This is my favorite cake of all time and one of my favorite recipes. I prefer it to any chocolate cake, any cheesecake, any bundt cake. I
think cake makes any meal better and this one is by far the best of all. Thanks to my friend Sue for this recipe. I
spent years searching for the perfect Tres Leches recipe and I have made my way
through some pretty average ones – either too sweet or too wet. Now this is the only recipe I will ever use.
I made this a few weeks ago for a Mexican Dinner Fiesta I
donated to the Lutheran School where I work. The meal was included in an
auction we have every spring. My menu was a simple one of jalapeno poppers and
margaritas, tortilla soup, beef chipotle burritos and homemade refried beans
with all the fixins’. To top off the evening, I served this beautiful cake. Tres Leches is very light and perfect after a
heavy meal. Even though it is a Latin American dessert, it would be appropriate
to serve after any type of meal.
Surprisingly, this cake is not at all soggy…. it is perfectly
moist. Read through the recipe thoroughly before making, because it has a few
uncommon steps. Don’t be intimidated by
the process! It is very easy and totally, totally worth it.
Here’s what you need:
1 C
confectioner’s sugar
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites
1/3 C milk
1 t vanilla
1 C flour
1 ½ t baking
powder
1 14 oz can
sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz can
evaporated milk
1 pt. heavy
whipping cream (some for the cake and some for the topping)
Here’s what
you do:
Preheat oven
to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9 inch springform pan. Beat the yolks with ¾ C of confectioner’s
sugar until light in color and double in volume. Stir in milk, vanilla, flour
and baking powder.
In small
bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining ¼ C
confectioner’s sugar. Beat until firm, but not dry.
Fold egg
whites into egg yolk mixture.
Pour into
prepared pan. Bake 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Loosen edge of cake
with knife before removing rim.
Cool cake
completely. Place on serving plate. Use a two prong meat fork and pierce
surface of cake multiple times. Mix together the condensed milk, evaporated
milk and ¼ C heavy cream. Discard 1 C of this milk mixture. Spoon the remainder
of the three milk mixture slowly and patiently over the entire cake, allowing
the cake to absorb all of the milk. This takes about 10 minutes, so be patient.
It will all fit, just be patient!
Frost with
whipped cream and fresh berries. Serve with
pride – it is a special treat!
(printable recipe)
One Year Ago: Zucchini Crust Pizza - another favorite recipe of mine and one of my favorite summer meals.
(printable recipe)
One Year Ago: Zucchini Crust Pizza - another favorite recipe of mine and one of my favorite summer meals.
What a pretty cake and LOVE the use of the sweetened condensed milk - YUM!
ReplyDeleteMary x
This WILL replace my previous favorite Tres Leches cake recipe--but it kills me to dump the cup of rich milk mixture. There MUST be a good use for it--ideas, anyone?
ReplyDeleteOh My! Is it wrong to want to eat dessert all the time? Especially when they look as good as this. I have never attempted a tres leches cake, but I might have to as your instructions are thorough.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the David Crowder clip I posted today...that song gets me everytime.