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Sliced bienmesabe venezolano with soaked sponge, coconut custard, and toasted coconut on a white plate.

Bienmesabe Venezolano: Coconut Rum Custard Dessert

A chilled Venezuelan dessert of rum-soaked sponge cake layered with coconut custard and topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Latin American
Calories: 570
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sponge Cake
  • 6 large eggs
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut Rum Syrup
  • 400 ml canned coconut milk full-fat
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 60 ml dark rum optional, can sub orange juice
Coconut Custard
  • 400 ml canned coconut milk full-fat
  • 200 ml whole milk
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 30 g cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
  • 300 ml heavy cream cold
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 50 g shredded coconut toasted, unsweetened
  • ground cinnamon for dusting

Method
 

Bake the Sponge Cake
  1. Heat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a 23x33 cm / 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and 200 g sugar with a hand mixer on high for 5 to 6 minutes until pale, thick, and roughly tripled in volume.
  3. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the egg mixture in two additions, folding gently with a spatula each time. Fold in the vanilla and stop as soon as no dry streaks remain, overmixing deflates the batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed and a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan, about 45 minutes.
Make the Coconut Syrup
  1. Combine 400 ml coconut milk, 100 g sugar, and the cinnamon stick in a 2-quart / 1.9 L saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat, discard the cinnamon stick, and stir in the rum. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
Make the Coconut Custard
  1. Whisk the egg yolks, 100 g sugar, and cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth and pale.
  2. Warm the remaining coconut milk and whole milk in the saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Slowly pour about a third into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly to temper it.
  3. Pour everything back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes until the custard coats the back of a spoon and reaches 71C/160F. Pull it off the heat the moment it thickens, it can scramble fast if you walk away. Stir in the vanilla, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and cool to room temperature.
Assemble and Chill
  1. Once the cake is fully cool, slice it horizontally into two even layers using a serrated knife.
  2. Place the bottom layer back in the pan or on a serving platter. Brush or spoon half the coconut syrup evenly over it, then spread half the custard on top.
  3. Add the second cake layer, soak with the remaining syrup, and spread the rest of the custard over the top. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until fully set.
  4. Whip the heavy cream with 2 tbsp sugar to soft peaks. Spread or pipe over the chilled cake, sprinkle with toasted coconut, and dust with ground cinnamon before slicing.

Notes

  • Custard sets firmer after a full overnight chill, not just 4 hours.
  • Use full-fat canned coconut milk, the light version makes a thinner custard.
  • A serrated knife slices the soaked cake cleaner than a straight blade.
  • Strain the custard through a sieve to catch any scrambled bits.