Coffee Tres Leches Cake
Recently, I’ve discovered my love for Tres Leches Cake, with that being said, I was also intimated by it. For one, I had a hard time pronouncing it,don’t ask why. Also, I had it in my mind that it was a complicated cake to make, and ain’t nobody got time for that.
Finally, I decided to investigate the matter and compared different recipes and methods. For the most part, the ingredients were the same in almost every recipe. But I did find there were different methods in making the cake. I found the most straightforward approach and went for it.
To my surprise, Tres Leches Cake is very simple to make! It’s very forgiving: if you accidentally over bake it, you will straight up pour three different types of milk all over making an over baked cake taste moist.
I decided to go with coffee flavor because I love coffee, all day everyday. Coffee and milk pair very well together. Plus, this is a sweet cake and naturally the bitterness of coffee will offset the sweetness and add depth of flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I still LOVE the original but there is no harm in adding a little caffeine to your dessert.
Oh by the way, I probably should have mentioned this earlier. Tres Leches Cake translates to three milks cake, it’s soaked in three different types of milk: whole milk, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. Enjoy!
Things You Should Know:
- Beat the eggs and sugar until they are pale and fluffy, to get a nice spongy cake.
- Slowly add cooled butter to the eggs/sugar mixture, otherwise you will deflate all the air you whipped into it.
- Cake must be completely cool before adding whipped cream topping.
- Best served cold. Place cake in fridge for 2-3 hours…if you can wait that long.
- Tres Leches Cake can be made a day ahead.
- 5 large eggs
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 Tbs instant espresso powder or 2 tsp vanilla if you don't like coffee
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbs granulated sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter OR a 8x12 inch baking dish. I used 8x12 inch because I wanted a taller cake.
- Place flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and whisk with fork to combine. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and set aside to cool.
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs,sugar and vanilla on medium high speed for about 3-5 minutes. Beat until it becomes pale, fluffy and doubled in size. Turn mixer to medium speed and SLOWLY add the cooled butter to the egg/sugar mixture. *If you add it all at once you will deflate all the air you whipped into the eggs and sugar. Add the dry ingredients and beat until JUST combined (don't over mix). Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Check at 20 minutes, you'll know it's done when inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- While cake is baking, start making the three milks mixture. Take 1/2 a cup of whole milk and warm it up in the microwave for 30 seconds, add the 2 Tbs of instant espresso powder and mix it until it's completely dissolved. Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk and the 1/2 cup milk with espresso to a large bowl and mix until completely incorporated.
- Right when the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes using a fork every where on top of the cake. Immediately pour the three milks on top of the cake. First pour half the mixture and wait till it's absorbed and then pour the rest. Allow the cake to completely cool before adding the whipped cream topping.
- To make the whipped cream topping, beat the whipped cream and sugar using a handheld mixer until you reach a soft medium peak. Spread the whipped cream all over and place the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
