Coconut Tres Leches Cake Trifle

This is a winner. Not only does it make for a nice presentation, but it was very tasty. This gets an 8.5. Next time I will probably shave some chocolate on top just to give it some contrasting flavor. The recipe came from melskitchencafe.com. It's a good thing I made it the night before because it's pretty time-consuming and dirtied just about every dish in my kitchen. But it was so very worth it.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake Trifle

This trifle should be refrigerated for at least 12 hours and preferably up to 24 hours before serving so that the milk mixture can soak into the cake and everything can set up. Also, if you don't want leftover tres leches (the 3 milk mixture) leftover, just use 1/2 cup of each ingredient (sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and coconut milk). Of course, you'll still have leftovers in the can, so either way, looks like you'll need to make some french toast or smoothies with the leftovers. I like to toast my coconut in a skillet on the stovetop set over medium heat. Stirring frequently, it toasts perfectly in 5-10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut Pastry Cream:
• 1 can (14-ounces) coconut milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar I used 2/3 C.
• 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Cake:
• 1 cup white sugar, divided
• 5 egg yolks
• 5 egg whites
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Whipped Cream Ingredients & Extras:
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups toasted coconut for assembly and topping
Tres Leches Mixture:
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup coconut milk

DIRECTIONS

1. First up, make the pastry cream so it can chill in the refrigerator. In a medium saucepan combine the coconut milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Heat the mixture over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch. When the coconut milk mixture comes to a simmer, slowly ladle about 1/2 a cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking vigorously and constantly so the eggs don't scramble and form hard, cooked bits. Add the entire egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and whisk constantly while the mixture cooks over medium heat for 3-4 minutes; it will thicken considerably. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and coconut extract. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface, and refrigerate until completely chilled, 3-4 hours (you can speed up this process by placing the bottom of the bowl in an ice water bath and stirring the pastry cream constantly until cool). Once the pastry cream has cooled completely, beat the 1/2 cup whipping cream until thick and creamy. Fold it gently into the pastry cream until combined. Refrigerate the pastry cream until ready to assemble the trifle. 
2. While the pastry cream is chilling (before folding in the whipped cream), make the cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease two round cake pans. Measure your trifle dish to determine what size is needed. My trifle dish would only fit an 8-inch round cake layer so I baked mine in 8-inch layers but some trifle dishes are larger and could work with 9-inch cake layers. 
3. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with the 3/4 cup granulated sugar until they are light and thick, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the coconut milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract, flour, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl whip the egg whites until foamy. While beating, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 12-14 minutes (watch closely!) until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn the cakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 
4. For the whipped cream, combine the cream and sugar together in a medium bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. 
5. To assemble, whisk together the condensed milk, evaporated milk and coconut milk (or be like me and shake it all up in a canning jar with a lid). Place one cake layer in the bottom of the trifle dish, flattest side up. Poke holes all over the cake with a fork. Pour 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the cake gradually, swirling the trifle dish back and forth to cover the cake with the milk mixture and adding the rest of the milk as the first layer soaks in. You can refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the milk soak in or just keep swirling and poking the cake until the mixture settles in. Top with 1/2 of the coconut pastry cream, 1/3 of the toasted coconut and 1/2 of the whipped cream. 
6. Poke holes all over the flattest side of the 2nd cake layer (before you put it in the trifle dish). Set the cake layer over the whipped cream layer (with the flattest side up; the side you poked all over) and pour 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the cake, again, pouring it on gradually and swirling to distribute the milk mixture. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes if needed to help the milk mixture absorb into the cake. Top with the rest of the coconut pastry cream, 1/3 of the toasted coconut, the remainder of the whipped cream and sprinkle with the last of the coconut. 
7. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours (or up to 24 hours) before serving. Serve chilled.