Cake meet Milk meet Cream meet Fruit. Could there be a more winning combination? Tres Leches Cake is a classic Mexican dessert that is different from anything else I have had. In it the cake itself literally gets soaked with a milk mixture. Top it with pillowy whipped cream and your favourite fruit and you have a dessert that is both light and indulgent . The Tres Leches cake is traditionally made in a dish and the milks are poured right on top so they absorb in without any spills. I love making them that way for a crowd but for a smaller group I far prefer the prettier round Tres Leches Cake.
It took some fiddling with a recipe that I found in one of my old aunty cooking classes cookbooks, you know the hand written and photocopied kind to get to this one. The cake was perfect as written but the liquid was tricky. Too little and it became a what leches cake and too much and it was a sopping mess. At this amount it is just right (if I do say so myself).
The Components of a Tres Leches Cake
The Tres Leches Cake is made of three parts. The first is a sponge cake which is made without any fat so that the cake is light and airy, perfect for soaking up all that milk. The second part is the three milk filling. The milk filling is a combination of whole milk, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. This mixture gets poured onto the cake. The final element is whipped cream. Traditionally the whipped cream is topped with a dusting of cinnamon. Since I usually use fruit I tend to skip it.
Variations on the Tres Leches Cake
Here are some fun ideas for mixing it up with this Round Tres Leches Cake:
- Instead of condensed milk whisk dulce de leche into the filling, top with a caramel crunch / praline.
- Top with ganache and toasted coconut
- Top with sliced peaches or mangos and a little drizzle of honey with a scattering of pistachios
I would be remiss if I didn't take this time to say that when I was putting my strawberries onto the cake I was heavily inspired by this image I saw on Pinterest from. Her strawberry cake looks delicious and I hope to try it one day!
Without further ado here is the recipe for a Round Tres Leches Cake. Hope you love it as much as we do!
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 eggs - whites and yolks separated
- ¼ + ¾ cup sugar (different uses, see recipe)
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¾ cup evaporared milk
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 cup condensed milk
- 1 ½ cup whipping cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ - 1 lb strawberries sliced per preference
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
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Grease and line with parchment paper a 9-inch pan with at least 3 inch high sides.
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Mix the ingredients for the flour mix in a bowl and set aside.
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Whip the egg whites in a medium bowl on medium high heat until soft peaks form (3-4 minutes) then gradually add the ¼ cup sugar and whip till stiff peaks form.
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Now whip the egg yolks and remaining ¾ cup of sugar in a larger bowl until pale and fluffy.
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Kepe the mixer on low and add the flour and the ⅓ cup milk in two increments each so: half of the flour, half of the milk, remaining flour, remaining milk. Mix until JUST combined, do not over mix!
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Deftly fold in the whipped egg whites (refer to video)
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Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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When the cake is done loosen the sides with a knife, invert onto your cake plate and peel off the parchment paper
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Combine the milk mix, whisk well and set aside.
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Whip the cream with the sugar until nice and fluffy, add the vanilla and mix to incorporate.
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Poke LOTS of holes into your cake with a skewer
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Gently pour MOST of the milk mix onto the cake, reserving ⅓-1/2 cup for serving
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Once the milk is absorbed, cover with cream, top with your fruit and chill for at least 2-4 hours before serving for the flavours to meld. When ready to serve, cut a slice, pour a little extra milk mix on to the plate and enjoy.
