Betty’s Tres Leches Cake
My cousin Betty’s Tres Leches cake is our family’s most popular cake. The cake layer is soaked in a sweet milk mixture and coated in a cream cheese frosting. While a milk soaked-cake might sound soggy, you’ll find that this cake has a pudding like texture. Betty makes this often requested cake in a pan that her mother gave her over 38 years ago. Her 11-inch round pan isn’t a standard size, but this recipe can be baked in a 9x13-inch pan. Betty’s shortcut for her ultra-rich cake is to make the batter with a pancake and waffle mix. She finds this mix to be reliable, and with a few added ingredients she’s quickly on her way to a delicious cake.
When you invert the cake onto your serving platter, be sure to use a platter with a rimmed edge or a slight lip to catch any drips from the milk mixture. You can easily garnished the cake with chopped pecans and seasonal fruit as Betty does. Betty also makes a chocolate version of this sweet treat. She omits the fruit and she simply adds 2 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder to the cake batter and 1 tablespoon to the frosting.
Betty’s Tres Leches Cake
Servings: 15
From My South Texas Kitchen Cookbook
CAKE
2 cups Pearl Milling Company
Original pancake and waffle mix
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
non-stick spray with flour
MILK SOAK
14 ounces can condensed milk
12 ounces can evaporated milk
7.6 ounces can media crema table cream
FROSTING
1 8-oz block cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
OPTIONAL GARNISHES 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, strawberry slices, peach slices, sliced kiwi, well drained fruit cocktail.
CAKE
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. In a large mixing bowl with a mixer on medium speed, mix the pancake and waffle mix, eggs, sugar, milk, oil, baking powder and vanilla until well blended and smooth.
3. Coat a 9x13-inch pan with 2 ¼-inch tall sides with the non-stick spray.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
6. Place a serving platter on top of the cake, and invert the warm cake onto the serving platter.
MILK SOAK
1. Meanwhile, in a blender, blend the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and media crema until well combined.
2. Use a wooden skewer to poke holes on top of the warm cake, making sure to poke all the way down through the cake.
3. Slowly drizzle just enough of the milk mixture to cover the top while poking the cake a few more times
with the skewer. Let the liquid soak in before adding the remaining milk mixture. Continue to drizzle the top of the cake with the milk mixture, a little at a time, until all of the milk is absorbed.
4. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
FROSTING
1. In a large mixing bowl with a mixer on medium speed, blend the cream cheese and vanilla until well blended. Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
2. Use a spatula to spread the frosting onto the top and the sides of the chilled, milk-soaked cake.
3. Garnish with any of the listed optional garnishes. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
MAKE AHEAD
The cake can be prepared with the milk mixture and frosting up to 1 day ahead. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
