Tres Leches Cake

I first meant to make this cake nine months ago, when it made it on the list.  Unfortunately for me it kept getting beaten out by things like peanut butter rice crispies, cranberry apple crumble pie and double chocolate muffins.  Well no longer!  This cake, according to Shane "is definitely on the make again list."

Tres leches cake, for all us Canadians is three milk cake.  It's a light sponge cake saturated with three kinds of milk; sweetened condensed, evaporated and whole milk. And to top it off, frosted with whipped cream.  When we first dug in no one said anything, but instead devoured their slices, then everyone took seconds.  It's light enough to keep eating and "it has a glass of milk built right in!"  The cake is still cake-y, not soggy as you might suppose.  It's sweet and simple, with just a little vanilla.  It bursts in your mouth and the cream just slides down.  It sounds so lame, but tastes so good.  I think I'll try this in the summer with a pile of fresh berries on top.

Don't wait as long as we did, it's cheap and you've probably got most of the ingredients right now.  

Tres Leches Cake

Makes a really big cake, make sure you have enough people to eat it!

1 cup flour (120g) ap flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

5 whole eggs

1 cup (200g) white sugar, divided

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup cream

2 cups whipping cream

3 Tbsp (37g) sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray until well coated.

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

Beat egg yolks with 3/4 c (150g) of sugar on high speed until eggs are pale yellow.  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Pour egg yolk mixture over flour and gently combine.

Whip egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.  While the mixer is on pour in remaining 1/4 cup (50g) sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.  

Fold egg white mixture into flour batter, very gently until just combined.  Pour into prepared pan and spread out evenly.  

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, the top is golden and pulled away from the sides of the pan.  Turn cake out onto rimmed platter (if you have one big enough) to cool.  (Or just leave in the pan away from the heat)

While cake is cooling, mix together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream in a small pitcher.  Once cake is cooled pierce all over with a fork.  Slowly drizzle all but one cup of the milk mixture over the cake.  Try to spread evenly around the edges as well.  

Allow cake to absorb the milk for 30 minutes.  Whip heavy cream and 3 Tbsp sugar together until thick and spreadable.

Cut into squares and serve.  Keep refrigerated.