Pastel de Tres Leches(three milk cake)

I will be telling you today why they named it the three milk cake and how to make it. A tres leches cake, is a sponge cake soaked in three types of milks:  Evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. The cake is very popular in many parts of Latin America. It is similar to the british rum cake. Pastel de Tres Leches or Three Milk's Cake, is one of the most, if not the most popular and sold cake throughout Mexico. If you want to learn more about this cake you can go to tres leches. For now i will give you the recipe so you can try if you would like to at home.

TRES LECHES CAKEServes 10-12

INGREDIENTSFor CAKE
9 eggs, separated1 cup sugar1 tablespoon vanilla extract2 cups all purpose flour
For SAUCE
1 can sweetened condensed milk1 can evaporated milk1 cup milk1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For TOPPING
2 cups heavy whipping cream1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
TO PREPARE
Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan, lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the pan.

Pour the egg whites into the bowl of your mixer and beat on medium-high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they hold soft peaks. Slowly stir in the sugar and continue beating until they hold hard or more stiff peaks. Turn off the mixer and with a spatula, move the egg white mixture onto a large mixing bowl.

Rinse the bowl of the mixer and its whisk. Now pour the egg yolks into the bowl of the mixer and beat on medium-high speed for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until the egg yolks become creamy, puffy and their color has toned down to an almost cream color rather than a loud yellow. Stir in the vanilla and continue beating for another minute. Turn off the mixer.

Pour the egg yolk mixture onto the egg white mixture and with a spatula, in evolving motions, combine them into a homogeneous single batter. Do so gently trying not to lose much volume from the mixture. When fully combined, fold in the flour, scraping the bowl with the spatula so that all the flour is well mixed.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and place into the oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. It can be a bit moist, but not wet. The top of the cake should be tanned and feel fluffy if you touch it. Remove it from the oven and let it cool.

Once it cools down, turn it onto a platter. Remove the parchment paper and cover the top with an upside down platter and invert again. The platter should be large enough to hold the cake and the vanilla sauce you are about to prepare. Using a fork, or two, poke wholes all over the cake so that it will better absorb the vanilla sauce.

In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour the vanilla sauce over the cake.

In the bowl of your mixer, whip up the heavy cream with the confectioners' sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture holds up stiff peaks, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the whipped cream all over the already wet cake. Then yum, eat it all up.