Tres Leches Cake

If you've never had tres leches cake before, you must try it.  My hubby requested it for his birthday cake this year.  I made the cake but hadn't frosted it yet and had it chilling in the fridge while we were eating dinner.  We were going to have some friends over for a little birthday party, but had some tornado warnings for our area so no one really wanted to go out.  This was just shortly after the most deadly tornado in the last 60 years in the US hit Joplin, which is less than a two hour drive from here.  Never having lived in a place with real tornado threats I was freaking out just a tad.  We live on the second floor in an apartment building, so we decided to go to our neighbors' house down the street where we would at least be on the ground if a tornado did touch down in our area.  So, we got the car loaded up with our 72 hour kits and started heading over to our neighbors'.  My husband insisted that we go back in and get the cake and bring the whipping cream with us.  I went back--but only because it was his birthday.  I really couldn't believe he was serious, but I guess this cake is that good. 

Tres Leches Cake

Printable Version

FOR THE CAKE:

1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
5 whole Eggs
1 cup Sugar, Divided
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 cup Milk

FOR THE TOPPING:
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
1/4 cup Heavy Cream

FOR THE ICING:
1 pint Heavy Cream, For Whipping
3 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.

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 are stiff but not dry.

Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool.  (You can remove the cake to a rimmed platter, but I prefer not to because I think the edges stay moister if you top it while it is in the pan, it’s just not as pretty to serve it out of the pan.)

To make the topping, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times paying special attention to the edges so they aren't dry. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake, again giving the edges special treatment.

Cover cake and refrigerate for 2+ hours. To make the icing whip one pint of heavy whipping cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla.  Ice just before serving.  

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from the Pioneer Woman as influenced by Alton Brown