Pastel de Tres Leches

Our church had its Homecoming recently, and one of my friends brought this Pastel de Tres Leches - Three Milk Cake, a milk-soaked sponge cake. It was absolutely delicious! I asked for the recipe, and Argentina invited me to come to her house to watch her make it. She is Guatemalan, her English is limited, and her recipe is in Spanish, so she thought it would be easier for both of us if I actually saw how it was made. Yesterday, I took her up on her offer, and we had a lot of fun. I wrote down the recipe and asked her permission to post it. She said it was fine, so I am sharing this delicious dessert with you.

Pastel de Tres Leches

Cake

13 eggs (room temperature), separated
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
3 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. flour


Milk Syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup grape juice or 1/2 cup milk


Toppings (your choice)
Cool whip or real whipped cream
Cocoa powder
Fresh fruit - peaches, strawberries, etc.
Maraschino cherries
Coconut
Nuts

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 13x9 inch baking dish.
• Separate eggs. Place egg whites in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, beat together egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla
• In a small bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.
• Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the yolk mixture and the flour mixture into the egg whites until blended.
• Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Let cool completely.
• Combine the Milk Syrup ingredients in a bowl and mix until well blended.
• Once cake is cool, use a knife or fork to poke several holes in the top, taking care not to tear the cake. Slowly pour the milk syrup over the cake, pausing as needed to let the cake absorb the liquid.
• For best results, let cake sit in refrigerator overnight.
• Before serving, spread whipped cream or Cool Whip over the top. Add additional toppings as desired. I put coconut and maraschino cherries on my cake.

Note: to make real whipped cream, beat a small container of heavy whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add confectioner's sugar to taste (usually 2-3 Tbsp.).