Tres Leches Cake

A Latin America recipe meaning "three milk cake." This is perfectly sweet and serves a 9x 13 dish of cake so invite some people over and enjoy! 

Ingredients

Cake:
6 large eggs, separated
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ tsp baking soda
1/2 cup half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream topping:
1 14 -ounce can evaporated milk
1 14 -ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 TBSP gold rum

To make the cake:  Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed for 3 minutes. Add the sugar gradually with the mixer running and mix for 4-5 minutes. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating 20 seconds after the addition of each. Beat mixture once all eggs are added for about 2 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture, gently folding into batter, alternating with the half and half. (Do this quickly so the batter does not lose volume.) Add the vanilla. Blend for 1 minute. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.

To make the cream topping: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream and blend on high speed for 30 seconds. Add the rum and blend for 30 seconds.

Remove the cake from the oven, poke holes all over so the cream will sink in (lots of holes, like 40 with a fork) and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it, being sure to reserve a bit ( about 6 oz) for a light glaze topping. After you've poured it in, try to distribute it evenly amongst the bottom of the pan. I just pick up the 9 x 13 dish and tilt it around a few times.

 Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.


To assemble: Remove the cake from the refrigerator, cut, and pour about 2 TBSP of the milk topping on each piece and garnish with cherries or other fresh fruit.