The tres leches cake, or “three milk cake” in English, is a popular Mexican cake. This cake is yellow and then doused with soft sweet milk. Generally, this cake uses cinnamon as a topping, but there are many variations of toppings that can be used. Let's learn how to make a tres leches cake with other topping options.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon bakpuder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 5 eggs (large size)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon rum
- A pinch of salt
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Cake Dough
Step 1. Prepare the equipment
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 33 x 23 x 5 cm cake tin with butter and sprinkle with a little flour. You can also use a circular cake pan if you like.
Step 2. Mix dry ingredients
Place flour, bakpuder, and salt in a medium bowl and mix well with an egg beater.
Step 3. Mix the wet ingredients
In another bowl, add butter, sugar and vanilla extract and mix well with an egg beater or spoon. Then, add the eggs one by one while beating until slightly foamy and changing color. After that, add 1/2 cup of milk.
Step 4. Finish the cake dough
Enter the flour mixture little by little into the wet mixture while stirring slowly (with a folding technique). Then, knead the dough until smooth until there are no lumps of flour remaining.
- Don't over-knead the dough or the texture of the cake will be tough.
- Use a spatula or wooden spoon for a better finish.
Method 2 of 3: Baking and Baking
Step 1. Bake the cake
Pour the mixture into a cake pan that has been buttered and dusted with a little flour. Place the cake in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the surface of the cake is quite firm. To make sure the cake is done, pierce the cake with a toothpick. If the surface of the toothpick has no cake crumbs attached (clean when removed), it means the cake is done. Then, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
Step 2. Prick the surface of the cake
Use a fork, skewer, or toothpick to poke the surface of the cake. The holes on the surface of the cake serve as a slit to enter the sweet milk mixture.
- Do not poke the cake until the surface becomes damaged. Just take it slow.
- Use a thin-toothed fork or a thin skewer to prevent cake crumbs from sticking out when the surface is pierced.
Step 3. Make the tres leches mixture
Combine the remaining milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and rum in a bowl. Use an egg beater to beat the milk mixture until smooth.
Step 4. Pour the milk mixture over the cake
Pour the milk mixture evenly until it soaks into the cake through the small holes. Pour in the milk mixture when the cake has cooled. Then, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Cakes can be served or decorated with toppings.
Method 3 of 3: Cake Decorating
Step 1. Make the whipped cream topping
Whipped cream is a classic topping for tres leches cakes because of its texture that contrasts with the cake. Combine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Then, beat the cream mixture until stiff. Brush the tres leches cake with whipped cream before serving.
- Whipped cream can be added with cinnamon, vanilla, lemon, or other flavours.
- Do not grease the cake before serving; The texture of the whipped cream will melt later. However, you can refrigerate the whipped cream beforehand so that it doesn't become too mushy.
Step 2. Make the fruit topping
Fruit is also a popular topping for tres leches cakes. The fruit can be served on top of the whipped cream or directly on top of the cake. Choose a combination of fruits below:
- Strawberries and blueberries. Slightly crush the berries and sprinkle them with a little sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes then spread to the surface of the cake.
- Mango and papaya. Thinly slice mango and papaya then sprinkle with a little sugar. Decorate the cake with toppings when it is served.
- Peaches and cherries. Slice the peaches into thin wedges then slice the cherries in half and remove the seeds. Arrange the peaches and cherries on top of the cake in a beautiful arrangement.
Step 3. Done
Tips
- When baked, the cake will look small in a 33 x 23 x 5 cm pan. However, the cake will expand when doused with the milk mixture.
- The cake will harden after baking, but the cake will become soft when doused with the milk mixture.
- Pour the milk mixture from the center of the cake's surface. The milk mixture will then expand to the edge of the cake so that the entire surface will be exposed to the milk mixture and become soft.
- There are many variations of recipes that can be used. You can use other types of alcoholic beverages or replace sweetened condensed milk with coconut cream.
