Tres Leches Cake [Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk’s Cake]
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Ingredients
- Butter and flour for cake pan
- 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped from pods or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
- 1 (12-ounce or 340 grams) can evaporated milk
- 1 (14-ounce or 400 grams) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) heavy or light cream (half-and-half)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) rum (optional)
- 2 cups (475 ml) heavy cream (for whipped topping)
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) powdered or granulated sugar (for whipped topping)
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Preparation
Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×13 baking pan, or coat it with a nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch (together, these make 'cake flour' without you having to buy it), salt, and baking powder.
Step 3
If using a fresh vanilla bean, rub seeds into 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar to disperse them and help release the most flavor.
Step 4
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Step 5
With the machine still running, gradually add the sugar (vanilla bean-infused or plain) and beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form.
Step 6
If you haven’t used a vanilla bean, now add your vanilla extract and beat to combine.
Step 7
Add yolks one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
Step 8
Add milk and beat just to combine.
Step 9
Add flour mixture, one-third at a time, folding in each addition gently by hand.
Step 10
Pour batter in prepared pan and smooth top.
Step 11
Bake for 18 to 24 minutes, or until a tester inserted into cake comes out clean.
Step 12
Let completely cool in pan on a rack.
Step 13
In a large bowl, preferably one with a pouring spout, whisk together evaporated milk, condensed milk, and 1 1/2 cups heavy or light cream. Add rum, if using.
Step 14
Use a wooden skewer to poke holes all over cake.
Step 15
Pour all but 1/2 cup milk mixture over cake and transfer to fridge, giving the cake several hours but ideally overnight to soak it up. (Save last bit of milk mixture for serving.)
Step 16
Before serving, beat 2 cups heavy cream with 2 tablespoons powdered or granulated sugar until soft peaks form.
Step 17
Spread over top of cake.
Step 18
Serve cake in squares, first pouring a little puddle of reserved three-milk mixture at the bottom of plate.
Step 19
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
The butter-free sponge cake is perfect as it absorbs the milk mixture well.
Dialing back the sugar makes it less sweet but still traditional.
Optional:
Add dark rum or use coconut milk/eggnog for variations.
