Ree Drummond’s Tres Leches Cake
Tres leches cake was first introduced to my family ten years ago when one of my cousins, who happens to be a chef, made it for Easter dessert. A few years later, still dreaming about that delicious cake, my mom and I stumbled upon this recipe in one of my cookbooks. It’s absolutely fabulous. It’s creamy and decadent and moist and just all the things you never knew you needed in cake form but will suddenly require after trying this. I’ve made it multiple times, and it’s unbelievably simple. Cut into square and serve at your next family gathering or grab a fork and start chowing down - no judgment here. And, if you end up trying this recipe and loving it, then you can thank one of my former college roommates, Jessica, for asking me to post this on here for you all.
As the title says, this is Ree Drummond’s recipe, and you can find the original recipe here. The thumbnail image (which is the image above) is the one from her original post and also links to her recipe. But, for those of you who are lazy, like me, and figure that you’re already here, so you might as well stay here, keep scrolling to find the details to the cake you never knew you needed in your life.
RECIPE
Difficulty: Easy
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 large egg yolks
5 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar, divided (1/4 cup and 3/4 cup)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1 (14oz) can sweetened, condensed milk
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
Topping
1-pint heavy cream
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
Maraschino cherries (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch pan liberally with cooking spray until coated.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Using a stand mixer and the whisk attachment, beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
Using a completely clean bowl and completely clean whisk attachment, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, slowly pour in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry (should look glossy).
Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool completely.
Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least 30 minutes (but you can let it soak overnight). To ice the cake, whip 1 pint of heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks.
Spread over the surface of the cake. Decorate the cake with whole or chopped maraschino cherries. Cut into squares and serve.
COOK’S NOTES:
If you don’t use an absolutely squeaky clean bowl or whisk attachment to whip the egg whites in, they will not form peaks. ANY remnants of fat will ruin this venture. So, to prevent this disaster from becoming your reality, make sure to wash the bowl out really well with hot, soapy water (wash it twice if you are super paranoid) and dry it by hand. The same applies to the whisk attachment. Then, lightly wet a paper towel with white distilled vinegar (yes, you read that correctly) and wipe down the inside of the clean bowl and the entirety of the whisk attachment. Acid encourages egg whites to form peaks; fat inhibits them from doing so. By wiping down the bowl and whisk, you add an extra safety measure to ensure that the eggs whip up as they should. If you want to add further encouragement, add a 1/4 tsp. of cream of tarter. It doesn’t impart any flavor or affects anything about the way the cake bakes and is another form of acid that helps egg whites form beautifully glossy, stiff peaks.
The base cake recipe is very dry on its own, which is on purpose. Because of the three kinds of milk that get poured on top, the cake needs to be able to absorb all of that moisture without falling apart. HOWEVER, that means that the base cake shouldn’t be used on its own because of that fact. Trust me; I made that mistake.
Be sure you are watching the whipped cream as it’s whipping. If you let it go for a moment too long, it turns into butter, so keep an eye on it. Once it starts to look like it’s right, stop and check it. If it’s not ready yet, let it go for a few more seconds, then check again. This will give you far more control and prevent it from going too far. Again, this is a mistake I’ve made, so please trust me!
