{ tres leches cake }

Three milk. That's what tres leches stands for. Though it should stand for "to die for".

A tres leches cake can be described as a light, airy sponge cake soaked with a mixture of three milks: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy cream.

A few friends got together on Saturday night to celebrate the soon to be arrival of my good friend Deborah's twins. Her absolute favorite dessert is Cafe Latte's tres leches cake. Rather than crossing the river and picking one up from Cafe Latte, I turned to the internet and searched for what seemed to be the best knock off cake recipe.

And then spent hours trying to make it. It was a labor of love. And I'm wishing I had taken "during" photos to show the mess I made. Lets just say the recipe requires separating 6 eggs and it took me 11 eggs to get those 6 yolks and whites right.

But it was all worth it. Seriously, this is the best dessert I have ever made. I don't like to brag, but it was damn good. And the best compliment? Deborah telling me the cake was better than Cafe Latte's version.

And in case you have some spare hours and something or someone really important to make this cake for, here is the recipe:

Tres Leches Cake
for the cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract

for the tres leches:
1 cup heavy cream
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
5 ounces evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

for the frosting:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
fresh berries

to make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In a third bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture falls from the beaters in ribbons.
Add cold water, vanilla and almond extract to the egg yolk mixture, then stir in the flour mixture.
Gently whisk in the beaten egg whites.
Spoon the batter into two 9-inch round pans coated with cooking spray, leveling with a spatula. Bake the cakes for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
Using a fork, poke holes all over the cakes, then let cool for an additional 30 minutes.

to make the tres leches:
Combine the cream, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla in a small bowl or measuring cup with a spout, stirring with a whisk.

to apply the tres leches:
When the cakes have cooled to room temperature, pour the milk mixture over them slowly, dividing evenly among the two cakes, and pausing to allow it to soak in.
Refrigerate the cakes for several hours before frosting - this allows the cakes to absorb the milk (leaving the cakes in their pans is the easiest way to do this - no need to transfer them to a platter yet).

to make the frosting:
Using an electric mixer, beat together the whipping cream and sugar until light and fluffy.

to assemble the cake:
Transfer the first layer of cake to a serving platter.
Using a rubber spatula, spread about half of the frosting over the cake.
Top with the second layer of cake.
Using a rubber spatula or a butter knife, spread the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting.
Top with berries.