Tres Leches Cake
Photography Josh Griggs.
A favourite throughout Latin America, this cake gets its name from the three types of milk used, which soak into it after baking. Rich and dense but not overly sweet, it’s best served well chilled.
Serves: 12
INGREDIENTS
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup caster sugar
1½ cups plain flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon each baking powder and ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground cloves
110 grams butter, melted and cooled
Three Milks
375ml can evaporated milk
375-gram can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk or cream
¼ cup rum (optional)
Topping
500ml cream, softly whipped
ground cinnamon and caster sugar
METHOD
Equipment: Grease a deep 24cm x 30cm baking dish or cake tin and fully line with baking paper, bringing it right up the sides.
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
Beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar in a stand mixer until very pale, thick and light in texture.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and spices, sift over the top of the egg mixture and fold through using a large metal spoon. Pour in the butter and fold everything together until the butter has been combined and there are no pockets of flour in the batter.
Pour into the tin and spread evenly. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes.
Three milks: Stir everything together in a large jug.
Using a skewer, poke lots of holes all over the top of the warm cake to break the crust. Slowly and evenly, pour the milk mixture over the top, letting it sink in before adding more. It may look like too much liquid, but the cake will absorb it on standing. Cover and refrigerate for several hours, but overnight is best.
To serve: Spread the cream over the cake. Sieve over a little ground cinnamon then a sprinkle of sugar.
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