Famous Tres Leches Cake

Queremos pastel, pastel, pastel! (We want cake, cake, cake!)

I grew up hearing this chant, which was always followed by the typical Mexican birthday song “Las Mañanitas” and a pretty awesome homemade cake.

Although this cake was a family tradition when I was growing up, it was not my favorite treat. I felt that the bakers got a bit overzealous with the milk soak, to the point that the bread became a dripping, goopy, unappetizing mess.

I was absolutely thrilled when I had the opportunity to make this cake for the judges during the celebration of the 100th episode of MasterChef! This was my chance to make this traditional cake as I’d always imagined it—and, of course, to make it MasterChef-worthy! I set out to create a pastel tres leches recipe that was refined but still packed the punch of the amazing flavors I grew up with. When you eat it, I hope you’ll do the chant and think of me!

Makes: 1 (8-inch/20-cm) three-layer cake; serves 6-12

Ingredients:

Cake

4 ½ cups cake flour

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

3 sticks unsalted butter

2 ¾ cups granulated sugar

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

6 large eggs

2/3 cup grapeseed oil

Frosting

2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

Tres Leches 

1 ¼ cups evaporated milk (1 can)

1 cup sweetened condensed milk (1 can)

1 cup whole milk

Filling

2 ripe bananas, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced ¼ inch thick

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the cake: Butter and line three 8 x 2-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and dust with cake flour, tapping out excess. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl and using a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time until well incorporated, about 3 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla, and beat for another minute. Keeping the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in thirds. Beat briefly, until each flour portion is incorporated, and turn mixer onto high and whip for 5 minutes or until batter is fluffy and well aerated.

Divide the batter among the 3 pans and level the batter smooth using a small, flat, metal spatula. Remove any extra air bubbles by tapping the baking pans hard on a counter top three or four times. Bake until the cakes pull away from sides of pans and the center is soft but firm to touch, about 35 minutes. Set the cakes on a wire metal rack and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Run a small flat metal spatula or knife around the inside edges of the pans and invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cooled, cut the dome off of your cakes to ensure three even cake layers.

To make the frosting and tres leches soak: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth at medium speed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and incorporate the powdered sugar in ½ cup increments. Turn the mixer off and add the vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat for 1 minute, or until combined, then increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk all three milks together and refrigerate until ready to use.

To build the cake: Place the first layer of cake onto a cake stand. Pierce it evenly across the top with the tines of a fork, making plenty of room for the milk soak to penetrate. Using a pastry brush, apply one third of the milk soak (just over 1 cup), making sure the cake is absorbs it all. The cake should be moist but not dripping with liquid.

Spread one third of the cream cheese frosting on top of the first layer of cake (cut side up). Arrange a single layer of half of the strawberry and banana slices setting the fruit close together. Add the second cake layer (cut side up) and smother with another third of the milk soak. Top with another third of the cream cheese frosting and the remaining strawberry and banana slices. Top the cake with the final cake layer (cut side down) and pierce and brush the top layer with the milk soak. Add a very thin layer of frosting to the top and sides of the cake with some of the remaining frosting (this is called a crumb coat; it traps any loose crumbs from the top of the cake and allows the final frosting to go on smoothly and cleanly without picking up any crumbs). Refrigerate 30 to 45 minutes, then use the remaining frosting to frost and decorate the top and sides of the cake. 

Notes

If your strawberries are too tart or not flavorful enough, sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and set aside to macerate for up to 5 minutes before arranging them on the cake.

You can decorate your cake any way you like. When I was on the show, I added two drops of yellow food coloring to half of the decorating frosting to create a different color pattern on the cake and to write Feliz 100 (Happy 100).