too soft, they will slide off the whisk, and you’ll need to keep whisking. If the egg whites have a cloud-like structure but with peaks that lose their shape, you’re at the “soft peaks” stage. Continue whisking, then test again. If, the next time you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks hold, you’re at the “stiff peaks” stage. This is what you need for the cake! You can also apply this same test when making the whipped cream.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Coconut Sponge Cake
- 1 ½ cups (6.75 ounces or 191 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) coconut milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons coconut extract
- 6 large eggs, separated into whites and yolks
- 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
For the Coconut Milk Tres Leches Soak
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) coconut milk
For the Toasted Coconut and Whipped Cream Topping
- ½ cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) coconut flakes
- 1 ½ cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) cold heavy cream
- ¼ cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) confectioners' sugar
Instructions
For the Coconut Tres Leches Cake:
- First, make the cake. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray a 9 x 13-inch cake pan with cooking spray.
- Mix the dry and wet ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small liquid measuring cup or pitcher, whisk together the coconut milk and coconut extract.
- Whisk the egg whites. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites. Whisk on low speed for 1 minute, then turn the mixer up to medium-high. Whisk until stiff peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Use a wooden spoon or ladle to carefully scoop the egg whites into a medium bowl—be careful not to deflate them!
- Whisk the egg yolks, then add the wet ingredients. Pour the egg yolks into the stand mixer bowl (there's no need to clean the bowl!) and add the sugar. Whisk on medium until pale yellow and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer to low and slowly pour in the milk mixture, whisking until just combined.
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the egg yolk mixture, then use a rubber spatula to fold in the ingredients until just combined. Scoop half of the egg whites over the mixture and fold them in with the spatula. Repeat with the remaining egg whites and fold them in until no major lumps of egg white remain and the mixture is just combined. At this point, it will be a very light and fluffy cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
- Bake the cake. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the top of the cake bounces back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack completely before soaking. The cake will shrink as it cools—this is normal!
- Once the cake is cool, make the soak and assemble the cake. Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
- In a large liquid measuring cup or pitcher, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and coconut milk. Slowly pour the milks over the cake, a quarter cup at a time, to allow the milks to soak fully between each pour. It's likely that the cake will stop absorbing liquid about two-thirds of the way through the mixture. This is normal! It will seem like too much liquid, but trust the recipe! Loosely cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight, to allow the cake to absorb the milks.
- Before serving, toast the coconut flakes. Spread the coconut flakes in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, using a spatula to toss the flakes occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from heat and scrape the coconut flakes onto a plate to stop them from cooking further.
- Make the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and confectioners' sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the whipped cream over the cake. Use an offset spatula to make large, sweeping motions across the whipped cream to spread it over the cake. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes.
- Serve and store. Serve immediately after garnishing with whipped cream. The coconut tres leches cake will keep, covered loosely in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
motions across the whipped cream to spread it over the cake. Garnish with toasted coconut flakes.
Did you make this recipe?
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
How interesting finding out how you research recipes. I've been thinking about making a tres leche cake but have put of as I don't like milk, is it a strong milky taste that the cake has?
Hi Laura,
I'd say the main flavors of this cake is vanilla, coconut cream, and milk. Not traditional milk though — have you ever had sweetened condensed or evaporated milk? That's what the soak primarily tastes like. Hope that helps!
I kind of do the same thing, but I cook much better with savory things. I have tried baking and although I find it very relaxing my outcomes our not always the best.
Michelle – I have now added about 10 more food blogs to my already exhaustive list thanks to this post!! I'm a food blog junkie for sure :S I absolutely adore your blog. I'm currently working/travelling in Malaysia and picked up some kaya to make your coconut creme crepe cake when I get home. I can't wait! This cake also looks amazing… may have to add it to the list too! Mary x
One of the things that I really love about your blog is your baker's notes – like you, I'm sometimes a bit wary of blogger recipes (even my own at times!) but I feel like I always learn so much from your posts and can trust the end result. I've never had tres leches cake although always been intrigued by the idea – this is a total stunner and I can't wait to try it!
PS thanks for the shout out; the love is most definitely returned in spades!
Yum yum! I can relate to the messed up blog recipes (I forgot to include squeezing out canned lychees in a recipe, and a few kind people tried out the cupcakes and they turned into a mess…which is terrible on my part)….
Anyway, the tres leche cake with chantilly sounds amazing! I've only seen one version with gelatin (can't do it)…so bookmarking to try your oh-SO-pretty version.
Oh, I saw those versions too! There's no need for the gelatin at all, as proven by this recipe!
Michelle!!! I literally eeeee!-ed out loud when I saw my name on your list. I'm in SUCH good company–my mouth is literally agape. That's probably not cool to admit that. But. I'm amazed. !!!! Thanks girl <3333
I totally agree that cookbook authors often feel really removed from the reader (unless it's a blogger turned cookbook author, like Smitten Kitchen) but with bloggers–I love reading new posts because it feels like I'm catching up on a friend's life! I think it's incredibly amazing that twenty-somethings are creating such kick-ass, creative spaces (like seriously, all those ladies who were nominated for Saveur awards this year (plus you, last year!)? So impressed with our generation sometimes. Also disappointed in other ways, but that's a whoooole other story.)
