Tres Leches Cake

Last Tuesday was my boyfriend Dan's birthday (happy birthday!).  On Saturday he had a party and we got Cuban food for dinner.  Dan has been on a Cuban food kick recently.  The food was delicious; we got it catered so it made getting ready a piece of cake.  Speaking of cake though, that was not catered.  I was in charge of making that.  I debated several options including a chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake and a chocolate rum cake with caramel frosting, but due to the large amount of other food everyone would be eating, we decided to go with a slightly lighter (in texture and richness, not calories unfortunately) cake.

Tres Leches means three milks, named for the three different types of milk (sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cream).  These three milks are mixed together and poured onto a sponge cake.  The cake is topped with whipped cream.  It is moist and sweet but still light and fluffy.  It was a big hit and the recipe is very easy and the cake can be made ahead (always a plus for parties).

I am not a huge fan of normal cake icing because I find it too sweet.  I do love me some cream cheese frosting though.  This cake is frosted with whipped cream and that is oh so delicious.  I love whipped cream.  When I was little we would, on very very special occasions, be allowed to squirt whipped cream from the can directly onto our fingers.  That was awesome.

This made a ton of whipped cream, which maybe means I should have used more.  Tres Leches cake is often topped by a maraschino cherry but I think that pretty much kills any elegance so I skipped it.

 

Tres Leches Cake

1 cup flour

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsps salt

5 whole eggs

1 cup sugar (divided)

1 tsp vanilla

⅓ cups milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 can sweetened, condensed milk

1/4 cups heavy cream

ICING:

1 pint (less the 1/4 from above) heavy cream

3 tbsps sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

3. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.

4. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.

5. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.

7. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.

8. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes.

9. To ice the cake, whip 1 pint heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until thick and spreadable.  Spread over the surface of the cake.

From The Pioneer Woman
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