Tres Leches Cake

I have been on an unannounced, unplanned break (yet again) for too long and have been itching to get back to the blogging world but things have been far too hectic lately and they have prevented me from doing so. Today has been a real long day with intense preparation to have some 20+ pple home for lunch. On the Menu : Bhel Puri, Egg Biryani, Peas Pulao, Chettinad Vellai Kurma, Rajma, Chapathis, Curd Rice, Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Vanilla icecream...

But this post has nothing to do with the above items and I will probably post the Chettinad vegetable kurma soon but today is all about the delicious, moist, Tres Leche Cake (3 milk cake is the literal translation).

I have been wanting to taste this cake for the longest time after reading its description but almost always when I do find it on the menu at any restaurant, they will be out of it and so I've never had the opportunity to try it. So, for a potluck party we had a few weeks ago, I decided to make this for dessert and I must say it went over really well and everyone loved it... some even thought it tasted like paalkova. This is very milky and moist and it's amazing how the sponge absorbs so much liquid - I couldn't get enough it inspite of knowing how fattening it was! :) Now onto the fabulous recipe...

TRES LECHES CAKE (MILK CAKE) - makes one 9x13 inch cake

Ingredients

For the Cake :

All purpose flour - 1.5 cups Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick)
Sugar - 1 cup
Eggs - 5, separated
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Soaking Liquid:

Condensed milk - 1 can (14oz)
Evaporated Milk - 1 can (12 oz)
Whole Milk - 1 cup (8 oz)
Heavy Whipping Cream - 6 oz (or substitute with equal amount whole milk)

Icing:
Heavy Whipping Cream - 1 to 1.5 cups (depending on how much icing you'd like) Confectioner's Sugar - 3 tbsp

Method:

1)Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour one 9x13 inch pan.

2) Beat egg whites on high separately in a clean bowl until light and fluffy and soft peaks form.

3) In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar till fluffy, add egg yolks and vanilla extract and beat well.

4) Add flour 3 tbsp at a time to the butter mixture and beat until well combined.

5) Now, fold in the egg whites carefully making sure not to deflate it too much. Pour this batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean and cake is light brown.

6) Pierce the cake several times with a fork all over the cake (this will enable the soaking liquid to penetrate completely). Allow cake to cool completely.

7) Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, whole milk and heavy whipping cream (listed under the soaking liquid) and pour this mixture uniformly over the cake, ensuring that the corners are sufficiently moistened as well.

8) FOr the icing: Chill the bowl, beaters and the cream really well to ensure you can get fluffy whipped topping.

9) Whip heavy whipping cream and once soft peaks form, add 3 tbsp sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Spread this on cooled cake.

10) For best results, refrigerate this cake overnight before serving. This will allow the cake to soak up all the milky goodness and be just perfect. You can decorate the cake with some cherries but I scattered some tutti frutti that I had.

I know this sounds too involved but I think the results made it well worth it :) Also, I know the pictures are very dark but I remembered to take pictures after pple had started to dig in so it was all rushed.