And wait–a tres leches LAYER CAKE?!! I've never seen a layer cake version before, but yours looks absolutely gorgeous. Basically, I've only ever had really airy or almost spongy single-layer tres leches cakes, so I am super intrigued by both the layering and the denseness of this cake. This makes me want to go out and buy ALL the milk so I can make this ASAP!
(PS. Ditto Kathryn above–I love your baker's notes. They make your blog feel like a hybrid between an intimate blog space and a trusted cookbook–I always feel like I can really trust your recipes, especially after reading through all of your Hummingbird bakery tests!)
this recipe looks delicious, but the photographs that resemble 'food art' might be even more impressive. i would actually hang a picture of this cake in my kitchen – simply gorgeous.
GIRL you hit this post on the head. i love your honesty and down to earth-ness. i was reading and nodding along like, yep, yep, yep, so much truth!! and also this cake is just beautiful!!!! i've never had a tres leches cake before, but i think it's time i changed that 😛
XO!
It's great to know that I'm not the only one that posts recipes even when they're "…ehhh" ones. Not often, but there's a couple. It's frustrating to plan your day out around making and photographing something, then spend hours baking it, only to find out it's not spectacular. Was it something I did, was it the recipe, was it my equipment? I had this happen just today – started making kouign amann last night, was planning on finishing it and photographing it today. But this morning, the whole thing was wrong. I don't know what I did, but I knew it would not have turned out if I had baked it – it was beyond repair. So, into the trash it went. Huge bummer.
But, my craving for chocolate kouign amann is still as powerful as ever so I am going to making it again tomorrow (with a slightly different recipe) and hope for the best. It can't turn out horrible twice in a row…. right?
eeks i have only made tres leches cake once and that was years ago … dying to make it again now. i am a certified milk lover – especially the sweetened condensed, evaporated and coconut milk kind! great blog list, too – i've opened like ten new windows on my computer for major blog-checking-out-fun!
ha – like molly above i was reading and going, yup. i'm guilty of slamming up a cookie recipe onto my blog because i was like, "oh shoot, i need content – i'm going to blast out a batch of cookies!" thankfully i have a pretty good base now in baking so things tend to turn out pretty decently, yay!
i like the sound of your tres leches cake version too michelle!! xo
This cake is gorgeous! I have never even tried tres leches cake before, but I definitely want to!
YES! Sometimes blog recipes let me down, but it won't ever stop me from trying. I can't say that printed/published recipes haven't also steered me wrong before (I'm looking at you, Martha-Stewart cookie dough recipe accidentally printed with double the butter!).
This is just so, so gorgeous! I love the flowers you chose! Tres leches cake is not solidified in my taste memory since I've only had it once or twice. But it is a favorite of my sisters. Perfect birthday bait here 🙂
I've been following your post because its so wonderful and you have this wonderful talents of course. God Bless! private chef in austin texas
I guess, these flowers – Chrysanthemum – are edible!! If organic, of course.
Beautiful cake, btw. 😉
I loved your 2014 (vanilla bean Tres leches with coconut chantilly cream I think?) version and want to try this new one but as a layer cake. Would you recommend three 8 inch pans or something different?
Thank you!
Sara
Yes! Three 8-inch cake pans should work. Similar to the old recipe, you’ll need to soak the cakes in their individual cake pans before building the layer cake.
I came here expecting the recipe for the Tres leches cake that used to be on this url (the one with the chrysanthemums) but it seems you have changed it to this one. The previous version was my absolute favourite cake and I’m so happy that I have a PDF of the page. I hope you’ve put the other recipe somewhere else on your page. I’m sure this one is nice, but it reads a little too coconutty for my liking. The other one was sweet and vanilla-y and delicious. Thank you for that recipe.
This will be my go-to recipe for tres leches. I made this for a colleague’s farewell potluck. I put a Filipino twist on it by adding ube extract to the cake batter which added the ube flavor and beautiful lavender hue. The ube/coconut combination is quintessential in Filipino desserts. This was a big hit at the potluck and nothing was left! I didn’t make any other modifications except for add the ube extract (about 1 Tbsp).
How much coconut extract do I add to the whipped topping?
None, whipped cream topping is plain.
This was perfect! I’ve been doing a monthly challenge making cakes I’ve never made before and tres leches was chosen for May/Cinco de Mayo. However I’ve been craving coconut lately and came across this recipe. The batter came together quick and made the fluffiest sponge I’ve ever made. The tres leches was sweet perfection (subbed condensed coconut milk to add more coconut flavor). Would make again, and again!
I made this cake or at least 2/3 of this cake, used a 9 inch round cake pan. It was the end of a Day of the Dead tamale dinner. It was so good. Delicate coconut flavor and just the right amount of moisture. It will definitely be on the menu again. Thank you for sharing it
I made this cake for my daughters birthday by request and she loved it! Very easy to follow instructions for my first time making this kind of cake. I will absolutely make this again.