Tres leches cake

A Piece of Cake

Cake is always a crowd pleaser. Plus, sheet cakes travel well! This craveable and simple recipe is one of my go to desserts when I’m in a pinch for time. For a cake that’s a breeze to bake, it packs in beautiful and complex milky flavors from the different types of dairy used. Be warned, it’s addicting!

The key to any type of baking is to weigh out ingredients. Baking is a science and requires the right proportions. I appreciate knowing that I’ll get the same results each time and so will you. Invest in a food scale if you don’t have one already. It’s worthy kitchen must have.

Tres Leches Cake Recipe Modified from Alton Brown & The Pioneer Woman

For the cake
6 3/4 ounces all purpose or cake flour, plus extra for the pan
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
8 oz sugar, spilt in half
2.6 oz milk
5 large eggs, separate the yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half
4 oz unsalted butter

For the topping
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or butter 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 5 ounces of 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 3 oz of 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 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool.

In a in a large glass quart measuring cup, melt butter and let it cool. Then add condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. Mix the milk glaze well. When cake is cool, poke the surface of the cake with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all the milk mixture.

Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 minutes. It will absorb most of the glaze, leaving a rim of glaze along the edges. To ice the cake, whip heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until thick. Spread over the surface of the cake. You can garish the cake with cinnamon, whole or chopped maraschino cherries.