A recipe for tres leches cake!

I am not known for my sweet tooth, and if it came down to it, I would choose a slice of pizza over a slice of cake on any day but after my recent post on Albanian food, I was inundated with suggestions of sweet treats to try. One such recommendation was for tres leches/trilece, and when my wonderful housemate Iris came home with one for me the other day, I found it very difficult to say no.

The origins of the dessert are a topic of much debate with some Turkish saying the Albanians took it from them, and many Albanians saying that no, actually, it was their idea and the Turks stole it during their hundreds of years of occupation. Either way, this is a dessert that is as moreish as it is delicious, and even those without a particularly sweet tooth will find it pretty difficult to resist. Certain variations of it can be found all over Sout America and the Carribean, as well as the Canary Islands and other parts of Northern Europe.

In a nutshell, tres leches cake is a sponge cake that is soaked in three types of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. It is a rather light cake in consistency and it remains firm and nicely textured despite being soaked in three types of milk It is often topped with a layer of jam and a drop or two of chocolate sauce. To find out how to make this delicious dish at home, just scroll down.

Ingredients

1.5 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tsp of baking powder

1/2 cup of unsalted butter

2 cups of sugar

5 eggs

1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups of whole mile

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 can of evaporated milk

1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees f.
2. Grease and flour one 9 inch x 13-inch baking pan
3. Sift the flour and baking powder together and sit to one side
4. Cream the butter and 1 cup of sugar together until fluffy Add the eggs and 0.5 tsp of vanilla extract. Mix and beat well.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, 2 tbsps at a time and mix until well blended. when mixed, pour into the prepared pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees f for 30 minutes being sure to pierce the top of the cake with a fork.
7. Mix the three types of milk together and pour over the top of the cake.
8. Whip the whipping cream, the remaining cup of sugar and the remaining tbsp of vanilla together until thick. Spread over the top of the cake. Once cool, be sure to keep the cake refrigerated.

Note- the cream topping can be replaced with jam depending on your preference.