Tres leches cake
I've had this cake at a number of little Mom-n-Pop restaurants and enjoyed all the versions, all slightly different. Recently had one that used a cake that was more like pound cake than a yellow sponge cake, and that was interesting, too. I'd be interested in hearing stories of how your family makes it and whether you think there's a "standard" version - which I suspect there isn't.
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13 Comments:
I don't know what tres leches cake is really supposed to be like.
My husband made it once using a recipe from Everyday Food. It was my first time eating it and I loved it, so that is my image of what tres leches cake is. I loved how it was like 3 cakes in one, with the custard-like bottom.
I want to make it with egg nog some time.
Cassaendra at 1:01PM on 04/10/09
I've only ever had tres leches cake from local grocery store bakeries when I go to El Paso. So I have no idea what tweaks or variations here and there make it authentic or not - I just know I love it.
joyyy at 1:24PM on 04/10/09
i've had it a million times at family gatherings and no one makes it the same way. alton brown has a good recipe, if you'd like to try to make one. his is more toward the pound cake side, which, in my opinion, it should be like. a denser cake soaks up the yumminess better & still maintains its structure.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tres-leche-cake-recipe/index.html
dmarina at 1:31PM on 04/10/09
I've made this a couple of times. It was very good!
THREE MILK CAKE - PASTEL TRES LECHES
Estimated Times:
Preparation - 30 min | Cooking - 15 min | Cooling Time - 30 min
standing | Yields - 12 servings
Savor this creamy cake that will melt in your mouth. Its blends of
milk make this traditional cake of Latin origin an excellent way to
impress your guests!
Ingredients:
CAKE
6 large egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
6 large egg yolks
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
CREAM
1 can (14 oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 can (7.6 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ Media Crema, or 1 cup heavy whipping
cream
2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1/4 cup brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease and flour 9-inch springform pan.
BEAT egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar in large mixer bowl until stiff
peaks form. Combine egg yolks and remaining sugar in medium bowl;
beat until light yellow in color. Fold egg white mixture and flour
alternately into egg yolk mixture. Pour into prepared pan.
BAKE for 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden and wooden pick
inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven to wire rack.
FOR CREAM:
COMBINE sweetened condensed milk, media crema, evaporated milk,
brandy and vanilla extract in medium bowl; stir well. Prick top of
cake thoroughly with wooden pick. Pour 2 cups cream over cake. Spoon
excess cream from side of pan over top of cake. Let stand for 30
minutes or until cake absorbs cream. Remove side of pan.
FOR TOPPING:
BEAT cream, sugar and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until
stiff peaks form. Spread over top and sides of cake. Serve
immediately with remaining cream.
caramel at 1:32PM on 04/10/09
Tres Leches cake is a standard dessert at all family functions in our family. Sometimes it is purchased from the local Mexican bakery, but most often my grandmother makes it. A dry yellow cake, baked either in 2- 8 or 9 inch pans or an 11 by 15 pan. Start with the bottom layer (or split the sheet cake )cake, dribble over about 1/3 of the tres leche mixture (sweetened condensed milk, heavy whipping cream and evaporated milk) and line the middle with sliced strawberries. Top with the other layer, soak it with the rest of the milk and the frost with heavy sweetened whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks with a little sugar (just a small spoonful or two, you don't want it too sweet) and a little vanilla. Decorate with more strawberries.
Our family loves it with strawberries alone but it is also good with a mixture of fresh peach slices and strawberries in the middle and mango is also good too.
elderberry44 at 3:20PM on 04/10/09
We always have Thres Leches cake at family functions. My dad uses a recipe, which he won't hand over, that he got from his grandma. I recently made one for a family BBQ and I used Alton Brown's recipe from the Food Network website. It was pretty awesome, but a little too moist for my taste.
PumpkinBear at 5:43PM on 04/10/09
Ohhhh, I love tres leches cake. I've only made it once in my life, but I've had it several times in restaurants, and for me, it's one of those desserts that's practically impossible to stop eating. I made both a strawberry sauce and a dulce de leche to go with the one I baked, and they were both great (though I personally preferred the strawberry sauce). I'm curious about a "standard" version too....would love to have one made by somebody like elderberry's grandmother - someone who has been making them for years and totally knows what she's doing (as opposed to our "Americanized" versions...)
kimberlymac at 5:44PM on 04/10/09
How can you get one too wet? Most of the ones I've had have been almost falling apart.
lemons at 6:00PM on 04/10/09
i used to get it at a dominican bakery near my house in brooklyn. oh, man, it was good. i'd make one, but i'm afraid i'd eat the whole thing in one go.
cybercita at 12:25AM on 04/11/09
mine is a cake about 1 inch deep, and i use raw sugar which doesn't mix well with the batter, but sinks down and becomes a crispy thin layer of candy that you can scrape off the bottom of the dish (our favourite part!). for the milky sauce thing, i either make a standard milk + cream + condensed milk version or substitute the cream with coconut cream for a coconutty taste. no whipped cream, it's rich enough as it is!
natamari at 5:26AM on 04/11/09
I've had it in Costa Rica and it was outstanding. It was a nice thick-ish cake that was saturated with milk and had a nice whipped cream. I've made it just once - pretty much for the same reason cybercita doesn't make it...LOL.
therealchiffonade at 9:10PM on 04/11/09
the three milks in a tres leches are - regular milk, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. Some people substitute with heavy cream or half and half or even coconut milk, but the traditional ones are the ones I mentioned.
Now, they've come up with cuatro leches - when they add whipped cream instead of a merengue on top of the cake...
MadelynRodriguez at 3:49PM on 04/12/09
I have made the Everyday Food version a few times with a great reaction for my latina friends (I know they would tell me if it wasn't good or authentic enough). When I was in Miami, I saw that they served it with icing to make it prettier. So, the last time, I found a recipe for 7 minute icing (or "boiled icing") and put that on top. Bravo to me! It worked wonders for the taste and appearance of the cake.
meem21 at 5:01PM on 04/13/09