Simplicity. Especially being a food blogger, I get lost sometimes in the hoopla of creating creative and fancy food. Simplicity is somewhat forgotten.  I’m always puzzled when I get asked to make this cake for birthdays and dinner parties.  I fully respect the fancy food but love to make this one when there’s a demand with all my heart.  I found this recipe few years ago and have always followed it. It hasn’t ever disappointed me.
I get quite nervous when my hubby or friends cook in my kitchen.  I’m always tempted to take that spatula or the grater and finish the job in less than half the time.  When my teen cracks the eggs, it’s almost nerve wrecking.  You can call me a control freak in my kitchen. You’d be surprised how long one can take to butter a toast and spread Nutella. I’m sure I get on to my hubby’s nerves; he says, “That’s why you need to cook!” So I’ve made it a point to sit still and let my boys do a bit of cooking without being too controlling.  It helps.  They love cooking without someone over their shoulder constantly quacking at them.
The baby of the house takes over his mumma quite a bit, and he cannot do anything slowly.  Anything.  He cracks eggs in a jiffy, will change his clothes like the scene was on fast forward.  He even talks super fast.  I have to calm him down to understand what he says. His teachers give him extra work because he finishes his stuff fast and gets fidgety.  He plays cricket (a popular international sport played a lot in India and many other countries).  He always bats his ball for a 4 or 6 to score fast, and then gets out giving catches and cries.  He turns a year older, and he’s much calmer than the day before because he feels bigger and more mature.  He is so loving and caring. His hugs warms my heart. My dad’s love and the life of our home.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR LITTLE BABY BOY!!!
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour plus more
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 4 large egg (separate the whites from yolks)
- ½ cups sugar
- 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup melted white chocolate
- ½ cup evaporated skim milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
- Whipped cream(1/2 cup whipping cream whipped with 2 tsp of powdered sugar)
- Chopped white chocolate
- Butter a 7 by 7 inch round or square pan well and flour it. Preheat the over to 350 degrees F.
- Sift and mix the All purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
- Whip the egg whites to a stiff peak. Beat it first until you get some soft peaks and then add the sugar little at a time. Keep aside.
- Mix the whole milk with the egg yolk and ½ tsp of vanilla extract. Then add the white chocolate mix.
- Add little bit of flour at a time to the egg yolk mixture and using a rubber spatula mix well.
- Next add whipped egg white mixture little at a time to the yolk and flour, fold it carefully. Mix everything until everything incorporated very well. Make sure not to deflate the egg white and over beat the batter.
- Pour it in the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 320 degrees F and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick. Take it out and cool for 10 minutes. Do NOT LET IT COOL COMPLETELY.
- While the cake is cooling, Mix the evaporated skim milk, heavy cream, condensed milk and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
- You can remove the cake on to a walled platter or serve in the baking pan itself. Pierce the cake delicately but well and pour ½ the soaking mixture. Once everything is soaked well, pour the remaining mixture.
- Chill at least for an hour before serving.
- Serve with some freshly whipped cream and some chopped white chocolate.
Add dark chocolate and you have a dark chocolate tres leches.
For coconut tres leches, add ¼ cup coconut milk instead of the regular milk while baking and top with sweetened toasted coconut.
When you make the liquid for soaking, adjust the condensed milk to your liking.
You can easily double the recipe and use a 13 by 9 inch pan, the baking times will be the same.
I used a 7 by 7 inch round aluminium pan. If you plan to use a glass ware or ceramic ware, the timings will vary. It took me exactly 40 minutes
Sometimes, simple is the best. This cake looks very beautiful.
Isn’t it?! Thanks so much Angie.
Happy birthday to your sweet fella! I can totally relate to his fast-pace. : ) I hope he loved this cake and had a wonderful celebration. I was thinking about trying a tres leches cake recently – every one who has had/made one thinks it’s essentially the tastiest cake in the world! I have never had it – and you know a chocolate version is right up my alley. It’s a beauty and a very worthy birthday cake.
Thank you, thank you so much. Much love from me to you.
Girl, you have to try it. When it get warmer out and you crave a cake, this is a perfect one. I’ve made sooo many versions with this cake as a base.
Aww happy birthday to your son! He sounds like such a joy. This cake is absolutely lovely. I adore tres leches and the white chocolate is the perfect touch!
Thanks Joanne, he is a pleasure. Keeps us on our toes and loves like no one else I know.
Tres leches is my husbands favorite and this one looks so delicious.
Happy birthday to your son!
Thank you so very much. Sending your husband a virtual cake.
I’ll take one of these for my birthday next week 🙂
Happy birthday to your baby! We Geminis are a loveable lot 🙂
I love tres leches, living in Texas for so long we had opportunity to have quite a few excellent ones.
I make my own now too and there’s nitning quite like a cold piece of tres leches.
I love simple, yours is beautifully simple.
Thank you..When is yours? Hugs and wishes. Lots a love. Geminis are gems.
I agree, a cold tres leches on a warm day is so good.
Happy Birthday in advance. <3
I totally agree with you Ash, there’s beauty in simplicity especially when it comes to food. And this cake is all about it. Simple and awesome!
The best food is simple, quality ingredients well cooked. This is a beautiful cake for a lovely young man.
Aussies play a little bit of cricket too. 🙂
Yes, you have a great team there. Thanks for the wishes sweet Maureen. xx
Happy birthday to your son!! It’s my daughter who’s the tres leches and white chocolate lover, so I may be making this for her birthday in September 🙂
That cake looks so amazingly moist. I have never eaten or baked this cake and I am so tempted to try. Belated birthday wishes to the lovely boy.