Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches Cake
Recipe by Mary Luz Meija

I discovered Mary Luz Meija on Twitter and was immediately impressed with this talented, warm and intelligent woman. When I was searching for a new cake recipe to try, she recommended this one and it didn't disappoint. I served it at my niece's Birthday and it pleased both the Greek and Portuguese sides of the family...that's hard to do! You know it's a winning recipe when you have a Greek mama asking you how to make it. :)

I didn't change much in the recipe. My only addition to this cake was the toasted sweet coconut. I think it added a nice flavour and texture to this delicious cake. Thank you Mary Luz!

Serves: 10

Ingredients:
CAKE:
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

MILK SYRUP:
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy (or whipping) cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp dark Cuban rum (I used coconut rum)

GARNISHES:
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup sweet shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Generously butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

2. CAKE: Beat 3/4 cup sugar and the egg yolks until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold in the milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the cream of tartar after 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm, but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Pour this batter into the buttered baking dish. Bake the cake until it feels firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 30-45 minutes. Let the cake cool completely in baking dish. Pierce the cake all over with a fork, taking care to not tear it up.

3. MILK SYRUP: Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream, vanilla and rum in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended. Pour the syrup over the cake, spooning the overflow back on top, until it is all absorbed.

4. GARNISHES: Beat the whipping cream and vanilla extract together until they form soft peaks.

5. Toast the shredded coconut on a baking sheet in a 350F oven until lightly golden, about 5-7 minutes. Mix the coconut half way through. Let the coconut cool completely.

6. When ready to serve, cut a slice and plate it. Top the cake slice with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and some of the cooled shredded coconut.

This cake is addictive- you’ve been warned! Enjoy!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

This looks so delicious! I am bookmarking it for SOON!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A delicious cake!

Cheers,

Rosa

Priya Suresh said...

Great looking and delicious cake..

Peter M said...

I wish I could have tried this cake out too! Almost as sweet as the Dragon ;)

Ana Powell said...

Portuguese side of the family, we could be related :)
I love this dense and moist cake and the fact that after been baked it is perforated and soaked in a mixture of three different milk products.
Happy belated Birthday to your niece ♥

Pam said...

What a cake! It looks delicious! I'm new here and will enjoy following to see what's next. You have a lot of great recipes!

Lot-O-Choc said...

oooh your tres leches cake looks good! I bet topping it with coconut made it extra delicious!

Agnès said...

This is my first time on your blog... I have already bookmarked 1256 recipes ... (I have to find an alternative to evaporated milk and cream of tartar because I don't think I can find those in France).

Savannah, Acts of Sweetness Ambassador said...

This cake looks so delicious!

It would be great if you ever felt like sharing your recipes or posts with our online baking community : http://www.facebook.com/redpathsugar?ref=ts

We love to see new and interesting recipes (and photos!) such as this (or any others you may have).

We're also running a contest to see the Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro live in Toronto. You can check out the details on our facebook page which I linked to above :)

Deeba PAB said...

Happy Birthday to your sweet neice. What a great cake. Ever dependable twitter never disappoints! Never easy to please any 2 people, leave alone 2 cultures! Only you could have done it Paula! {HUGS}

 
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