If you’ve been following my blog, you know most of my baking and blogging inspiration comes from trying new desserts at restaurants all over Austin TX. This week is no different, we’re baking a new favorite, Tres Leches Cake (Milk Cake). I’ve heard of tres leches cake, but didn’t know what it was and had never eaten it. Last weekend I got the chance to try it for the first time and OH MY GOODNESS… A cake soaked in milk… where has this been all my life?!?! It was delicious, sweet and the texture was unlike anything I had ever eaten before. Of course, I had to try and recreate it. Below is the recipe for my Tres Leches Cake along with my tips and tricks and don’ts that I did.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup white sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups 1% milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9×13 inch baking pan.
Combine flour and baking powder and set aside.
Cream butter and 1 cup of sugar together in a stand mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 2 tablespoons at a time; mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times with a fork.
Let cake cool in the pan for at least an hour.
Combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake.
Whip whipping cream, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 tablespoon of vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Let the cake sit in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy!
Tips, Tricks, and Don’ts that I did
The batter will be thick. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to have a cookie batter-like consistency.
Don’t be weirded out by how the cake looks after it bakes. Once it soaks up the milk it will fluff up and turn into the delicious picture below. (I almost trashed mine because I was afraid I had overbaked it, don’t do what I almost did)
GIve the cake time to soak up the milk mixture before topping with the whipped cream.
I topped mine with cinnamon, but fruit like strawberries or blueberries would make great toppings too.
This cake is best served after a night in the refrigerator, but you can serve it after a few hours if you’re pressed for time.
“Every cake should be soaked in milk”- #1 Mae Bakes Taste Tester. Truer words have never been spoken 🙂 If you love milk, this cake is for you. It’s big enough to share or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week if you want to keep it to yourself!
Don’t forget to Enjoy!
Mae Bakes 