Tres Leches - The Official Cake of Mexico

Having a pastry chef for a boyfriend has certain advantages. Besides a protective layer of blubber to keep warm in the winter, the dessert table for every holiday and special occasion is always well-catered (like that delicious, dense, heart-shaped chocolate cake that I've devoured four years in a row on Valentine's Day). And with a Mexican pastry chef, that also means a tres leches cake for every birthday celebration in my family - despite their slight gringo resistance to its wetness.

Tres leches means three milks, and it is the standard cake for birthday celebrations in Mexico (and throughout much of Latin America). The cake is soaked in a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and half-and-half (the tres leches) to create a sweet, moist (but not mushy) delicacy. Since it's Mexico, bakers tend to corrupt this delicious cake with some sort of fruit, usually strawberries or peaches (but you will not find that type of recipe here...ever).

Ingredients
Cake
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
120 g sugar
100 g flour
20 g cocoa powder
20 g melted butter
pinch of salt
Soaking Mixture
1 can (14 oz.) Lechera sweetened, condensed milk
1 can (12 oz.) Carnation evaporated milk
1 cup half-and-half
Frosting
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract or powder
1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions

1 - Preheat oven to 325* F.

2 - Put the eggs and sugar in a bowl and place over a bain marie (a metal bowl over a pot of warm water at the point of simmering).

3 - Beat the eggs and sugar together until warm, a light color and double in volume. Then, remove from the heat and continue to whisk until the mixture cools.

4 - Fold in the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Then, add the butter.

5 - Pour mixture into 2 greased and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6 - While baking the cake, mix together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and half-and-half. Keep in the fridge.

7 - When cakes are done, remove them from their pans and place them on a sheet pan. Slice the rounded top off of one of the cakes.

8 - Alternately brush each cake with the tres leches mixture until there is none left. Rest the cakes at least 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

9 - While the cake is in the refrigerator soaking up all the milk, whisk the heavy cream. Add the vanilla and sugar and continue to whisk to a spreadable (or pipe-able) consistency.

10 - Frost the top part of the bottom cake and place the other cake on top. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

11 - Decorate with swirlies if you're feeling fancy. Store the cake in the refrigerator.