Tres Leches Cakes

John and I went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for about a week in the beginning of the month. We hadn't been on away since our honeymoon in 2010 so it was time for a nice indulgent vacation for the both of us. We got some sun on the beautiful beach, did sightseeing down in Old San Juan at the Forte San Cristobal, and went to see the Bio-luminescence in a nighttime kayaking trip to a lagoon on the other side of the island, all completely worthwhile! We also had lots and lots of good food at about ten different restaurants, every meal was inspiring and delicious. We learned that we love guava and could eat it at every meal, in just about anything and that Tres Leches Cake is one of the best desserts we've ever had!!

Ingredients for Cake:

1 Cup Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/4 Tsp Salt

5 Eggs - Separated

1/3 Cup of Skim Milk

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

12 oz Can Fat Free Evaporated Milk

14 oz Can Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

Pam Spray

Ingredients for Topping:

2 Cups Heavy Cream

3 Tbsp Sugar

Maraschino Cherries - Drained & Patted Dry

Adapted from: http://www.browneyedbaker.com

Begin by preheating the oven to 350 F.  Spray a 9 x 13 in glass baking dish with Pam spray and set aside. Next separate all 5 eggs. Place the yolks in the bowl for your stand mixer and keep the whites in a small dish, set aside. With the whisk attachment on a medium speed combine the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of sugar until thick. Once combined, add your milk and vanilla, mix again. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt and baking powder). Pour the wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and stir everything together.

Clean off the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment. Pour the eggs whites into the stand mixer. Whip the egg whites on a high speed, until soft peaks form. While the egg whites are still being whisked add 1/4 cup sugar,  continue whisking until the peaks are stiff but not dry.

Now this part got a little bit messy and I regret not using a larger bowl so learn from my mistake and if you don't have your batter in a large enough bowl, transfer it into a bigger bowl before you start adding the egg whites. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, in three separate batches until just combined each time.

Pour the batter into the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, trace the baking dish with a knife to loosen the edges and flip the cake over onto a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely which should take about 30-40 minutes.

When the cake has cooled completely place it on a serving dish or platter that has a rim or raised edge. This will keep the leches in the middle of the dish and therefore in the cake. Using a fork, pierce the entire cake, making lots and lots of holes for the milk to seep into. Make sure to go all different directions and along the sides as well.

When you are done putting holes in the cake, combine all 3 of the milks in a pitcher (evaporated milk, condensed milk and 1/4 cup heavy cream), you will have about 3 cups worth of liquid. Mix the milks together and slowly drizzle about 2 and a half cups of the milk mixture over the entire cake, throw away the remaining 1/2 cup of liquid. Make sure to pour it over the edges and along the sides of the cake, getting it into each little hole you made. 

Put the cake in the fridge for about 30 minutes, this will allow the milks to soak into the cake. While the milk is being absorbed you can make the whipped cream topping. Clean out the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment one more time. Pour two cups of heavy cream into the bowl with 3 Tbsp of sugar. Whip the cream until soft peaks form about 2 minutes.

 When the cake is ready to be serve, gently spread the whipped cream topping over the entire cake. Drain and pat dry your cherries and decorate the top of the cake as you see fit. Store it in the fridge at all times when not being served.

Enjoy!! - Nicole

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