I had good intentions of having this post up over the weekend…I really did. But after I made my previous post while sitting in the passenger seat during our long trek to my parents…the car sickness was enough to deter me from trying that again on the way back. I wish I weren’t one of those people who get motion sickness. I am not a good passenger, and unfortunately, I cannot sleep in the car very easily either, otherwise that would be nice to keep me occupied. What’s that you ask? Why don’t you drive? Well, you see…I am not a fan of driving for long periods of time either. Most trips down to visit my parents, I do take the wheel half way. This time we were hauling a trailer there and a hot tub on the trailer back, and that I don’t do.
This week is Cinco De Mayo…hip hip hooray! I always love celebrating other holidays that don’t belong to me with festive food and libations. This past week we had another one of our little supper clubs, which is just a small gathering with a few friends. We choose a theme (Cinco De Mayo), we shop, cook and eat! I opted for a treat that I was never very fond of until recently (I have texture issue, another story for another day). Tres Leches Cake. Which actually ended up being rivaled by a super amazing Sopapilla Cheesecake (which hopefully I will be able to do a blog post on soon too, but I am scared that I will gain 10 pounds after making it, because I might just eat it all). However, this cake is amazing too, it was just hard to compete with a warm fresh out of the oven buttery gooey yummy deliciousness….
I digress. Tres Leches Cake translation….Three Milk Cake. One of the “milks” included, is the one that makes pretty much any dessert wonderful, sweetened condensed milk. YUM, this stuff is dangerous straight out of the can. Basically, this is a yellow cake soaked overnight in these different milks and topped with a whipped cream icing. I found one of the best rated recipes is this one from Alton Brown. I tweaked it just SLIGHTLY by adding….wait for it….Vanilla Beans! Shocking, isn’t’ it? They just add the perfect flavor to anything sweet. Before you get started, there is one thing I need you to know…. you will have to refrigerate overnight for it to set properly. This is not something you can make day of, but it is worth the wait!
Now, I am going to post the original recipe the way Alton Brown does it, and I will have my estimated measurements. He likes to go by measuring the weight of the ingredient to ensure that it is uniform and turns out just right. Thought I would include some pictures from supper club for fun! Here is Ashleigh, whom you have already met a few posts ago, making her guacamole.
The feast! Fajitas, chips, dips, all sorts of great food.
I had to throw in a picture of Ashleigh’s dog too. Are those not the most beautiful eyes ever?!
The girls in deep discussion.
And of course my silly husband and his lifelong best friend, Lee.
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Printable Recipe – Tres Leches
Tres Leches Cake
Adapted from Alton Brown
Ingredients: For the cake:
• 6 3/4 ounces cake flour (1 1/2 Cups)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (One stick)
• 8 ounces sugar (1 1/8 cup)
• 5 eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla Beans (or vanilla extract)
For the topping:
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9X13 cake pan with cooking spray and lightly flour. Combine the cake flour, salt and baking powder and in a separate mixing bowl and set aside.
Put your softened stick of butter in your mixing bowl and beat on a medium to high speed until the butter is nice and fluffy. Slow down the speed to low and gradually add in the granulated sugar. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl at this point.
Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the vanilla extract, mix until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the batter in 3 even batches and mix just until combined. Pour into greased cake pan and spread out evenly across the pan. It will seem smaller than your normal cake batter amount. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove the cake to a cooling rack and leave to cool for 30 minutes. Poke holes in the top of the cake all over with a fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.
For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, half-and-half and the vanilla beans. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.
Topping:
Mix the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip on a low speed until stiff peaks are formed. Bump the speed up to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
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