Tres Leches Cake, Home and Away

I typically don’t eat desserts but I always save room for tres leches cake when I am fishing at Anglers Inn. “Tres Leches,” which means “Three Milks,” is a rich, fluffy creation found in just about every Mexican restaurant, bakery or taqueria. It did not definitely originate in Mexico (some claim Nicaragua), but the result is the same – delicious. It’s light, spongy and moist, similar to an English trifle or the Italian tiramisu.

Tres Leches is a celebration cake, a must have during birthdays, graduations and even weddings – or to celebrate lobina grande.

OK, enough with the history, let’s make one.

If you’d like to try it yourself, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

• 1 cup white sugar

• 5 eggs

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

• 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• Step 1

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch baking pan.

• Step 2

• Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.

• Step 3

• Cream butter or margarine and 1 cup sugar together until fluffy.

• Add eggs and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.

• Step 4

• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, a little at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

• Step 5

• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Take our of oven and pierce cake all over with a fork or straw. Let cool.

• Step 6

• Combine the whole milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.

• Step 7

• Whip whipping cream (I suggest in a cold stainless steel bowl), the remaining cup of sugar and remaining teaspoon of vanilla together until thick. Spread over the COOLED cake. Be sure to keep the cake refrigerated, ENJOY or disfruta de tu comida!