Is Tres Leches Cake Spanish Or Mexican
Tres Leches is a traditional Latin American dessert that youâll see in nearly every Mexican bakery, restaurant, and taquiera there is. Youâll certainly find this rich sponge cake on our menu here at The Plaza Restaurant & Bar. This stellar dessert has origins and historical roots that are as rich as its dense flavor.
Best Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Are you looking for an easy cake to make thats sure to impress? This Best Tres Leches Cake Recipe is for you. Also known as three milks cake in Spanish, thiseasy tres leches cake recipe is a popular dessert in Latin America.
This light, spongy, moist cake, soaked in different types of milk and topped with fluffy whipped cream, is ideal for birthdays, weddings, Cinco de Mayo, or any other occasion that calls for a sweet treat. Its insanely moist, delectably sweet, and perfectly tender. It literally melts in your mouth.
Melt in Your Mouth Tres Leches Cake
There is nothing better than simple, crowd-pleasing desserts that are made in a casserole dish, such as No Bake Nescafe Cake, No Bake Pumpkin Lasagna Dessert, Cinnamon Roll Brioche Toast Casserole and of course, this Mexican Tres Leches Cake. Easy to make, theyre perfect for potlucks and parties. As soon as they appear on the table, they disappear immediately.
Im so excited to share with you the recipe of one of my favorite cakes. This cake is a simple yet an impressive dessert to make. It is the ideal way to end any meal. The cake is light and airy, then drenched in a truly decadent three-milk mixture.
How To Make Tres Leches Cake From Scratch
First, youll need to make the homemade sponge cake. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs yolks, most of the sugar, and vanilla until doubled in volume. The mixture should be light in color as well .
Mix in the milk, then gently fold in dry ingredients.
Next, the egg whites need to be beat to soft peaks at first. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. In other words, when you lift the beaters up, the egg whites should stand straight up.
Gently fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining egg whites. You need to fold the egg whites into the batter in batches to prevent them from deflating.
Once the batter is ready, pour it into an ungreased 9×13-inch baking dish, then bake until done.
Note: Dont grease the baking dish, otherwise the cake can deflate and shrink up. This is a sponge cake, and leaving the dish un-greased lets it cling to the sides so it can rise taller.
Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool completely. Then, poke holes all over the cake a skewer or fork works well for this step!
Next, whisk together the three milk filling. Youll want to reserve 1/2 cup of the milk mixture, as I find that the full amount is just a bit too much. You can cover the reserved liquid, refrigerate it, then serve it with the cake later.
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What Country Is Tres Leches Cake From
Tres Leches is a cake that originated in Latin America. Its a popular celebration cake. It seems that many of the Latin America countries have their own versions so recipes may vary slightly. I may need to taste test to see the difference between each countrys version.
Its crazy popular in America also. I mean.three milks? Why not?!
What Does Tres Leches Cake Taste Like
Have you ever had a Tres Leches Cake? Its one of the weirdest cakes you will ever make. Bake a white cake, then dump a good 4-5 cups of sugary milk over the top of it and refrigerate. It absorbs all the liquid and transforms into the most fluffy, spongey, moist cake you will ever have. I literally over baked this cake for at least 5 minutes and it still turned out incredibly delicious. I mean its kind of foolproof when youre dumping a ton of milk on top of it.
I decided to make the cake in the morning, and I wanted to photograph it in the afternoon. I knew I was already breaking the rules because Laura specifically said that the cake should be made the day before you want to eat it, but what can I say, I like to walk on the wild side. Or something like that
So I drop off the kids for school and race home to get the cake started. I throw the ingredients together and pop the cake in the oven. I set the timer for 25 minutes.
Then I take a good hard look at the ingredient list and realize Ive made the classic mistake that I know every single one of you have made at least once: I hadnt technically read through the ingredient list and needed to make a trip to the grocery store. Who has Coco Crema on hand? Definitely not me.
So. I had 25 minutes. I can totally make a store trip in 25 minutes, right?
Aaaand then my timer went off. I grabbed a couple cans of regular coconut cream and raced to the checkout.
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What You Need To Make This Recipe
Baking powder make sure to double-check that the baking powder you have is fresh. Replace it if its expired as you dont want a flat cake!
Eggs this cake calls for five eggs, so make sure you have enough before starting. They provide structure, help lift the cake, and bind the batter together.
