Have you ever tried Tres Leches, or Three Milk Cake? This is a white cake saturated in a syrup made of three different types of milk. It is often served frosted with whipped cream or meringue. If you have not tried this delicacy, you really must. While it may sound like a soggy mess, in reality it is a dense cake saturated with a yummy mixture of cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. The cake acts as a sponge, holding in all that sweet goodness. There really is nothing like it.
Â
This Mexican dessert can trace its roots back to European soaked cakes like trifle, rum cake, and tiramisu. A traditional Portuguese recipe called Golden Soup was made of sponge cake soaked in egg cream. This idea is certainly not a new one. It could even be compared to recipes like French toast! Obviously, the idea of a soaked cake was taken from Europe to the New World.
Â
Milk Cake is an old recipe from Mexico. It is also called Torta de leche. While not quite the same as Three Milk Cake, you can see the resemblance. Milk Cake is made by pouring cake batter into a baking pan full of sweetened, scalded milk. The finished cake is then served along with this milk sauce. There are several other soaked cake recipes that are prevalent in Mexico.
Â
Three Milk Cake came closer to creation with the advent of canned milk. Milk was canned to prevent its spoilage in areas without refrigeration. If you have ever wondered what the difference is between evaporated and condensed milk, here it is: Evaporated milk is fresh milk with 60% of its water content taken away. It is then fortified, homogenized, canned, and sterilized. Condensed milk is made of 40% sugar and 60% milk. 60% of the water is removed, creating the milk syrup we see today.
Â
Nestle has been making canned milk since 1875. It printed the recipe for Tres Leches Cake on its canned milk labels to promote their use in the 1940s. Canned milk has become a staple in Central America and Mexico over the years, and this recipe on the label caught on.
Â
In the 1990s, Tres Leches Cake crossed the border into the US. It has grown in popularity very quickly, especially where there are large Mexican populations like Texas, Arizona, and California. You can now find Three Milk Cake on the menus of many outstanding restaurants. While this is commendable, you can also make this very simple dessert at home in your own kitchen.
Â
Like many other good Mexican desserts, this cake deserves its popularity. You can serve it topped with simple whipped cream or you can make a meringue if you like. The cake is so rich you can even enjoy it without any frosting at all. The secret is to bake your cake and then poke it full of holes. The milk mixture is poured over the top and left to saturate the cake overnight in the refrigerator.
Â
The next day, the cake can be enjoyed. The milk is all soaked into the cake, creating a delicious, rich, moist dessert that is perfect for any occasion. Taste it and see. Tres Leches Cake will become a regular dessert in your house.