My dad found this recipe online (or got it emailed to him through one of his many newsletters, etc.) and sent it to me and my sister since we were having Mexican food for Christmas. I had never made a Tres Leches cake before so I was a bit nervous, but it's not hard as long as you follow all the steps (there aren't that many, just more than most cakes). Everyone loved it at Christmas.
This past weekend, my sister asked me if I could make one for her boss' birthday and then my husband asked if I would make one for his work potluck, so somehow I went from not making one in 8 months to making two in 2 days.
Tres Leches Cake
From Cafe Central, El Paso
Cake
9 eggs (room temp)
1 1/2 c. sugar
12 T. butter, softened
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate egg yolks and whites, keeping whites at room temperature. In bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together until pale yellow and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat until fluffy again, 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder. In a third bowl mix milk and vanilla. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture (a fourth at a time) until all are combined. Beat until smooth after each addition.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form and, using a large spatula, gently but thoroughly fold into flour-and-butter mixture. Grease bottom of a 9x13 metal pan. Pour in batter and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool.
Three Milks
2 c. heavy cream
1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk.
Stir the milks together thoroughly; do not beat. Do not refrigerate canned milks before using.
Cream Icing
2 c. heavy cream
1/3 c. sugar
Whip cream and sugar together until stiff. When cake is cool, slice or peel off the thin top crust. Ice sides first, creating a small lip on top to catch milk mixture. Pour milk mixture evenly over top of cake (if necessary, poke holes in cake with a knife or toothpick to facilitate soaking; you will probably only need 3/4 of the mixture). Finish icing top. Refrigerate.
**Edited to add: FYI, it's totally not worth it to try to take it out of the pan and into something prettier before pouring the milk mixture and icing...it's a big mess. Just sayin'. Bake it in a pretty pan and be done.**
