Coconut-Lime Tres Leche Cake

Instructions

• HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch round baking pans with no-stick cooking spray. Line with wax paper or parchment paper. Coat with additional no-stick cooking spray. Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Set aside. Combine cake mix, 1/2 cup well stirred coconut milk, water, oil, lime juice, egg yolks and lime peel in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat an additional 2 minutes. Fold in beaten egg whites. Spread evenly in prepared pans.
• BAKE 28 to 32 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Place pans on wire rack.
• WHISK sweetened condensed milk, milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla and remaining coconut milk until blended. Pierce each cake layer, through to the bottom, several dozen times with meat fork or skewer. Slowly and gradually spoon milk mixture over warm cake layers, allowing milk mixture to be completely absorbed between each addition (this could take 15 to 20 minutes). Cool completely. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.
• For Frosting: BEAT heavy cream, powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Run knife around edge of cake pans to release cake layers. Remove cake layers from pans, discarding wax paper. Place one cake layer, rounded side down, on serving plate. Spread with 1 cup whipped cream. Place second cake layer on top, rounded side up. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining whipped cream. Sprinkle toasted coconut along top edge and base of cake. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.
• *To toast coconut, spread coconut on microwave-safe pan. Microwave on HIGH 1 to 2 minutes, tossing with a fork after each minute. Remove from pan immediately to prevent overbrowning.
• Smucker’s, Jif, and Crisco are trademarks of The J.M. Smucker Company, used by permission. Folgers is a trademark of The Folger Coffee Company, used by permission. Pillsbury and Pillsbury’s BEST are trademarks of The Pillsbury Company, LLC used under license by The J.M. Smucker Company, used by permission.