Tres Leches Cake with Whipped Cream
A whipped egg sponge poked full of holes and drowned in three milks until it's more custard than cake.
- Serves
- 12
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Written
Method
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.
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Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
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Beat the egg yolks with ¾ cup sugar until pale and thick, about 3 minutes, then beat in the whole milk and 1 tsp vanilla.
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Fold the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until just combined.
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In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then beat in the remaining ¼ cup sugar until the peaks turn stiff and glossy.
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Fold the whites into the batter in three additions, until no white streaks remain.
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Pour into the prepared dish and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back, about 25 minutes.
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Cool the cake for 10 minutes, then poke it all over with a fork, down to the bottom.
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Whisk the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and ½ cup heavy cream together and pour slowly over the warm cake, pausing to let each pour soak in before adding more.
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Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, until no milk pools on the surface.
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Beat the remaining 1½ cups heavy cream with ¼ cup sugar and the remaining ½ tsp vanilla to soft peaks, then spread over the chilled cake.
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Dust with cinnamon just before serving.
Notes
The poking is the whole recipe — go all the way to the bottom of the pan or the middle stays dry while the edges turn to pudding. Pour the milk mixture in stages rather than all at once; a sponge this light will float and buckle if it’s flooded too fast.
This wants the full four-hour chill, and it’s better the next day, so it’s a legitimate make-ahead for a crowd. Serve it straight from the dish, cold, with the cinnamon dusted on right before it goes to the table so it doesn’t bleed into the cream.