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Paleo Tres Leches Cake - a grain-free take on the classic dessert!
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4.60 from 10 votes

Paleo Tres Leches Cake

If you're following this recipe for the coconut whipped cream frosting, be sure to read the instructions first, as you'll need to refrigerate the coconut milk overnight prior to making the recipe.
Prep Time3 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time4 hours
Course: Desserts & Treats
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Servings: 1 8-inch cake
Author: Julia

Ingredients

For the Grain-Free Cake

For Soaking:

For the Frosting:

Instructions

Prepare the Cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 and line a small (9” x 9” square, 6 to 8-inch round, or 9” x 13” baking sheet) cake pan or baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add all of the ingredients for the cake to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the cake batter to the prepared baking dish and place on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the center is set up and edges are golden-brown.
  • Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool 10 minutes.

Soak the Cake:

  • In a small bowl or blender, combine 1 cup of full-fat coconut milk and 2 tablespoons of honey.
  • Poke the cake using a fork or wooden skewer multiple times (I poked holes about ½-inch to 1 inch apart).
  • Pour the coconut milk-honey mixture evenly over the whole cake, including the sides. Refrigerate at least 3 hours, overnight is better. If keeping the cake in a single layer, you can frost it after it has sat and soaked in the refrigerator. If making a layer cake, cut the cake in half to form two layers. Follow the instructions above for preparing the frosting.

Frost the Cake:

  • Place one (or two if extra frosting is desired) 14-ounce cans of coconut milk in the refrigerator and refrigerate overnight. When ready to make the frosting, open the cans and scoop out just the coconut cream (the super thick fleshy part at the top), reserving the coconut water for other recipes such as smoothies or oatmeal. Transfer the coconut cream to a mixing bowl.
  • Add the remaining ingredients for the coconut frosting to the mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to beat until well-combined and fluffy. If the coconut cream is hard, add a small amount (2 to 3 tablespoons to start) of the coconut water in order to soften it up a bit. Add a small amount more as necessary, until a thick whipped cream forms. Refrigerate until ready to use - ideally, you'll prepare the frosting just before frosting the cake so that it doesn't become liquidy in the refrigerator.
  • Spread the frosting over the cake, cut large hunks, and serve (Note: if making a layer cake, use half of the frosting to adhere the two layers and the remainder of the frosting to frost the top of the cake).

Nutrition

Serving: 1grams