Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Compote & Whipped Cream Frosting

The long weekend has just passed and I feel like I need another weekend to get over my long weekend. Yawn! J

Someone very near & dear to our family was celebrating her birthday last weekend and of course we wanted to surprise her with a cake. We conspired with her kids and everyone made out that she was just too old to have birthday cakes anymore and so they would just do dinner out and not make too much of a fuss. Oh, loved the look on her face when we brought in the cake!

Again, I went through the whole confused and overwhelmed with ideas phase before I decided on this cake. I wanted to move away from our traditional chocolate cake as everyone just expects it as a birthday cake.  But I didn't want to do a vanilla cake either as I didn't trust my icing skills enough to take a plain vanilla cake to the next level with its deliciousness. I toyed around the idea of doing a marble cake with mocha icing but of course my “buddy” said it was too simple for a birthday cake and that I should expand my baking horizons JJJ

So while searching high and low for an awesome cake which was simple enough for me to pull off, I came across this cake on Raspberri Cupcakes and I was drawn to it instantly. It just sounded divine and when I looked at the recipe it just seemed too simple to be true.

And so with my “buddy’s” approval I decided on this cake even though I was very apprehensive about the whipped cream icing. I haven’t mastered whipping up cream to perfection yet; I always either over beat it or under beat it! But I was up for the challenge and thought I could always just make a vanilla butter cream icing if whipped cream failed me J But that was the novice baker in me speaking. Let me tell you now, butter cream wouldn't have done justice to cake like the whipped cream. It just has to be whipped cream icing or nothing!

The Tres Leches cake (Spanish for 3 milks cake) is one of those absolutely must try before you die type of cakes!  The preparation is similar to a "poke" cake, where a cake is first baked, then poked and a mixture poured over it. I was a bit apprehensive about layering a cake that was soaked in three types of milk. Wouldn't it be all soggy and fall apart when I try and layer it? But then I trusted the experts and went for it. And I am so glad I did. The cake is so moist and light without being too soggy or coming apart as soon as you touch it.

Three forms of leche, or "milk," are poured over a baked cake to create its signature indulgence evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream.  And then adding whipped cream and fruit to a classic tres leches cake recipe just made it undeniably delicious. You can use any fruit in season, alone or a combination and you just can’t go wrong. The original recipe uses rose water to flavor the Strawberry compote which I think would be divine but I didn't have any on hand and so gave it a miss. But the compote still tasted quite good on its own.

The cake as such is pretty simple to make with very few ingredients.  And the milk syrup is just combining all 3 milks and pour. Voila! J

Tres Leches Cake with Strawberry Compote & Whipped Cream Frosting

Recipe Source:  Raspberri Cupcakes

(makes a 2-layer 8 inch round cake)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour

1&1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 eggs

1 cup (225g) caster (superfine) sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste

1/3 cup milk

For the milk syrup:

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup thickened (heavy) cream

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F, reduce by 10° if fan-forced). Grease and line two 8 inch or 9 inch (I used 8”) round baking tin with baking paper.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Separate eggs. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow.
4. Stir in milk and vanilla.
5. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
6. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
7. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined, make sure there are no lumps.
8. Pour equal amounts into prepared tins and spread to even out the surfaces. Bake for 20 to 35 minutes or until the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cakes out onto two rimmed plates and allow to cool. 
9. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a small pitcher.
10. When cake is cool, pierce the surface all over with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture; try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
11. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for at least 30 minutes.

For the strawberry compote:

500g (2 punnets) fresh or frozen strawberries

4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice + 2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp rose water  (optional)

1. Place strawberries, sugar and lemon juice and zest in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring until it comes to a simmer.
2. Continue to cook, stirring regularly for about 5-10 mins or until mixture thickens slightly and strawberries soften.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the rose water. Cool completely, can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

To assemble cake:

600ml thickened (heavy) cream

2 tbsp icing sugar

To decorate: strawberry flavored wafer sticks, sprinkles (optional)

1. Place cream and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until soft peaks form (take care not to over mix).
2. Carefully transfer one of the soaked cakes to your cake stand/plate. Cover with a thin layer of strawberry compote (too much will cause the compote to ooze out the sides of the cake).
3. Sandwich second cake on top. Use a spatula to cover the entire cake in whipped cream and smooth.
4. Decorate to your hearts content.. Serve immediately with leftover strawberry compote or chill until ready to serve. Can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days.