Tres Leches Cake

I was sitting at my desk with my morning cup of tea, thinking about food.  I was mainly thinking of two things, the leftover roasted chicken in the refrigerator and the fact that my husband was out of sweets.  I decided to make chicken enchiladas and when I did the Tres Leches Cake came to mind.

This cake circuited food blogs and also food magazines a while back. I had it on my list of things I wanted to try. As I searched for the recipe, I discovered several which listed amounts of the three milks to mix together, then went on to instruct discarding 1 cup of the mixture. Um, no. I am not going to purchase ingredients, mix together ingredients, then proceed to discard some of it before it even gets used?! The only time I dispose of food, and I try very hard to not let it happen, is if something spoils before we can eat it.  

I might also point out more than tres milks in the cake.  Three milks are poured over the cake, which is an amazing sponge. But there is also milk in the cake and it is topped with whipped cream. So, one might actually call this Cinco Leches Cake. 

I had fun making this cake. I got to use my great springform pan, which I think is very cool. I got to separate eggs, which for some reason I love to do.  And I got to beat the egg whites until they were puffy and voluminous, then fold them into the batter. I am very intrigued by this process and always like doing it.

Later, while Pritchard Parker was eating a slice, I told him how much fun I had making the cake. He replied, "Well I saw you poking holes in it and it looked like you were enjoying it:". 

Tres Leches Cake

1 cup sugar, divided

5 eggs, separated

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk

1/4 cup heavy cream

additional heavy cream and sugar for whipping

Marachino cherries

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Beat egg yolks and  3/4 cup sugar until pale yellow and doubled in volume. Mix in the milk, vanilla, flour, and baking powder until well blended.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and gradually mix in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until firm. Fold egg whites into yolk mixture and pour into prepared pan. 

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes.  Loosen sides of cake with a knife and then remove the side of the pan. Cool completely. Place the cake on a serving plate with an edge. Use a large serving fork to pierce the surface of the cake all over. Mix together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Pour slowly over the cake. 

Serve with freshly whipped and lightly sweetened cream and garnish with marachino cherries. 

Linked with: Sweets for a Saturday #7 at the blog, Sweeet as Sugar Cookies