Classic Tres Leches Cake

Tres Leches, which translates to “three milks” is a sponge cake that is soaked in a mixture of three milks and served cold. This cake is very popular in Latin American countries, but according to culinary history, it might have derived from some cross-cultural transfer between Europe and the Americas. Europeans have been creating soaked cakes for centuries, so it is possible that it is a variation of some Medieval Era cake. This sponge cake is perfect for ANY occasion because it is extremely delicious and flavorful. Warning: it will be gone almost immediately, because it is amazing!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup of flour
1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
5 egg whites
2 ¼ cup of whole milk
1 can of condensed milk
1 can of evaporated milk
½ pint of heavy cream
Maraschino cherries

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Coat a 10x14 inch baking pan with butter and flour, then place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

3. In a medium bowl, beat all of the egg yolks along with ¾ cups of sugar, until the mixture becomes of a light yellow color and it doubles in size.

4. Stir in a ¼ cup of the whole milk, the baking powder and all the flour. Mix everything very well making sure there are no lumps in the mixture, then set aside.

5. In another medium bowl, beat the egg whites until they have formed soft peaks, then slowly fold into the yolk mixture making sure not to over-mix, otherwise the batter will lose its fluffiness.

6. Pour the mixture into the refrigerated pan, and bake for 30 minutes or until the cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

7. In the meantime, pour the condensed, evaporated and remaining whole milk into a container and mix well, then place in the refrigerator.

8. When the sponge cake is done let it cool down. Loosen it from the bottom of the pan, but leave it in the pan.

9. Poke holes all over the cake with a small knife or a skewer. NOTE: If using an aluminum foil pan, make sure you place the cake on another surface before poking the holes, otherwise you will also be making holes on the pan.

10. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the sponge and set it aside for a few minutes, to allow it to absorb all the liquid.

11. Whip the heavy cream and the remaining sugar together until you get soft peaks (it's some work, but fresh whipped cream is BEST), then spread over the cake and decorate with Maraschino cherries. Always keep the cake in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

I will bet money you will be standing by an open refrigerator eating heaping spoonfuls of this at midnight, just because. But I won't judge you.