quick dessert recipes: This Tres Leches Cake Recipe Is Simple To Follow And Yields A Delicious Cake

The tres leches cake is a popular Mexican dessert, moist and soft, and easily melting in the mouth. It gets it's name from the ingredients. Tres leches means three types of milks. They are evaporated milk, heavy whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk. They are all thoroughly absorbed by teh cake through the holes we poke in it. The result is a decadently moist and soft cake. It's rich and dense but feels light when eaten. It’s a rather balanced dessert and one that you're going to thoroughly enjoy making. So follow this quick dessert recipe and make your own tres leches cake, a deceptively simple cake to make, especially for the slightly experienced bakers. Impress anyone who eats it and enjoy it with loved ones.

Ingredients:

• 125 g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 5 eggs, (large)
• 200 g sugar, divided into 3/4 and 1/4 cups
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 86 ml whole milk

For the syrup:

• 2 ml evaporated milk
• 15 ml sweetened condensed milk
• 86 ml heavy whipping cream

For the frosting:

• 18 ml heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 155 g berries, to garnish, optional

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350F or 177C.
• Butter a baking pan and set aside.
• In a bowl, add the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
• Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into separate bowls.
• Beat the egg yolks and sugar with a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat until the yolks are a pale yellow. Add the milk, little by little, and the vanilla, and continue to beat. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form.
• With the mixer still running, pour the remaining sugar and beat on high until the egg whites are stiff but not dry.
• Now, little by little, pour the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture. Gently fold them in together with a spatula.
• Now fold in the egg white mixture with a spatula until just combined.
• Pour the prepared batter into the pan and spread it evenly by softly tapping against the kitchen surface.
• Bake for about 30 minutes. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• While it's baking, make the syrup. In a bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk.
• Remove the cake once baked. Pierce the surface of the cake with a fork all over. Drizzle the milk mixture over the cake. It will get absorbed through the holes you’ve poked.
• Now prepare the whipped cream frosting. Pour the cold heavy whipping cream and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat on high speed. Keep beating until thick and whipped. Spread this over the cake with a spatula.
• Decorate the cake with berries, if desired. You can use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or any other berries of your choice, sliced or whole.
• Serve cool.

Notes, tips and tricks:

• If the eggs are cold, it will be easier to separate the egg whites and yolks.
• Do not overmix the batter or the eggs will lose some of it's structure. The cake depends on the volume of eggs to rise, so don't overmix or it will go flat.
• Once you poured the syrup onto the cake, let it rest for at least half an hour, so that all of it is soaked through.
• Make sure the cake has had time to cool before you spread the whipped cream mixture on top. If the cake is hot, the whipped cream frosting will melt and spread off everywhere. So be careful it's cool first.
• The cake can be stored in the fridge for 2 days. Thaw at room temperature before serving. Add the berries on top just before serving.

It's best to make the cake from scratch because it's an especially moist creation, with the syrup getting soaked throughout. If you buy ready cake mix it can become too soggy. So be careful to bake from scratch.