It has been a busy past few days, I think as soon as December hits it gets crazy for most people. On top of the holidays, we have two birthdays, my sister flying in and a trip planned. Ahh! The neat freak, organized part of me is starting to panic, but I know that will not do any good, so I will just take one day at a time. Deep breaths Rita, deep breaths.
Since we keep the shabbat, it means I prep, bake and clean the house every Friday/Thursday. It is a lot of work but something I am used to. Both my husband and I have kept the shabbat, out parents, grandparents and so on. Anyways, I have been on a kick of trying out new cake recipes. Before this, I was never a fan of baking cakes. Not because I don't like cakes, oh I love cakes! Mostly because they are too time consuming and usually ended up being a flop. However, 10 years down the road I learned a few things here and there.
This time I made a Layered Tres Leche Cake from Natasha's Kitchen. I love that all her recipes are so detailed and she has amazing detailed photos, and I love pictures :)
This cake is surprisingly easy to make and tastes amazing. Basically like licking some condensed milk. mmmm..... The Russian part of me can not live without condensed milk. A holy grail product in my pantry.
Ingredients
Cake Layers
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs (separated)
1 cup of sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk (I used whole)
Syrup
2/3 of a 12 oz can of evaporated milk
2/3 of a 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
Frosting
2 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
2 1/2 tsp of granulated sugar
Fresh strawberries
Instructions
How to Make the Cake Layers:
Preheat Oven to 350F. oil and flour two 9" round cake pans (I also cup out a circle of parchment paper and place inside the pan to avoid any sticking)
- Set up 3 mixing bowls: 1 medium and 2 large bowls. In the medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Set aside.
- Separate eggs into the other two large bowls. Egg yolks into one and egg whites into the other. Beat egg yolks with ¾ cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow (approx 2 min). Stir in ⅓ cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
- Pour flour mixture over your egg yolk mixture and beat on low speed with the mixer until just combined.
- With a clean, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (1 minute). With the mixer on, pour in remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat on high speed until egg whites are stiff but not dry (1 minute).
- Gently fold egg whites into the yolk/flour mixture until just combined. Divide evenly between two cake pans and bake at 350˚F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool to room temp.
Prep the 3-milk syrup:
- In a large measuring cup with a pouring lip, stir together ⅔ of the evaporated milk, ⅔ of the sweetened condensed milk and ¼ cup heavy whipping cream.
Assembling the Cake:
- Place one of the layers, flat side down, on a cake platter. Using a fork, poke the top all around, going all the way to the edges and poke through the depth of the cake. Use a spoon to pour on half of the 3-milk syrup. Let cake stand and absorb the syrup while you beat the frosting (see instructions below).
- Generously frost the top of your first layer, then arrange sliced strawberries over the top of your frosting.
- Your next cake layer will be placed with the flat side up; so before putting it over the strawberries, use a fork to poke the flat surface all around, going to the edges. Now place your poked cake top over the strawberries.
- Spoon the remaining half of the 3-milk syrup evenly over your top layer. Let cake stand 10-15 minutes for the syrup to soak in for easier frosting.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake and smooth out frosting with a cake spatula. I decorated the top with halved strawberries, placed at an angle around the top border of the cake. It was simple and just perfect.
How to Make the Frosting
- For best results with whipping cream, freeze your mixing bowl and egg beaters or whisk attachment for 15 minutes. Make sure your whipping cream is very cold.
- Beat 2½ cups heavy whipping cream and 2½ Tbsp sugar on high speed until thick and spreadable (about 1½ to 2 minutes). Don't overbeat or it will turn buttery. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Again, thank you Natasha for another amazing recipe!
