Coconut Tres Leches
Laurence created this dish for Top Chef ™ Season 23. He reimagined a Southern coconut cake as a tres leches dedicated to his wife, soaking a tender coconut sponge in a coconut-forward three-milk bath. The judges loved its moist, fine, fresh-tasting crumb and named it a personal favourite of the round. A crackly toasted-coconut sugar crust gave the finish an aromatic crunch that read as a genuine tres leches rather than a gimmick.
- Time: 300 min
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- FOR THE COCONUT SPONGE
- large eggs, room temperature, separated
- granulated sugar, divided
- whole milk, room temperature
- coconut extract
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour, sifted
- baking powder
- salt
- sweetened shredded coconut
- FOR THE COCONUT THREE-MILK SOAK
- coconut cream, well stirred
- can sweetened condensed milk
- evaporated milk
- dark rum
- FOR THE TOASTED-COCONUT SUGAR CRUST
- flaked or shredded coconut
- granulated sugar
- TO FINISH
- heavy cream, cold
- coconut cream
- powdered sugar
- EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- ×13-inch baking dish
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls and a whisk
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Skillet or sheet pan
- Skewer or fork
- Offset spatula