Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake

I baked Tres Leches Cake on Sunday and let it set until dinner tonight. I had a slice after our Cinco de Mayo dinner Allen cooked (post upcoming). It was heaven on a plate. There is no other way to describe it. This Tres Leches Cake is served cold, and the more time you let it set in the fridge the better it is. If you do not have this much time, chill the cake for at least 2 to 3 hours before you serve it. I used a recipe from the cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond (pgs. 238-240) but changed a few things. This cake should be called Quatros Leches Cake as Ree Points out in her cookbook, since there is Whole Milk in the cake as well.

Cake Ingredients

1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt

5 Extra Large Eggs, separated

1 cup Granulated Sugar, divided

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Whole Milk

Right out the oven!

Three Milk Mixture Ingredients

1 12-ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 14-ounce Evaporated Milk

¼ cup Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Whipped Vanilla Frosting Ingredients

2 cups Heavy Cream for Whipping

¼ cup Confectioners Sugar

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Maraschino Cherries for garnish

You can see the mixture soaking in the cake. 

Directions

Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. I use a Pyrex glass baking dish. Coat with butter over the parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a spatula combine Flour, Baking Powder and Salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Using a mixer with a paddle attachment beat Egg Whites on high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 to 5 minutes. With mixer on high, slowly pour in ¼ cup Sugar and beat until the Egg Whites are stiff, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Using a clean bowl and paddle attachment (I used a handheld mixer since I did not have an extra bowl for my mixer), beat Egg Yolks with ¾ cup Sugar on high speed until Yolks are pale yellow, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Slowly stir in Milk and then the Vanilla Extract. Pour Egg Yolk mixture over the Flour mixture and with a spatula stir gently until combined.

With a spatula, fold Egg Whites mixture into batter gently until combined.

Pour in prepared pan and with an offset spatula or knife spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.

Wait 10 minutes and invert onto wire rack to cool. Peel off parchment paper. Let cake cool completely, about 1 hour.

Transfer to a rimmed platter or glass baking pan. I washed the pan I baked the cake in and placed the cake back in there once it was cool.

Pierce the cake all over with a fork.

Cover and set in the fridge overnight

With a spatula, combine the Three Milk mixture: Condensed Milk, Evaporated Milk, Heavy Cream and Vanilla Extract in a pitcher or mixing bowl. Slowly pour the mixture all over the cake. It will look like a lot of liquid but do not get nervous. The sponge cake absorbs it all. 

Let the liquid set into the cake. Wait 45 minutes and then make the Whipped Vanilla Frosting.

With a mixer, whip Heavy Cream and Confectioners Sugar until very stiff and spreadable, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add Vanilla Extract right after the Confectioners Sugar. 

With an offset spatula, spread Frosting all over the top. If your cake is on a platter, frost the sides as well.

Cover and cool in fridge overnight or for at least 2 to 3 hours before you serve. Garnish with Maraschino Cherries or any fruit you like.

This cake is very rich, and moist. This is the kind of cake you want to share with family and friends for a special occasion. I baked our Tres Leches Cake for Cinco de Mayo. 

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys