Coconut Tres Leches

With the structural integrity of cake and the lushness of pudding, tres leches is a dessert that’s easy to love. This coconut version from Canje in Austin, Texas—one of our 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022—features a slick of jam between cake and cream for an additional dimension of flavor. Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph favors guava or pineapple in the restaurant’s version, but you can use any flavor you like.

Wondering why the recipe calls for a stand mixer, but ultimately asks you to mix everything in a large bowl by hand? The mixer can more thoroughly whip the egg yolks and whites, which is key for the fluffiest cake. But the deep and narrow bowl design of mixers hinders the sort of gentle but precise folding required to maintain volume when integrating the eggs with the other ingredients. Err on the side of slightly undermixing the batter; while you don’t want large, dry pockets of flour, some streaks of egg white are okay. (Cream of tartar helps reduce the risk of overwhipping the egg whites.)

There is plenty of delicious coconut soak by design. You’ll want to add an extra splash to each serving.

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