Inma of la Galletika was our Sept. 2013 Daring Bakers’ hostess and WOW did she bring us something decadent and delicious! Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk Cake, creamy yet airy, super moist but not soggy.. just plain delish!
Lately I’ve seen tres leches cake making appearances; on t.v., blogs, in magazines and I’ve been wanting to try one to see what all the rave was about. With them gaining such popularity I knew there had to be something amazing about them, but I needed to see what it was all about for myself. And if the ever growing popularity wasn’t enough, I actually had a conversation with some friends a few weekends ago and they kept going on and on about these cakes.
When I found out that this month’s Daring Baker’s I was ecstatic. Now I got to try out this ever so popular cake for myself. Can I just say, I see what all the rave is about? It’s light, airy, and moist. The frosting is a fresh whipped cream, so this compliments the airiness of the cake. This particular cake was filled with the baker’s choice of fruit, and I decided to fill mine with pineapples. I loved the contrast of the light and sweet cake and the tart pineapples. This cake was down right amazing, I can’t wait to make it again with different fillings. Oh, and there’s a coconut one too…I’ll definitely be making it soon!
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients:
For the cake-
5 Large eggs, separated
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
2 Tsp vanilla
1 Cup all-purpose flour
For the 3 milks syrup-
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1 Cup heavy cream
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Tsp rum extract
For the topping and filling-
2 Cups whipping cream
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
Canned or fresh fruit to fill
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a square or round 9×9 pan with nonstick cooking spray, dust with flour and set aside.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites and place in two separate bowls. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3-5 minutes. Once peaks begin to form, slowly add 1/2 cup sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form, an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.
Beat egg yolks on medium speek until creamy and fluffy and pale yellow in color, about 5-6 minutes. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolks over the egg whites and gently fold until just combined.
Fold in the flour, a little at a time and mix until just combined, being sure not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place in oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut cake in half.
For the 3 milks syrup-
Combine evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream in a saucepan, add the cinnamon stick and place over medium-low heat and bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
One the syrup is cooled, add the rum (or other desired flavoring) and stir to combine. Gradually brush over the entire cake, allowing it to absorb throughout. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.
For the filling and frosting-
Place the cream in a large bowl, beat on high until peaks begin to form. Once peaks begin to form, slowly add the sugar and continue mixing. Once all the sugar has been added beat on medium-high for 1-2 minutes.
To assemble-
Place a portion of the whipped cream on the bottom half of the cake. Layer fruit on the whipped topping and place top layer of cake on the fruit. Spread the remaining whipped cream around the sides and over the top of the cake. Garnish with fruit, if desired.
Recipe source: barely adapted from Paulina Abascal to the magazine Revista Secretos de la Pastelería Caserais for The Daring Baker’s
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