Milk to make a tres leches cake, you need milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. The three kinds of milk make the cake so deliciously rich and flavorful. I recommend using whole milk and not 1% milk for the best flavor.
Heavy cream thanks to the higher fat content, the frosting is thicker and holds its shape better when you use heavy cream.
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Tres Leches Cake has a soft and ultra-moist crumb. It is soaked with a 3 milk mixture and topped with a lightly sweetened whipped cream. This is an authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe and the best we have tried. It beats any store-bought version all day long!
We love the simple, crowd-pleasing desserts that come together in a casserole dish like classic Tiramisu, our popular Strawberry Pretzel Salad, and of course this easy Tres Leches Cake. They are easy to make and perfect to bring to potlucks and parties. They transfer well and are always the first to disappear.
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Tips To Make The Best Tres Leches Cake Ever
- Warm your sugar: Place 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar into an oven-safe container and let the sugar warm in the oven as its heating up. Warm sugar helps give the egg yolks more volume when you whip them.
- Use a clean bowl and beaters: Because any trace of fat can potentially inhibit the egg whites from reaching their maximum volume, a clean bowl and beaters are a must when whipping egg whites.
- Make sure the cake is level: To make sure the cake absorbs the milk evenly, make sure the batter is level in the pan prior to baking. Use an offset spatula to spread the cake batter evenly. Give the pan a few taps on the countertop just before baking to release any air bubbles that may have become trapped during mixing. An even cake means the milk bath will flow consistently over the surface of the cake and every inch of tres leches will ooze milk.
How To Make Easy Rose Tres Leches Cake
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180 C and butter a casserole dish or oven tray.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
In a second bowl, beat the egg whites for a minute before adding part of the sugar and beating for another minute.
Continue to beat for 1 2 minutes until soft peaks are formed.
In a third bowl, beat egg yolks with remaining sugar for 2 minutes.
Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture slowly.
Add yolk mixture on top of whites. Fold in gently.
Pour into greased tin/dish and bake for 25 30 minutes.
Make the Milk Syrup by combining the 3 milks in a large bowl or jug. Add rose syrup and pink food colouring. Mix to combine.
Whisk Cream with sugar until slightly thickened.
Once Cake has cooled, pierce all over with a fork and drizzle in the milk.
Leave for 30 minutes. Beat the cream with sugar and either pipe or spread over the top.
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Can I Freeze This Cake
You can freeze the plain cake once baked. However, I do not recommend freezing the cake after its been soaked and assembled as it would be too mushy from the milks. To freeze the cake, allow it to cool completely, wrap tightly in plastic and foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before poking the cake, soaking it with the syrup, and topping it with frosting.
How To Make It
SAMS TIP: If youve never whipped egg whites to stiff peaks before, it simply means that the egg whites dont fold over or fall back into themselves when you pull your whisk straight out of the mixture. If youve made my meringues or white cake youve done this before! For a visual, check out my video below.
With most of my cakes I encourage you to play around with different frostings on top, but not so with todays recipe. You need something light that pairs well with the milks-drenched cake and the whipped cream frosting is a classic for a reason!
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How To Avoid Soggy Tres Leches Cake
Sponge cake is the cake for the job because it will absorb the large quantity of milk poured over it without breaking down into a soggy mess.
Tres leches should not be soggy it should not disintegrate. Tres leches has a light flavor and a texture reminiscent of a vanilla custard or pudding. It should puddle milk when you pierce it with your fork.
The optional dusting of cinnamon is subtly spicy, contrasting the delicate creaminess of the cake.
Does Tres Leches Cake Need To Be Refrigerated
Yes! Tres leches cake is served cold. It is best made the day before you want to eat it, or at least several hours. The cake needs time to chill but also time to absorb all the liquid were dumping on top. Also its very handy that this cake needs to be covered and chilled and put out of sight in the fridge, so that Im not sneaking a bite every time I pass through the kitchen. Am I right or am I right??
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Tips To Make The Best Rose Tres Leches Cake
- Fold the egg whites and yolks into the batter gently mixing from the bottom of the bowl. I use a metal spoon or rubber spatula. Both have worked fine for me.
- Let the cake rest for at least 30 minutes after pouring on the syrup so it can absorb the milk syrup.
- Bake the cake in either a well greased oven tray or pyrex rectangular dish.
