This had to be the first recipe.
When we first thought about throwing a party to celebrate Uncle Steve’s life, I resolved to bake this Tres Leches cake. It was a favorite of Steve’s in recent years, something he served us a few times with delight and pride. (Steve, Derek, and I enjoyed the gorgeous cake above for our joint birthdays when we visited in the spring of 2023.) It was a truly special cake, rich and light at the same time, a symphony of vanilla and spongey, custardy sweetness cut by the bright acidity of fresh fruit. The milky flavor is deep and complex, and the decoration is elegant and charming. Each bite has a big impact, and you could tell a lot of care went into it. This cake turns the everyday into something extraordinary, and that is the very essence of Uncle Steve.
As you may imagine, it’s not a particularly quick, easy, or simple cake to make. And I am not a baker, nor am I a big lover of cakes–that is, any cakes that weren’t baked by Uncle Steve. So I knew to attempt this cake would require some exploration, practice, and assistance. I called in a friend.
My dear, baking-savvy friend Marcus helped me with a test bake before I subjected the masses to my first trial, and we learned a lot of helpful lessons along the way. You can scroll down to find the original recipe as printed in Steve’s copy of My Sweet Mexico below, or read on for some tips I picked up along the way.
- Allow yourself plenty of time to make this cake. There are a couple stages of this bake that require waiting for elements to cool, and the cooling is super important. The cake tiers can be made a day ahead if that’s more convenient.
- Springform pans are your friend.
- Doubling the cake (and filling) seems to be what Steve would do – it renders taller tiers. As you can see from my first cake above, it’s pretty flat when following the basic recipe.
- If using rum (which is highly recommended), use something that is smooth enough to enjoy neat. The rum does not get cooked off in this version, so when I first tried this with inexpensive Barcardi, it was a bit harsh.
- Overall, the Leches liquid-to-cake ratio in this recipe seems really high, so I would either double the cake or halve the liquid. As you can see above in my first bake, there was a lot of liquid leaking out of the cake.
- Once soaked, the cake tiers become very delicate and heavy, so large, flat spatulas and an extra pair of hands will be very helpful for assembly.
- If the cakes break or tear during assemble, that’s okay! The whipped cream “frosting” is very forgiving. You can piece it back together and smooth over any cracks pretty easily.
- Use more fruit in the filling than you think you should. You want fruit in every bite, and this cake is so rich that it can support a lot of acidity.
Enjoy with friends!
Pastel de Tres Leches
From My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson
Makes 9″ round cake, serves 8-10. Baking for a crowd? Here’s the recipe adapted for a 9 x 13 sheet cake.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch cake pan. Put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, grease lightly, and flour the bottom and sides, tapping out the excess flour.
TO MAKE THE CAKE, place the flour, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks with the vegetable oil, water, and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until the start to thicken but have not reached soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar and combine to beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form.
Add one-fourth of the flour mixture to the egg-yolk mixture and blend well. Add one-fourth of the beaten egg whites and fold gently. Repeat, alternating the flour mixture and the beaten eggs whites, finishing with the eggs whites, until thoroughly combined.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the top springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, the turn onto wire rack. Remove the parchment paper and let cool completely. Gently slice the top to even it out and slice in half widthwise with a serrated knife.
TO MAKE THE TRES LECHES, combine the heavy cream, evaporated milk, vanilla, and salt in a medium pot and scald* over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the condensed milk and rum, blending well. Put the cakes in a deep dish and pour the warm mixture over them. Be sure to pour any liquid that dripped down the sides on top of the cake as well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour, or freeze 30 to 40 minutes, so they are easier to handle.
*STEVE’S NOTE (scribbled in the cookbook): Scald = on medium until small bubbles form or until it reaches 180º-185º.
TO MAKE THE FILLING, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer or by hand until slightly thickened. Add the confectioners sugar and vanilla and continue beating until thickened and smooth. Refrigerate until the cakes have cooled.
To assemble the cake, put one of the cakes on a piece of cardboard or serving platter and spread one third of the whipped cream evenly on top. Cover with most of the chopped fruit, reserving some for decorating. Top with the second cake and cover the sides with the remaining whipped cream. Decorate with the reserved fruit as desired. Dip a knife into hot water before cutting each slice.
Ingredients
CAKE
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
LECHES
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup dark rum (optional but highly recommended)
LAUREN’S NOTE: My first test bake rendered an overly soggy cake that was very difficult to handle and just too wet. I recommend halving the above Leches ingredients. The cake will still be plenty moist! I would also suggest a little less rum, unless you love a super alcoholic taste.
FILLING
- 1 1/3 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1 to 2 cups coarsely chopped of sliced fresh fruit (strawberries, mangoes, and/or canned peaches are commonly used)
