Tres Leches Cake
Finish off your Cinco de Mayo festivities with this classic sweet treat from south of the border. While making this cake, you’ll understand why the name translates to “three milks”
PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
LEVEL: Easy
YIELD: 9-12 servings
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Tres Leches
- 2 cups whole milk
- 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
Whipped Cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional garnish)
- 1 tablespoon shaved chocolate (optional garnish)
Method of Preparation
- Preheat the Wolf Convection Steam oven to 325° on the Convection Humid Mode.
- To make the cake, combine the flour and baking powder and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, and cream until lighter in color and fluffy. Then add in the eggs, one at a time.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- With the mixer running on low speed, begin adding the flour mixture, one spoonful at a time until it is all fully incorporated.
- Grease a 9×9 dish and add the batter. Tap the baking dish on the counter to level it and remove bubbles.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the cake and comes out clean.
- While the cake is cooling, whisk together the milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk.
- Once the cake is cool, poke cake about 20 times with a fork. Then pour over the milk mixture slowly, letting it absorb into the cake. There may be some excess milk. The cake should be thoroughly saturated, but not to the point where it can’t maintain its shape and structure. The milk should seep if it’s pushed but doesn’t actively leak excess moisture.
- Place cake in fridge to firm up then make the whipped cream. To make the whipped cream, whip the whipping cream, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Smooth the whipped cream over the cake, serve and enjoy.
*Chef Tips*
- We garnished ours with cinnamon and shaved chocolate, but fresh fruit is also a very popular garnish.
- This cake tastes even better the next day when the milks have had longer to fully absorb into the cake.
