Name: Coconut Tres Leches Cake with Caramelized Bananas
Yield: Makes 16 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups sifted cake flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/3 teaspoon salt; 1 cup sugar; 1/4 cup light butter, softened; 1/2 cup puréed bananas (approximately 1/2 banana); 3/4 cup skim milk; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 teaspoon pure coconut extract; 1/2 cup egg whites, stiffly beaten; 1/2 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk; 3/4 cup evaporated skim milk; 2/3 cup light coconut milk; 1/4 cup packed brown sugar; 2 tablespoons dark rum; 4 bananas, sliced; 1 2/3 cups fat-free whipped topping; 2 tablespoons toasted shredded coconut

Editor's note: The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Lake Austin Spa Resort.

This is arguably Mexico's most famous special occasion cake. Tres leches means three milks — typically heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. Our version opts for a lighter more tropical soaking — reduced-fat coconut milk, fat-free sweetened condensed milk, and skim milk. You would think that all of this fluid infusion would turn the cake to sodden disintegration. But, in fact, it absorbs the liquids beautifully, much as does the equatorial earth absorb a sudden downpour. Accompanied by rum-caramelized bananas and topped with toasted coconut, this cake has become our most popular new dessert.

Recipe notes

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