The Allure of Tres Leches

When I want to find a phenomenal cake recipe I normally search for certain words or ingredients that would capture my attention. I want to be aroused and my breathing to be altered.

Three milks? Yawn.

For me, those words do not cause any physiological changes upon reading them, nor would I feel an urge to make a recipe with those words in the title. Lucky for me I had the pleasure of tasting this cake before the recipe fell into my hands.

This Costa Rican dessert (which apparently originated in Nicaraugua) comes across as somewhat ordinary and, until you experience it, may seem like an unlikely winner. That’s what I love about it – it has a surprising wow-factor. It’s also extremely easy to make with a nice short ingredient list. When you make it for the first time, you’ll lift an eyebrow – particularly when you pull it out of the oven. It just looks…strange. So it’s almost shocking, once you taste it, to discover how good it really is. 

It was 20 years ago when friends first introduced me to this delicious, rum-soaked treat. When I first saw it on a plate in front of me, my expectations were low. It looked so plain, and I’m not a huge milk fan. One bite was all it took, though, for the addiction to set in.

These days, I only make it when the situation warrants it. I prefer it to be what it has always been, all those years ago – a novelty, something made for special times and for special people.

I make this cake the day before I plan to serve it, as I like to give it time to sit and reach that perfect point of moistness. If time is not on your side, try to at least give it 3 or 4 hours if possible.

Ingredients are ready to go

There are a couple of things you’ll need to do right off the bat – separate the egg whites from the yolks and put some water aside with some ice in it (you only need 4 tsps of water, so it doesn’t have to be a lot). While you’re at it, you might as well assemble the rest of the ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar, egg whites and yolks) – your mis en place, for those wanting more flair.

Beat the egg whites until fluffy, then add the yolks and sugar little by little. Beat well, lower speed and add sifted flour and baking powder; add the ice water. Beat until smooth and pour into a large rectangular greased baking dish. It will look like you don’t have enough batter for the pan, but that’s ok!

Ready for the oven

Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. It will look a little pale and like it hasn’t risen enough – that’s normal!

Out of the oven and cooling

While the cake is cooling, combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk, whipping cream and rum. Mix well.

Take a toothpick or a wooden skewer and poke holes all over the cake, then pour the milk mixture over top. You want the cake to absorb all the liquid; you’ll know when it has by looking at it.

Holes are poked and milk is poured on…

…and now all the milk is absorbed

I put saran wrap on and put it in the fridge overnight at this point, as I like to give it maximum time to absorb all the liquid. On the day you’re planning to serve, whip some whipping cream in a bowl. I add a little icing sugar and vanilla for flavor. Once it reaches a nice whipped consistency, spread on the cake and put it back in fridge. You can serve it right away, but I like to let it sit for an hour just to cool the whipping cream.

The finished product

When you’re ready to serve, cut it into whatever size portions you desire – the milk will ooze out of the cake into a delicious pool of richness!

Tres Leches

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 c flour
• 1 c sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 tsps ice water
• 1 can condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 c whipping cream (you’ll need a bit more for whipping later)
• ¼ c rum (or rum extract if prefer)

Method: 

1. Beat egg whites until fluffy; add yolks and sugar little by little, beat well.
2. Lower speed and add sifted flour and baking powder; add ice water, beat until smooth.
3. Place in a greased, 9 x 13 baking dish and bake in preheated 350° oven for 25 minutes (all ovens are different, check at 20 minutes!) You don’t want it to turn dark brown. Remove and let cool.
4. While cake is cooling, combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, whipping cream and rum in a bowl and mix well (I use a small whisk, as I find it helps with the thickness of the condensed milk.)
5. With a toothpick or a wooden skewer, poke holes all over the cake and pour milk mixture over top, a little at a time. Let sit.
6. Whip some additional whipping cream, add icing sugar and vanilla to taste and spread over top of cake. Cover with saran wrap and put in fridge for a few hours or overnight.

 Photo Credits

Photos by Carol Good – all rights reserved

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