Tres Leches Cake

Another year, another birthday...yes, as I told Bella, today is my 29th birthday ;)  And even she let out a big laugh, as if she knew there was no way that was the truth!  Ha.

We celebrated on Sunday with the family - as usual, honoring mine as well as my Mom's, whose birthday was last week.  Last year I made each of us a separate cake.  This year, I took the easy way out and made just one...and of course, I let Mom decide what kind.  I thought about making my own cake last night...then thought again...maybe I'll make one this weekend...we'll see :)

I'm not sure how I'd top this one anyway.  OMG.  Even my Cuban sister-in-law approved.

This cake should be illegal.  And the fact that it's so easy to make makes it even more dangerous.

                                 
                                     
Honestly, I may just make this again.  After all, I only had one piece...even less than that little cutie pie had.

                                        

Either way, I know I'll be making this again, VERY SOON.

                                        

Happy Birthday to me!  Hoping for some magical things to happen this year...we'll see!

Tres Leches Cake (see below for a few special instructions)
from The Boastful Baker

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (14 ounces) can sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly butter a 9x13 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder and salt.  In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes.  Add vanilla and beat until combined.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture.  Beat until combined.  Fold in melted butter with a rubber spatula until incorporated.

Transfer batter to baking dish and bake until top is golden brown and toothpick comes out of center clean, about 30-35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.

Beat all three milks together in a medium bowl.  Poke warm cake all over with a toothpick then pour milk mixture over entire cake.  Let cool to room temperature, about one hour.

Whip cream and remaining 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks.  Spread evenly over cooled cake.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**I made the cake and refrigerated it overnight (after I poured the milk into it), then made the whipped cream and topped it the next day.  Dee-licious.


**Like the original recipe suggested, I dissolved about a teaspoon of gelatin in a bit of water and mixed it into the cream before mixing.  It did a great job stabilizing it...to give you an idea, the first 2 pictures in this post were taken the day after I covered the cake with the cream.  I highly recommend this step!

Linked to: Sweets for a Saturday
                 Sweet Treats Thursday