Tres Leches Cake

By srumbel

Tres Leches Cake has got to be one of the worlds best kinds of cake! Mabye I’m just biased because I’m a huge fan of sweetened condensed milk and cream and you get both in this cake. If you’ve never had Tres Leches Cake now is the time to make it! It’s a perfectly rich, sweet, satisfying cake and it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser! The spanish words “Tres leches” translates to “three milks” so it’s just a simple (dry) cake which is baked then soaked in a generous milk mixture. If you search for recipes on the web you’ll find about half contain one stick of butter the other half container no butter. Zero. Zilch. Nada. That’s just offensive. I’m totally kidding, but when there’s a choice I say butter all the way! Butter makes everything better. It adds a wonderful richness and flavor. Also a Mexican cake is better with Mexican vanilla right? Mexican vanilla actually has quite a different flavor from traditional vanilla so if you can get a hold of some I’d definitely recommend it. I added the link to the one I use in the notes in the recipe if you want to try it.
from cookingclassy.com

Ingredients

• Cake
• 1 1/2 cups (200g) cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp real Mexican vanilla*
• Milk mixture
• 1 1/2 cups (355ml) milk (anything but skim)**
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• Topping
• 2 cups (473ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp real Mexican vanilla
• Fresh sliced strawberries or cinnamon, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, set aside. Sift cake flour into a medium mixing bowl. Add in baking powder and salt and whisk 20 seconds, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy (it should appear nearly white. Scape bowl throughout mixing process if you paddle attachment doesn't). Mix in eggs one at a time, blending until well combined after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add in flour in 3 additions mixing just until combined after each addition. Remove mixing bowl from stand mixer and scape down sides and bottom of bowl and fold until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer (it will seem like a thin layer).
Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 24 - 28 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack, about 45 minutes. Once cool pierce cake many times all over with a long-pronged fork.
For the milk mixture:
In a large mixing bowl whisk together milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream, the sweetened condensed milk and the evaporated milk until blended. Pour evenly over cake then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days.
For the topping:
In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer (or using the stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment) whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add in sugar and vanilla and whip until stiff peaks form. Spread over chilled cake. Cut cake into slices and serve cold garnished with strawberries or dust with cinnamon if desired.
*This cake is best with Mexican vanilla but if you don't want to buy it an already have the regular on hand that may be substituted. If you do buy it be sure to buy one that is 100% vanilla as many of them are imitation. I use this one here
**I prefer my tres leches cake pretty drenched, as in I like there to be a little excess milk at the bottom of the pan. If you don't like yours quite as soaked you can reduce the milk to by as much as 3/4 cup.

Yield: About 15 - 20 slices