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    Home » Recipes » Desserts » Coquito Tres Leches Cake

    Published: Dec 26, 2021 · Modified: Sep 21, 2022 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · 1 Comment

    Coquito Tres Leches Cake

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    This recipe combines two of my favorite things: coquito and tres leches cake. The cake is the traditional tres leches cake with shredded coconut. The coquito used in this recipe is family friendly making this cake a coconut lover's dream.

    What is Coquito?

    Coquito is a seasonal Puerto Rican cocktail made for the holidays. Coquito is Spanish for "little coconut." It's made using evaporated milk, cream of coconut, coconut milk, condensed milk, spices and rum. It's a cherished beverage with rich culture, traditions and passionate admirers of its own.

    What is tres leches cake?

    Tres leches translates to three milks. It is a dessert that has become popular throughout all of Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. Some historians believe it originated in Mexico, others identify Nicaragua as its originator and there's also a group that believes tres leches cake came from Costa Rica. No one really knows where it started, but we all know its delicious.

    The cake is typically a buttery sponge cake that is soaked in a combination of evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. The cake is then topped with meringue or whipped cream.

    Do you have to use regular coquito for this recipe?

    If children are going to consume this coquito tres leches cake, then I recommend NOT using regular boozy coquito. Regular coquito like the one I usually make has a lot of rum in it and is not intended for child consumption. Instead, for this recipe I made an alcohol light (2 oz of rum) coquito version. The 2 oz is just enough to give it flavor.

    Ingredients needed

    For the cake:

    • All purpose flour
    • Baking powder
    • Salt
    • Butter 
    • Coconut oil 
    • Eggs
    • White sugar
    • Vanilla extract
    • Rum
    • Sweetened shredded coconut

    Directions

    • Set oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in middle position.
    • Grease and flour a 13-by-9 inch pan and set aside and set it aside.
    • Place flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl, mix and set aside.
    • With an electric mixer, beat the eggs one by one on a medium speed, for about 1 minute until they're very fluffy.
    • Slowly add the sugar until all sugar is incorporated.
    • Reduce speed of mixer, and slowly add the melted butter and coconut oil, little bit little, then the vanilla and finally the rum. Keep the mixer running in low. Make sure the butter isn't too hot because it will flatten your batter.
    • Add the flour mixture and coconut in slowly and gently fold with a spatula until well combined. DO NOT OVER MIX.
    coquito tres leches cake
    Cake batter ready to go in the oven
    • Transfer batter to your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
    • Remove the cake and transfer to a wired rack to cool completely. Poke the top of the cake using a toothpick, skewer or fork all over.
    coquito tres leches cake
    Cake out of the oven, cooled and poked
    • Whisk coconut condensed milk, coconut evaporated milk and cream of coconut together with the cinnamon , nutmeg and vanilla in a large sauce pan, warm over low heat until completed mixed. Remove from heat and stir in your rum and set aside.
    • Once the cake has cooled slowly pour the coconut milk mixture over the cake, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
    coquito tres leches cake
    Pouring the coquito milk mixture over the cake
    • In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with water and simmer over medium high heat, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 238° on a candy thermometer or about 8 minutes have passed.
    • In a standing mixer with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt at medium speed until soft peaks form. 
    coquito tres leches cake
    Freshly made meringue
    • Gradually drizzle in the hot syrup and beat at high speed until the meringue just holds stiff, glossy peaks. Beat in the vanilla.
    • Gently spread the meringue over the cake using a spatula.
    coquito tres leches cake
    The tres leches cake covered in meringue
    • Before serving, use a kitchen torch to carefully brown the meringue tips all over the cake.

    How to store this coquito tres leches cake?

    This coquito tres leches cake must be stored in the refrigerator. You can store it in the fridge for upto 3 days in an airtight container.

    What equipment do you need for this coquito tres leches recipe?

    • Stand mixer
    • 9x13 bake pan
    • Kitchen torch

    Check out these other recipes

    • Pumpkin pie and cheese pastelitos (Pastelitos de calabaza y queso)
    • Pumpkin Pie Tres Leches Recipe
    • Cuban Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe
    • Traditional Coquito Recipe
    coquito tres leches cake
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Coquito Tres Leches Cake

    Tres leches cake made with coconut and rum
    Prep Time1 hr
    Cook Time50 mins
    cooling time8 hrs
    Total Time9 hrs 50 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: latin
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 621kcal
    Author: Cari

    Ingredients

    • FOR THE CAKE
    • 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
    • 2 teaspoon baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup butter melted and cooled
    • 3 tablespoon coconut oil melted and cooled
    • 5 large eggs
    • 1 ¼ cup white sugar
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 tablespoon rum
    • ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
    • FOR THE MILK MIXTURE
    • 1 can coconut condensed milk
    • 1 can coconut evaporated milk
    • 1 can cream of coconut
    • 2 oz rum
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
    • FOR THE MERINGUE
    • 4 egg whites
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • ¼ Cup water
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
    • ¼ Teaspoon salt
    • ¼ Teaspoon cream of tartar

    Instructions

    • Set oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in middle position.
    • Grease and flour a 13-by-9 inch pan and set aside and set it aside.
    • Place flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-size bowl, mix and set aside.
    • With an electric mixer, beat the eggs one by one on a medium speed, for about 1 minute until they're very fluffy.
    • Slowly add the sugar until all sugar is incorporated.
    • Reduce speed of mixer, and slowly add the melted butter and coconut oil, little bit little, then the vanilla and finally the rum. Keep the mixer running in low. Make sure the butter isn't too hot because it will flatten your batter.
    • Add the flour mixture and coconut in slowly and gently fold with a spatula until well combined. DO NOT OVER MIX.
    • Transfer batter to your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
    • Remove the cake and transfer to a wired rack to cool completely. Poke the top of the cake using a toothpick, skewer or fork all over.
    • For the milk mixture:
    • Whisk coconut condensed milk, coconut evaporated milk and cream of coconut together with the cinnamon , nutmeg and vanilla in a large sauce pan, warm over low heat until completed mixed. Remove from heat and stir in your rum and set aside.
    • Once the cake has cooled slowly pour the coconut milk mixture over the cake, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
    • For the Meringue:
    • In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with water and simmer over medium high heat, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 238° on a candy thermometer or about 8 minutes have passed.
    • In a standing mixer with the whisk, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt at medium speed until soft peaks form. 
    • Gradually drizzle in the hot syrup and beat at high speed until the meringue just holds stiff, glossy peaks. Beat in the vanilla.
    • Gently spread the meringue over the cake using a spatula.
    • Before serving, use a kitchen torch to carefully brown the meringue tips all over the cake.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 85g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Categories: Desserts

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    Comments

    1. Cari G. says

      December 28, 2021 at 12:15 am

      5 stars
      Served this for Christmas dinner and it was a hit! The entire family loved it

      Reply

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    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

    More about me →

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