Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing & Toasted Coconut

Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing & Toasted Coconut

The last recipe that I made for my Cinco de Mayo week is a Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing & Toasted Coconut Topping. I love traditional tres leches cake, but I knew that I wanted to add coconut to it and make it even better. So, I substituted some coconut milk into the milk soaking liquid for extra coconut-y flavor, as well as added in coconut extract into the cake. Recently, I have seen recipes for coconut milk whipped cream, and I definitely wanted to make some of that to fold into the traditional whipped topping that goes on the cake. The last component that is definitely needed is a thick layer of toasted coconut. Typically, tres leches cakes are topped with maraschino cherries, but you can't do that on a coconut cake. No no no. Just no. So, make this cake and enjoy it will all your buddies this weekend while you're sippin' on some margaritas, like we did last night in celebration of summer... here is the picture of all of our drinks!! Enjoy :)

Bucket o' Beers, 2 Shots of Tequila, & a Pineapple Mojito 

Make this for your Cinco de Mayo parties this weekend!

For the Cake:

1C AP Flour

1 ½t Baking Powder

¼t Salt

5 Egg Yolks + 5 Egg Whites

¾C + ¼C Sugar

1t Vanilla & Coconut Extract

1/3C Whole Milk

For the Soaking Liquid:

15oz Can of Coconut Milk

12oz Sweetened, Condensed Milk

¼C Heavy Cream

For the Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing:

1 Pint of Heavy Cream, Very Cold

¼C Sugar

15oz Can of Coconut Milk, Refrigerated Overnight

Shredded Coconut, Toasted

Directions:

1. For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9inch pan, and then set it aside. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg yolks with ¾C sugar on high speed until the yolks are a pale yellow. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and coconut extract. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined. Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in the remaining ¼C sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff, but not dry. Fold the egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and spread to even out the surface. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool completely.
2. For the Soaking Liquid: Whisk together the coconut milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface of the cake with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle 1C of the milk mixture all over the cake, making sure to get as much around the edges as possible (discard the remaining milk mixture or make a second cake). Cover the cake with plastic wrap and allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture overnight.
3. For the Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing: Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator and chill overnight. The next day, open the cake of coconut milk, and then scoop out the firm, waxy layer that has solidified at the top into the bowl of a standing mixer (discard the coconut water). Beat the coconut cream on high speed and whip the cream for 3-5 minutes or until it becomes fluffy, light, and has soft peaks. Refrigerate the whipped coconut cream until you are ready to fold it into the other cream mixture. Next, beat the heavy cream and sugar, on high speed, until it’s very stiff and spreadable, about 1-2 minutes. Fold the chilled coconut cream into the sweetened whipped cream until incorporated and completely smooth (don’t work with this mixture too much or hard because it will lose all of the airiness from beating it). Spread the Coconut-Whipped Cream Icing over the surface of the chilled cake. When the cake is ready to serve, spread the toasted coconut in an even layer over the surface of the icing or garnish each individual slice with toasted coconut.
4. Cut the cake into squares and serve with toasted coconut, and then enjoy!

source: tres leches cake. 

Soup Sunday: Thai Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Goat Cheese Bombs, Chive Cream, & Candied Pepitas

Whenever we go out to eat at a restaurant, I always take little mental notes in my head of the dishes that I loved, so I can try to recreate them at home. Well, when we went to lunch at one of my favorite little cafes in Savannah, Cafe Zeum, we had the best thai tomato soup with goat cheese. We seriously gobbled it up, and I knew that I just had to make it. However, I make tomato soup all the time, and since it is pumpkin season, I decided to switch out tomatoes with roasted pumpkin. The soup was so hearty and delicious. I put my own little twist on the recipe by frying goat cheese balls, drizzling it with chive cream, and topping it with candied pumpkin seeds. This seriously is the oddest soup, but somehow all the components come together to make a tasty Thai concoction. And for all you people who love to kill yourself with spicy food (like we do... we like to be in pain from heat), drizzle some Sriracha on top to really put the dish over the top!! Enjoy :)

Thai Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Goat Cheese Bombs, Chive Cream, & Candied Pepitas

Crispy Goat Cheese Bombs are the Best Ever. Trust Me. 

For the Soup:

2 Small Pumpkins, Cut into Halves & Roasted

1 Onion, Roughly Chopped

1 Pear, Chopped

3T Butter, Room Temperature

2 14oz Can of Coconut Milk

1C Chicken Stock

1T Lemon Juice

4oz Thai Red Curry Paste

4 Thai Basil Leaves, Minced

Sugar, To Taste

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Candied Pepitas:

1 ½C Pepitas, Toasted

½C Sugar

Pinch of Salt, Cinnamon & Cayenne

For the Chive Cream:

¼C Sour Cream

½C Heavy Cream

Handful of Chives, Minced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Crispy Goat Cheese Bombs:

Goat Cheese, Rolled into Golf-Size Balls & Chilled

½C AP Flour

1 Egg, Beaten

2T Milk

½C Italian Panko Breadcrumbs

Salt, For Sprinkling 

 

Directions:

1. To Roast the Pumpkins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully cut each pumpkin into halves and slather them with butter and sprinkle with salt. Place on the prepared baking sheet, skin side down, and place in the oven. Roast the pumpkins for about an hour or until they are tender throughout. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. For the Candied Pepitas: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until just toasted. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Meanwhile, pour the sugar into a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon while the sugar melts. Keep stirring until the color turns a medium amber color. Once that color is reached, add in the walnuts to the pan and quickly stir to coat. As soon as they are coated, spread them onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Let them cool completely before garnishing on top of the soup.
3. To Make the Soup: Melt the butter and sauté the onions and pear until tender. Add in the roasted pumpkin. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, lemon juice, Thai basil, and curry paste to the pumpkin, and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and puree with an immersion blender. Bring up to a simmer again and season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar.
4. For the Chive Cream: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream. Add in the minced chives and seasonings, and then blend with an immersion blender until a smooth cream is formed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. For the Crispy Goat Cheese Bombs: Set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins. For the first station, I mix the flour. For the second station, I whisk together the eggs and milk. For the third station, use the Italian Panko breadcrumbs. Now, place the balls of chilled goat cheese into the flour mixture, then into the egg wash, and finally the panko (making sure they are completely covered). Put the breaded balls on a tin foil-lined baking sheet with a cooling rack on top, and then put the pan into the refrigerator and let the sticks rest for about 15-30 minutes. In a small pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil has heated, fry the goat cheese balls for 1-2 minutes or until golden-brown & crispy (without over-melting the cheese). Place them onto a baking sheet & sprinkle with salt.
6. To Assemble the Soup: Ladle the pumpkin soup into a large bowl and drizzle the top with some of the chive cream and Sriracha. Sprinkle some candied pepitas and minced chives around the edge, and then place a crispy goat cheese bomb on top of the soup, and enjoy immediately (before the crispy ball becomes soggy from the soup).

source: thai-spiced pumpkin soup.