tres leches? tres bien.

That's right, folks. I have a masterful command of not one, not two, but THREE languages. Four, if you count Pig Latin. Pretty impressive, right?

Okay, so maybe masterful is the wrong word. Maybe I only know a few phrases here and there. I'm the most familiar with Spanish, having taken it throughout high school and college. Party days in those classes almost always involved tres leches cake, and that was awesome. I enjoy the unique, uber-moist and squishy texture of the stuff. That said, when I saw Mel's version flavoring it with my beloved coconut, I marked it down.

I loved this cake. I'm a fan of how it dissolved in my mouth and flooded my taste buds with coconut flavor; however, I can understand why some people might not particularly enjoy the mouthfeel of a tres leches cake. It is fairly weird. This would be a good dessert to make for someone who, say, recently had their wisdom teeth removed. I'd describe it as walking the line between cake and pudding, which is no mean feat!

It's geshmak and rumptious-scay. Sláinte!

Pastel de Tres Leches y Coco
(based on this recipe)

Cake:
1 box of yellow cake mix or homemade yellow cake recipe

Milk Syrup:
1 can (15 ounces) cream of coconut
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

Garnishes:
1 12-oz container of Cool Whip
1-2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and aside. Prepare the cake mix according to box or recipe instructions and allow to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the milk syrup by mixing the cream of coconut, evaporated milk, milk, and extracts until smooth.
Pierce the cooled cake all over the top with the tines of a fork or a thin wooden skewer. Poke it good--the more pokes, the more the syrup will soak into the cake. Using a large spoon or ladle, spoon some of the milk syrup over the cake. Let the syrup soak into the cake, then continue spooning the syrup on top until all of it has been used up. When you have finished, not all of the syrup will be completely absorbed and might be pooling on the top but that’s okay--it'll absorb eventually. Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until all of the syrup is absorbed, 2 hours. Before serving, spread the Cool Whip across the top and sprinkle with the toasted coconut, if desired. Note: This is one of those cakes that just gets better with time--pace yourself.