Recipe: Tres Leches Cake
A simple recipe for the delicious and much beloved tres leches cake.
Tres Leches Cake
If you’ve never tried tres leches cake, you’re in for a real treat. This long-time favorite hails from Mexico but likely draws from older European baking traditions. Its defining characteristic, and namesake, is the blend of three types of milk in which it is soaked. Far from making a soggy mess, the milk blend produces a light, refreshing texture that hydrates as well as satisfies.
Once you’ve successfully baked this classic version of the recipe, you can explore its many variations. Try excluding the butter, for example, for a lighter, fluffier cake. You can also add new flavor blends to the milks, such as peppermint, cinnamon, or chocolate, or try a delicious buttermilk frosting. With such a tasty foundation, the possibilities are endless! Still, there’s something to be said for the timeless simplicity of the recipe in its basic form.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
12 oz. evaporated milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup white sugar
Fruits such as strawberries, peaches, or mango to garnish
Instructions:
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Beat together the butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed in a separate mixing bowl.
Combine the flour and butter mixtures slowly, beating until well blended.
Pour this batter into a greased 9” x 13” baking pan and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool almost to room temperature before piercing all over with a fork.
Combine the whole, sweetened condensed, and evaporated milk and pour over the cake.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk for several hours while refrigerated, preferably overnight.
Combine the whipping cream and sugar and whisk until thickened. Spread this over the top of the cake with fruits of your choice.
Enjoy!
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