- I would not recommend a store brought cake mix in this recipe because they do absorb the milk syrup without becoming soggy.
- This cake will rise like a souffle and then fall after it has been in contact with cooler air outside of the oven. This is perfectly normal.
- You can flip the cake upside down before pouring over the 3 milk mixture. This means that you have a nice flat surface to begin with.
- Whilst fridge cold eggs are easier to separate, room temperature eggs are easier to work with and whip.
- Full fat Cream or Milk need to be used in the milk syrup for best flavour.
- Use an offset spatula to spread the cake and cream layer evenly.
Answering Your Burning Questions:
How long does tres leches cake last? You can fully assemble and make a tres leches cake 1 to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Add fresh berries just before serving, especially if berries are sliced.
Is Tres Leches supposed to be soggy? It is supposed to be very moist. The cake base is a sponge cake so it takes on the generous amount of syrup without getting soggy. This is why I avoid using a boxed white cake mix which can quickly become soggy since its not meant to absorb liquid.
Can Tres Leches Cake be frozen? You can make the cake base ahead of time. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature then cover the casserole dish tightly with a couple of layers of plastic wrap and freeze the tres leches cake base up to 2 months. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter before using it. It is not recommended to freeze the cake once the syrup and frosting are added.
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Can You Make Tres Leches Cake Recipe Ahead Of Time
Yes! This authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe can be made 1-2 days in advance and will taste even better as the cake has more time to soak up the tres leches. You can even add the whipped cream topping IF you use the corn syrup because this stabilizes the whipped cream. If you dont use the corn syrup, you will want to add the topping right before serving or it wont be as fluffy.
If you want to make the cake further in advance than a coupledays, I suggest making the cake portion, poking with holes, then freezing.
My Top Tips For The Best Cake
Using a cake mix makes this recipe incredibly simple, but I still have a few tips Id like to share. These helpful hints will ensure that your tres leches cake turns out creamy, rich, and perfect!
- Mixing Instructions: Be sure to not over-mix the cake. Mix the ingredients well until you get a smooth mixture, but dont continue to mix after that. This way, it wont turn crumbly or rubbery.
- Cooling Instructions: Be sure the baked cake is completely cool before pouring the milk over the top. Pouring the milk onto the cake while it is still warm will cause the cake to be soggy.
- Soften the Cool Whip: Make sure to pull the cool whip out of the freezer about 30 minutes before using it, so that it will be soft enough to spread. If the cool whip isnt softened, it will be difficult to top the cake properly.
- Serve Cold: Be sure to serve this cake chilled. When the cake is cold, it will hold as much of the milk as possible, rather than turning soggy or leaking the milk out excessively. Plus, it tastes incredibly delicious cold!
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Tips From The Betty Crocker Kitchens
- tip 1 Tres lechesor three milks in Spanishis just a very moist cake enriched with two forms of concentrated milk and rich cream. The full dairy and vanilla flavors are a favorite in the southern U.S.
- tip 2 Try serving this Tres Leches Cake topped with a fresh berry or tropical fruit compote.
- tip 3 Be sure to wipe the fork occasionally to reduce sticking as you poke even rows in your Tres Leches Cake.
- tip 4 Now that you’ve mastered an easy Tres Leches Cake recipe, try this recipe for Banana Tres Leches Dessert. The additions of coconut milk and banana slices on top give it a more tropical flair.
- tip 5 If you love trying out Mexican-inspired desserts, check out this recipe for Mexican Chocolate Cake. The hint of cinnamon adds a welcome spice to the rich chocolate flavors.
Storage And Serving Tips
MAKE IN ADVANCE: You can make this cake 1-2 days in advance. However, we actually prefer making it 24 hours in advance.
SERVE: You can keep this cake out for about two hours before it needs to be covered and refrigerated.
STORE: Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for three to five days.
FREEZE: You can freeze the Tres Leches Cake with a few caveats. First, it cannot be frosted. Second, it needs to go into the freezer right after the three milk mixture is poured over it. Third, wrap the cake in two layers of plastic wrap and foil and freeze for 2-3 months.
THAW: Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight before frosting and serving.
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How Do You Make Sponge Cake
The preparation of the sponge cake is broken down into three easy steps:
This sponge method leavens a cake without the need for chemical leaveners, like baking soda or baking powder. It also creates a cake with an exceptionally spongy interior, which is great for absorbing that sweet milk.