Tres Leches

Tres Leches is a traditional Latin dessert that consists of a light spongy cake that is soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with whipped cream.  I know it is super fattening, but I am hormonal today... don't judge me! This will yield about 10 servings.... so make it when you know you'll have company; otherwise you'll be visiting the fridge at all ungodly hours of the night!

For the cake:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter
5 eggs (yolks separated from whites)
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all of the dry ingredients (except the sugar) in a bowl.  In a two separate bowls, separate the egg yolks from the whites.  Once the eggs are separated, begin beating the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Set the egg whites aside for now.  The next thing you'll do is blend the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and butter.  The color of the mixture should lighten considerably.  I'd say from the color of the egg yolks to a very pale yellow. This should take about 3 to 4 minutes of mixing on high speed.  Make sure to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl if you're using  a hand mixer.  Next begin adding the flour to the mixture in thirds. After the flour is well incorporated, begin folding in the egg whites.  Add the batter to a greased baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until you prick the center and the toothpick comes out clean.  This will yield a very spongy cake- perfect for the absorption of the milks.  Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before going to the next step.  I put it on a dish with a lip so that the milk mixture didn't spill over.

For the milk combo:
2 cans evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 cup half and half (the real recipe calls for heavy cream, but i just couldn't do it!)

In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the three milks above.  I used a whisk to dissolve the condensed milk well.   Now you'll take your cake and using a fork begin to prick it all over.  This will create little holes for the milk to seep into.  Begin to slowly pour the milk over the cake.  Making sure to get the edges. After you've used up all of the milk mixture, transfer the cake to fridge to continue to cool.

For the topping:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup superfine or powdered sugar

On high speed, blend the cream and sugar until you have a nice and thick whipped cream topping to spread over the cake.  Top with maraschino cherries, strawberries or eat it alone.  Enjoy!