Recipe video above: Make tres leches cake with this recipe! Moist and not too sweet sponge cake soaked in a syrup made of 3 kinds of milk. Topped with slightly stabilized whipped cream that doesn’t easily melt or deflate. Perfect for summer gatherings and barbecue parties.
2tbspfine sugar/ caster sugaradd more if preferred
1cupwhipping cream
Instructions
Cake
Preheat the oven to 350f /180c degrees. Wipe a casserole dish with oil or butter. Dust lightly with flour.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mesh strainer. Stir to further combine.
Separate egg yolks from the egg whites. In a bowl of a standing mixer, cream together the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar until color turns pale yellow. Stir-in milk and vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture. Whisk gently until just combined. DON'T OVER MIX. Transfer to another bowl.
Quickly clean the bowl of the standing mixer and wipe dry. Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cream of tartar. Continue beating until the egg whites are stiff but not dry.
Pour half of the egg white mixture into the batter and stir until thoroughly combined. Add the remaining white mixture and gently fold (don't stir), scooping the bottom until incorporated. Do not over mix the batter or it will deflate.
Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Note: Do not open the oven until minimum baking time is reached.
Tres Leches (3 milk mixture)
Combine all the ingredients in a cup. Stir until combined. Taste, and adjust condensed milk according to preferred sweetness.
Poke the cake all over with a fork. Pour milk mixture slowly over cake, filling the holes. Refrigerate, covered with a plastic wrap overnight.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Place cold cream cheese in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for a few seconds then add 1 tbsp sugar. Continue beating until it's lump-free.
Add the cream and beat until bubbles form. Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat on medium-high speed until peaks form. DO NOT OVERBEAT. Otherwise, it will curdle and turn into butter.
When the cake is ready, spread over the cake with a spatula. Dust with cinnamon powder and chill for an hour. Top with choice of fresh fruits before serving. If you have extra milk syrup at the bottom of the dish, scoop it off and drizzle all over the cake. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Cake Flour - can be substituted with a mixture of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Start with one level cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour, and add two tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift the mixture together to be sure the ingredients are well distributed.
Fruit Toppings - aside from ripe mangoes, you can also use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwifruit, canned peaches, and even pineapples.
Storage/Shelf life - keep cake refrigerated until ready to serve. The cake can last up to 4 days. Note that the whipped cream, especially if not stabilized, will deflate over time even if stored in the fridge. Hence, it's best to frost the cake just before serving.
To keep the freshness of the cake, store it without any fruit toppings.