Tres Leches Cake
A home-style recipe for Tres Leches Cake. Serves 12, ready in about 75 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) plain flour (maida)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 5 eggs, separated
- 1 cup (200 g) sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- For the soak: 1 tin (about 400 g) condensed milk, 1½ cups milk, ¼ cup cream
- For the topping: 1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream, very cold, and 2 tbsp sugar
- A pinch of cinnamon powder, to dust (optional)
Missing something?
- No plain flour (maida)? Use atta, sifted (the result is denser).
- No eggs? Use paneer or firm tofu in curries and rice dishes.
- No milk? Use milk powder mixed with water, or diluted tinned milk.
- No condensed milk? Use milk powder with milk and sugar, simmered thick.
- No cream? Use milk with a little butter, simmered to thicken (lighter).
- No sugar? Use jaggery (gur) or honey, added gradually.
- No baking powder? Use a pinch of baking soda with a squeeze of lemon, or skip it (the result will be denser).
Method
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23 × 33 cm baking dish.
- Sift the maida, baking powder and salt together.
- Beat the egg yolks with ¾ cup of the sugar for 3–4 minutes, until pale and thick. Stir in the ⅓ cup milk and the vanilla, then fold in the flour.
- In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the rest of the sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.
- Fold the whites gently into the batter until no streaks remain. Spread in the dish and bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the condensed milk, milk and cream for the soak.
- Poke holes all over the cake with a fork and pour the soak slowly over it, letting it sink in. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Whip the cream with the 2 tbsp sugar until it holds stiff peaks. Spread it over the cold cake and dust with cinnamon.
Tip: It looks like too much milk at first, but the cake soaks it all up in the fridge. The chilling isn't included in the time.
Not for the air fryer. It is too big for most air fryer baskets. Use the oven.