Description
Ina Garten’s tres leches cake delivers an indulgent Mexican dessert with creamy layers of sponge soaked in three milks. Delicate cake combines sweet condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream for a rich, luxurious experience you’ll savor to the last bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 extra-large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) plus 5 tbsps granulated sugar
- 2 tbsps granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) cold heavy cream
- 1 (12 oz/340 g) can evaporated milk
- 1 (14 oz/397 g) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp pure almond extract
- ¼ cup (30 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tbsps creme fraiche
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 8 cups mixed fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries
- Sifted confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Cake Preparation: Heat oven to 350°F and generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Dry Ingredients Blend: Sift flour, baking powder, and kosher salt into a uniform mixture, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Egg Mixture Development: Whip eggs, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract at high speed until the blend transforms into a pale, voluminous mixture with ribbon-like consistency, approximately 10 minutes.
- Batter Composition: Carefully fold flour mixture into egg blend, alternating with whole milk to maintain a light, aerated texture. Spread evenly in prepared baking dish.
- Baking Process: Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick emerges clean from the center, indicating perfect doneness.
- Milk Infusion Preparation: Whisk heavy cream, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, almond extract, and vanilla bean seeds into a silky, homogeneous liquid.
- Cake Saturation: After cooling for 10-15 minutes, perforate cake surface with skewer. Gradually pour milk mixture, allowing complete absorption into every crevice.
- Chilling and Absorption: Refrigerate cake for minimum 6 hours, covered with plastic wrap, enabling thorough milk integration.
- Whipped Cream Finale: Whip chilled heavy cream with confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar, creme fraiche, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.
- Serving Presentation: Slice chilled cake, dust with confectioners’ sugar, crown with whipped cream, and garnish with macerated fresh raspberries and strawberries.
Notes
- Precision Timing: Whip eggs and sugar for exactly 10 minutes to achieve the perfect light, airy texture that’s crucial for a delicate sponge cake.
- Milk Absorption Technique: Puncture numerous holes in the warm cake to ensure maximum milk mixture penetration, creating the signature ultra-moist tres leches texture.
- Chilling is Critical: Refrigerate the cake for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, allowing the milk mixture to fully soak and develop deep, rich flavors.
- Whipping Cream Pro Tip: Chill your mixing bowl and whisk before whipping cream to achieve maximum volume and stable, billowy peaks for the perfect topping.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 11
- Calories: 540
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 21 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg