The Best Tres Leches Cake — Ever
By Melissa Pitts
The origin of Tres Leches cake is a controversial one, some say it’s from Central America, others Mexico- frankly I don’t care. This recipe has you make the yellow sponge cake from scratch, but if you aren’t into baking, go ahead and buy the yellow cake mix from the box and start the recipe from the part where you start poking it with a fork. Once the cake has been topped with whipped cream, most people (and I mean most will find it sacrilegious not to) top it with fruit like Maraschino cherries, pineapples, even kiwis.
Yields 12 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 5 eggs, separated between yolks and whites
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
- 11/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 5 oz can evaporated milk
- pinch of salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- 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.
- 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 form stiff peaks.
- Fold egg white mixture into the batter until just combined- careful not to deflate the egg whites. Pour into greased pan and spread to even out the surface.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool completely.
- Combine condensed milk and evaporated milk in a large measuring cup. When cake is cool, pierce the cake all over with a fork. Slowly drizzle all the milk mixture over the cake.
- Allow the cake to absorb the milks for at least 30 minutes- the longer the better.
- Add whipped topping and cut unto 12 squares and enjoy!
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat all the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla until thick, then serve.
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