Tres leches cake

Today I have prepared a very widespread cake on the net, the tres leches cake . There are many recipes for this cake in the blogosphere, but today I bring you the one that, after several attempts, I think is the best. This is one of the most famous dessert recipes in the Latin American world, being very popular in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Puerto Rico or Mexico .

It is a cake based on a spongy and consistent sponge cake that is bathed in a mixture of three milks until it is completely saturated with them and is usually served topped with meringue to the point of snow . It is very important that the sponge cake bear the weight and humidity that all the liquid that will absorb it will provide it, it should not break or dissolve once bathed, it will stoically hold 600 ml. different milk that we are going to add.

Regarding milk, evaporated milk, cream or milk cream and condensed milk are used . There is the 4 milk version, popular in Argentina that also adds not a milk but a dairy product, the popular sweet milk archi. We can even find the option 5 milks that they prepare in some Central American country using coconut milk, which even though it is not a milk itself, they use it as such by giving it that name. In all its versions, including the quick version in the form of individual three milk cups , this dessert is a true wonder, of course very sweet juicy and addictive. You will tell me.

Preparation of the three milk cake

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and mount the whites until stiff with a pinch of salt and reserve them.
2. In a bowl beat the yolks with the sugar until we form a mixture with foam. Add the milk and continue beating. Incorporate the sifted flour with the yeast and mix carefully until it integrates with the liquids.
3. We incorporate the whites mounted to the point of snow with great care so that they do not lower, with enveloping movements and slowly.
4. We spread a mold of about 20 cm with butter. in diameter and we cover it, both on the bottom and on the sides with baking paper. Pour the cake dough and bake, with the oven previously heated to 180ºC for 40 minutes, checking that it is ready by clicking with a stick and that it comes out clean.
5. We remove the mold from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before unmolding it. We leave it on the rack until it is completely cold.
6. Once the cake is cold, we cut off the top that may have been formed with a serrated knife. This operation is only for the aesthetics of the cake, so that it is as regular as possible. We place the cake on a deep tray and with a Chinese toothpick or a punch we make perforations all over the surface. This step is essential for the milk cream to enter the entire mass.
7. In a bowl we mix the three milks, the condensed milk, the evaporated milk and the cream. With a spoon, distribute 4 or 5 tablespoons of the milk mixture over the entire surface. We will let the liquid absorb before adding more. We continue adding liquid and waiting for it to be absorbed until all the amount is finished. Although it seems like a lot, the cake will absorb everything if we give it time. We keep the cake in the fridge overnight to rest and settle.
8. If we want to transfer the cake to a definitive source of service, do not worry, if we do it carefully it will not break since the texture of this cake will allow us to transfer it.
9. We prepare the meringue by beating the whites until stiff, with a pinch of salt. Once assembled we are adding sugar little by little while continuing to beat. The best thing is that you do the meringue with electric rods since it is very laborious by hand. We fill a pastry bag or a plastic bag to which we cut the tip and decorate our cake on the entire surface with the meringue.

Once this cake is finished, you can burn the meringue a little with a torch, garnish it with a little sprinkled cinnamon or make a soft caramel and drop it onto the cake in the form of a fine thread.

Although this cake takes time to prepare, perhaps it is more for a holiday or birthday, the real work of making it is not too much and the result can not be better. A sponge cake completely soaked although consisting of a sweet and very tasty cream, a whole tart of yummy.

Be sure to enjoy all the yummy sweets in our dessert recipes , I assure you that you will find plenty of ideas to make yours much happier. You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.