Tres Leches Cake: Learn how to make this delicious dessert!

Tres Leches is a reference to the three types of milk used to make this dessert: condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream.

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Origin

The origin of this cake is disputed, with culinary historians divided between Mexico and Nicaragua. Today, the cake is eaten throughout Central America and has also begun to appear in bakeries in the United States.

The use of evaporated and condensed milk is a firmly rooted part of Latin American culture, although condensed milk did not exist until the 1850s and evaporated milk came on the scene even later.

However, once these dairy products saw the light of day, they caught on very quickly in Latin America and for good reason.

Unlike fresh milk, canned milk can be stored and transported without being damaged; a highly desirable feature in a part of the world where vast areas of land experience tropical temperatures all year round. Even in today’s Nicaragua, many families live without modern conveniences such as refrigerators.

Ingredients of Nicaraguan 3 milks:

• • • 3/4 cup butter
    • 1 ½ cup of sugar
    • 9 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (can be substituted with vanilla sugar)
    • 2 cups of wheat flour
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 cup of milk (fresh or evaporated)
    • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar (hydrogen tartrate with potassium) or 1 teaspoon white
    • vinegar
    • 2 cups heavy whipped cream
    • 5 ounces of evaporated milk
    • 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
    • 2 cups heavy whipped cream
    • 1 cup of sugar

Preparation:

• • 1. Place the butter at room temperature to soften it.
    2. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C or 350 degrees F.
    3. Grease and flour a baking pan. (Approximately 9 × 13 inches or 20 × 30 cm is recommended.)
    4. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy.
    5. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. You will use both in this recipe.
    6. Add the egg yolks to the bowl one at a time, beating each egg well before adding a new one and stirring in the vanilla.
    7. In another bowl, sift out the flour and baking powder.
    8. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beating well after each addition.
    9. Place the egg whites in a glass or metal bowl and beat them with cream of tartar or vinegar until firm peaks form.
    10. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the butter mixture.
    11. Spread the mixture evenly on the baking dish.
    12. Bake in the oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out dry. This will normally take 25-30 minutes.
    13. Allow the cake to cool.
    14. Mix the 2 cups of heavy whipped cream with evaporated milk and condensed milk in a small bowl.
    15. Pour the milk mixture over the cake until it is completely soaked and can no longer be absorbed.
    16. Do not pour all the milk over the cake without checking how much is actually absorbed, as this can lead to a cake that is too soggy.
    17. Beat the other 2 cups of whipped cream and mix with the sugar.
    18. Spread the whipped cream over the cake.
    19. Place the cake in the refrigerator.

Tips!

• 1. The Tres Leches dessert or cake is usually decorated before it is served, for example. With meringue, nuts, colorful berries and tropical fruits.
  2. If you want to give the cake a more adult touch, add some Flor de Caña rum to the milk mixture.
  3. On the Caribbean side of Nicaragua, condensed milk is often replaced with coconut milk, and the cake is decorated with large and small coconut flakes over the whipped cream.