Rice Flour Tres Leches Cake

My grandparents gave me a huge bag of rice flour a few years ago and I decided this weekend that it was finally the time to use it up.

I made a coconut syrup soaked rice flour sponge filled with vanilla crème diplomat and homemade dulce de leche. The rice flour made the chiffon drier and springier than usual,. It also added a very pleasant aroma that paired very well with the coconut and mango. However, due to the compromise in texture, I won’t use it for making cakes again.

Ingredients

Sponge

8 egg yolks
40g sugar
66ml vegetable oil
160ml coconut milk
194g rice flour
8 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
66g sugar

Soak

236 ml coconut milk
50g sugar

Filling

625 g pastry cream
236 ml whipping cream
3/4 tsp gelatin
2 tbs water

Toppings

Mango and dulce de leche

Procedure

For the sponge, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, oil, and rice flour together. Add the milk gradually, whisking all the while. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with the sugar and cream of tartar until medium peaks. Gradually add the egg whites to the flour mixture, making sure that the batter deflates as little as possible. Pour into an 8 by 8 inch square pan and bake at 325 F for 25 mins.

For the soak, mix the sugar with the coconut milk until the sugar fully dissolves.

For the cream, bloom the gelatin in the water. Transfer about 1/2 cup of the pastry cream to a water bath and heat until hot to the touch, about 5 mins. Add the bloomed gelatin and whisk until the gelatin dissolves into the cream. Immediately transfer the hot pastry cream into a bowl and whisk in the rest of the pastry cream to cool it down. In another bowl,beat the heavy cream until medium peaks and carefully fold into the pastry cream mixture.

For assembly, cut the sponge into 3 even layers. Soak the first layer with 1/3 of the coconut soak and spread 2 tbs of dulce de leche on top. Top with half of the cream mixture and add your second layer of cake. Soak the 2nd layer and spread another 2 tbs of dulce de leche. Add your other half of the cream mixture and top with your final cake layer. Soak your final cake layer and chill the cake in the fridge until the cream sets, at least 4 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream and mangoes. Enjoy!