Tres Leches with Coquito
It’s been a while since my last tres leches cake. And since you guys loved so much my coquito recipe I guess I will put the two together in one amazing recipe. That's how this tres leches made with coquito came to be. Swap coquito for eggnog and you have an eggnog tres leches. It has a sponge but still super soft cake soaked in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and, you guessed it, coquito!! Even if you would think the pistachios and blueberries are pure decorative, they both bring a nice texture and contrast to this smooth rich cake.
What is a tres leches cake? You would think a tres leches cake is just a regular cake soaked in three milks. But far from that, it is not your ordinary cake. “Tres leches” is made with a sponge cake as a base that has no fat added, besides from the fat in the egg yolks and the milk. That way the cake will soak more of the milk syrup that you are going to pour over it after it is baked. It’s the fats on the milks that create the particular richness of this cake. My secret here is that I used homemade cake flour to make this cake extra fluffy and happy to report that the experiment was a complete success! I made homemade cake flour by decreasing by two tablespoons in a cup of flour and substituting with cornstarch. It’s a trick that never fails!
Tres leches cake is a very popular recipe here in Puerto Rico and in many countries from the Caribbean and South America. It is simple, super soft and kind of decadent without being too heavy. A touch of whipped cream is all what this cake needs. And as I said earlier, add some crushed pistachios and a few fresh blueberries for a nice touch of texture and contrast to this cake. The best thing about tres leches is that you can bake it in less than an hour and its ideal for making ahead. I decided to make minis but you can serve it the rectangular pan you baked it and cut small squares as you go. Let me walk you through my process!
How to make tres leches cake
Start by preheating your oven to 350° and preparing your cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom or coating the inside with baking spray.
Mix the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and coquito (follow the link for coquito recipe). Use eggnog for a eggnog tres leches cake. You will need the syrup shortly after taking the sponge cake out of the oven.
Mix in one large bowl the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of your mixer beat some of the sugar, egg yolks and coconut extract. Then you will add some milk and finally the flour mixture.
Now it’s time to whip up your egg whites with the remaining sugar. Since I was using my stand mixer and I only have one bowl, I needed to transfer the previous mixture to a large bowl, where ultimately I was going to mix the batter. If you are using a handheld mixer you can use a second large bowl or if you have a second stand mixer bowl use that one.
Transfer half of the egg whites to the cake batter and fold them gently. Add the second half and fold again, making sure you are not deflating the egg whites.
Transfer batter to pan and bake for about 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
Wait a few minutes so the cake looses the heat and while they are still warm prick the cake with a fork or large toothpicks with as many holes as you can. Like lots of them.
Gently pour over milk syrup, leaving about ½ cup out of it to pour when serving the cakes, and let the cake soak for at least 45 minutes, but preferably a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
When you are about 5 minutes from taking the tres leches cake out, whip the heavy cream with confectioner’s sugar.
Take your cake out and spoon the whipped cream on top, adding some crushed pistachios and blueberries or any other fresh berry if desired.
To make the minis, use a 3” round biscuit cutter and cut your first one. After you take that first piece out, it will be easier to take the other ones out with a small spatula because you’ll have access to them. Pour whipped cream on top and if you want make them layered!
It is an easy piece of cake if you ask me! Hope you make this one soon, while coquito (or eggnog) is still around! Let me know if you like this fun idea and if you got to make it. Remember to sign up for the comments thread so you can receive notifications when I get back to you. Wishing you a very happy holidays my friends!
Tres Leches with Coquito
Ingredients
Milk syrup
◯ Sweetened condensed milk – 14 oz (1 regular can)
◯ Evaporated milk – 24 oz (2 regular cans)
◯ Coquito – 1 ½ cup
Sponge cake
◯ Unbleached all-purpose flour – 1 cup, minus 2 TBSP
◯ Cornstarch – 2 TBSP
◯ Baking powder – 1 tsp
◯ Fine sea salt – ¼ Tsp
◯ Eggs, preferably from cage-free chicken raised eggs – 5, separated
◯ Granulated natural sugar – ¾ cup + ¼ cup
◯ Whole milk - ⅓ cup
◯ Coconut extract – 1 Tsp
◯ Cream or tartar – ½ Tsp (or wipe your clean bowl and wipe attachment with white vinegar
Whipped cream
◯ Heavy whipping cream – 1 ½ cup
◯ Confectioner’s sugar – ½ cup
◯ Crushed pistachios and blueberries for serving
Details
Yield:
a 9” x 13” cake
Total time:
2 hours, including soaking time
Active time:
20 minutes to make the cake and milk syrup, 5 minutes after to soak the cake plus 5 minutes to make the whipped cream.
Equipment:
stand mixer or handheld mixer, extra large bowl, 9” x 13” cake pan, round biscuit or cookie cutter if making the minis
Steps
To make the milk syrup:
Mix the 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, the 24 ounces of evaporated milk and the 1 ½ cup of coquito in a bowl or large measuring cup.
To make the cake:
Preheat oven at 350°. Prepare your cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom or coating the inside with baking spray.
In a large bowl mix the flour (1 cup minus two tablespoons) with the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, the teaspoon of baking powder and the ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Put the ¾ cup of sugar with the 5 egg yolks and the coconut extract in your working bowl and mix in high speed (#8 in the Kitchen Aid) for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrap your mixture down the sides if needed. Turn your mixer to low speed (#1 in the KA) and slowly add the ⅓ cup of milk. Add the flour mixture, about ⅓ cup at a time and mix just until incorporated. (If needed, transfer this mixture to a large bowl)
In a clean mixer bowl whip the 5 egg whites with the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and the ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar on high speed (#8 in the KA) until high peaks forms, about 1 ½ minute.
Gently fold half of the egg whites with the batter until mostly incorporated, then add the remaining egg whites and keep folding gently until the mixture is incorporated and has no large streaks of the egg whites. Gently transfer the batter to prepared cake pans. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean after inserted into the middle of the cake. Let it cool down several minutes.
When the cake is still warm, prick it with a fork or toothpick as much as you can. Pour over the milk syrup, leaving out about ½ cup to serve with he cakes. Chill the cake for at least 45 minutes, preferably a few hours.
Take your cake out and spoon some whipped cream on top (recipe follows). Add some blueberries and crushed pistachios if desired.
(If making the minis, cut the chilled cake with a 3” round biscuit or cookie cutter. Spoon some whipped cream on top. Make it a mini layered cake by stacking a piece on top of the other and spooning more whipped cream on top.)
To make the whipped cream:
In a clean bowl mix the 1 ½ cup of heavy whipping with the ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar with the whisk attachment in medium speed until medium but firm peaks form. Spoon over tres leches cake.
