tres leches cake

When Sherry Hernandez suggested I make a tres leches cake, I thought two things- yum and authentic. Then, I changed it up a bit. It’s still an authentic recipe, but… I made baby ones. How cute are they!?!

There are TONS of recipes out there for this, Pioneer Woman just made one a bit ago..(looked fantastic, as always) BUT…. where I live is predominantly Latin-with a plethora of Latin stores and bakeries.  So, I went more local.This recipe came from Carmen de Musmanni, a costa rican (or tico ).

to begin, you need 5 eggs, separated

beat the yolks with 1c sugar, then add 1tsp baking powder, 1tsp vanilla, and 1 and half cups flour. It will be thick like this:

now, beat those egg whites until they’re fluffy and fold the two together like this:

This is when you get to chose your pan…. you can use a 9×13″pan or muffin tins, or mini muffin tins.

Make sure they are prepared (greased) Bake at 350 30 min for big pan, 20 min for smaller. Let it cool completely in pan.

I had leftover batter, so I also made a square one.

I used the end of a bamboo skewer to poke holes all over….

Now, the  “filling” which is really a sweet milky thin sauce that the cake hangs out in…

You can use any brand, I got these at my local Latin market… 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can sweetened condensed milk and 1/2 cup regular milk.

sweetened condensed milk is one of my favorite things…. something so indulgent about it, but- in an old fashioned simple way. It reminds me of when I read “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” by Betty Smith…

Pour this mixture over your holey cake. Don’t worry, it will soak it up….

For the mini cakes, it was like filling ice cube trays… ( yep, I don’t have an ice-maker, dryer, or dishwasher but,that’s okay…)

mmmm. Already looks like a fluffy cake in a sea of creamy sticky sweet goodness….

there are two topping you can use. One is a bit complicated, the other super easy. Here’s the complicated one…get out your candy thermometers!

bring together 1c sugar and 1/4 c water and 1 tsp vanilla over med heat until a thermometer reads 240 ( soft ball stage) SLOWLY add this to 4 egg whites while you are beating them (like above)

you will get a fluffy thick frosting…

simply divine!

A few very important notes if you do the baby cakes!

To remove them from their pan, you need to freeze them2-3 hrs, then transfer to a platter and frost them. (no need to do this with cake pan, as it’s served from the pan)

THE EASIER TOPPING RECIPE:

mix 1 an half cups half and half, 1 c sugar and 1 tsp vanilla until thick. Spread over cake