Desserts
Tres Leches Cake with Summer Fruit
This cake isn’t like any other you’ve had. Drenched with three kinds of milk, it’s so moist it’s almost juicy!
Between the refreshingly moist cake and its fruit topping, this tres leches [trehs LEH-ches] cake, or Latin American “three milks” cake, is ideal for a special event on a hot day.
The cake part is known as génoise [zhayn-WAHZ], which by itself is spongy, eggy, and bland. But after soaking in a syrup of three milks (and a little rum if you feel so inclined), it morphs into a super-moist wonder.
Rather than the typical whipped-cream topping, load this tres leches cake with seasonal fruit. A mix of berries is a great choice, but peaches, nectarines, or even bananas are fair game, too. Just macerate (soak) the fruit with sugar to bring out the juices.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE, BEAT:
COMBINE:
WHISK:
FOR THE SYRUP, COMBINE:
FOR THE TOPPINGS, COMBINE:
WHIP:
Test Kitchen Tips
For light, fluffy batter, heat the eggs over a pot of hot water while you beat them, so they expand to their fullest. Don’t get them too hot or they’ll curdle.
Carrying a cake in the car usually isn’t easy, but since this one doesn’t have frosting, it’s no big deal! Travel with the cake in the springform pan (cold) and the fruit and whipped cream in separate sealed containers. It’s quick to assemble once you arrive.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch springform pan, 2- to 3-inches high, with nonstick spray.
For the cake, beat eggs and 1 cup sugar with a hand mixer at high speed in a large bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, beating until eggs are pale, thick, and tripled in volume, about 10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat, add vanilla, and continue to beat until cool, about 5 minutes more.
Combine flour and salt; gently fold a third of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in remaining flour in two additions.
Whisk together butter and 1 cup batter in a small bowl, then gently fold back into remaining batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30–40 minutes. Transfer cake to a baking sheet and let cool 10 minutes.
For the syrup, combine sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, 1/2 cup cream, and rum in a measuring cup with a pour spout. Poke cake all over with a skewer. Slowly pour syrup over warm cake, including edges, letting it soak in before adding more until all the syrup is absorbed. Let cake cool, cover with waxed paper, and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
For the toppings, combine strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and 1/4 cup sugar; macerate 30 minutes.
Whip 1½ cups cream and 3 Tbsp. sugar in a chilled bowl until soft peaks form.
To serve, remove sides of pan, then top cake with fruit. Slice cake and serve cold with whipped cream.
Once the eggs have tripled in volume, add vanilla and beat mixture off heat until cool.
So as not to weigh down the batter, add a third of the flour at a time, gently folding to incorporate it.
To avoid overmixing and deflating the batter, combine just 1 cup with the melted butter, then add it in.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 517
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 43%
Saturated Fat 17g 85%
Cholesterol 179mg 59%
Sodium 198mg 8%
Carbs 57g 19%
Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 9g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.