Coquito Tres Leches Cake Recipe…

This recipe was developed for the California Milk Processing Board (Got Milk?) and now I'm sharing it with you. Also, it’s coquito season.

If anyone of Mami’s Maniacs would like to send trinkets, Starbucks gift cards or nail polish:

Mami Maisonet
5960 S Land Park #222
Sacramento, CA 95822

If you want to contribute to this artist in residence, mami’s f’ing expensive ass burgers or Dollar Tree visits:

Venmo: @illya-maiso

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You haven’t seen much or heard much from me in a good long while. I’ve been buried under this round of edits and I’ve had to take a part time gig in order to pay off the debt I accrued to get my car out of the shop. Working for someone has been…interesting. I haven’t worked for someone in two years and even then, that was for Broke-Ass Stuart. You can imagine by the name that I didn’t have a traditional boss.

In reality, I haven’t had to really work for someone in like…what…almost a decade? Not gonna lie. It sucks.

Here’s a cake recipe. And it starts with a box mix because I love box mixes and because…did you not hear what I said above?!!

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Boxed Cake Coquito Tres Leches

Boxed Vanilla Cake Coquito Tres Leches

The first time I found myself defending boxed cake, is the first time I realized how much I loved it. Coquito - a coconut milk based beverage - is essential for Puerto Ricans during Christmas. Everyone has their own rendition; a combination of coconut milk (which is a must), evaporated milk, condensed milk, almond mind, fresh milk, ect. The recipes have evolved with different generation’s taste buds, now there’s nutella and strawberry coquito. We’re taking the boxed vanilla cake and soaking it in fresh milk, coconut milk and heavy cream and adding a myriad of warming spices.

1 - 15.25 ounce Yellow Cake Mix

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 

1 cup coconut soda or coconut water

3 large eggs

⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sweetened coconut milk

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons of rum, optional

1 teaspoon cinnamon  

Rainbow sprinkles, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F

Grease the bottom and sides of your 9x13 glass baking dish with oil.

In a large bowl, combine the boxed cake mix with the pumpkin pie spice, eggs, coconut soda, and vegetable oil and mix until thoroughly combined. Pour into your prepared baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cake to completely cool. You can take the cake out and allow it to cool on a wire cooling rack, but it’s easier to let it sit in the baking dish since this is where we’re gonna soak the cake in the milks.

Using a fork, or a knife, or a dowel, poke holes all throughout the cake. The more holes you make, the more you’re giving the milks a chance to seep into the cake. Remember, the whipped cream topping is going to cover up the holes.

Combine the whole milk, sweetened coconut milk, heavy whipping cream and the vanilla extract. 

Gradually pour the milks onto the cake. This process will take a little time. While the milk sits, you can poke some more holes in the cake. The milk mixture will puddle and then seep. When the mixture has mostly receded, cover it with plastic wrap or lid. Allow to sit in your refrigerator for 3 hours minimum.

Combine your heavy whipping cream, confectioner’s sugar and rum and whisk over high speed until soft peaks form. The amount of time can be different for everyone, so it’s easier to just judge by the thickness of the whipped cream. 

Remove the cake from the refrigerator and discard plastic wrap. Evenly distribute whipped cream topping all over the cake while its in the baking pan. Garnish with cinnamon and sprinkles.

Serve immediately