Seasons 52 Tres Leches

In the fall Seasons 52 contacted me about their Pumpkin Pie Mini Indulgence dessert. They sent me the recipe and I gave it try, making adaptations that made the recipe easier for to me. They contacted me again this past winter, but this time they passed along a recipe that was beyond seasonal; it was a Miami staple. You really don't get more Miami flavoring than Tres Leches. I have tried a few Tres Leches recipes (here and here) and my biggest complaint with all those recipes was the level of dryness.

Tres Leches is a cake traditionally made with three milks: whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk. In some cases, you'll have restaurants offering you Quatro Leches (dulce de leche is added), but your staple is the sponge cake drenched in the three milks and topped with whipped cream and a cherry. What Seasons 52 has done with their recipe is substituting heavy cream for whole milk and adding rum to the milks. They also top their cake with white cake frosting instead of whipped cream. The recipe you see below is my adaptations, but if you want the original Seasons 52 recipe head over to my Examiner page.

Before we get to the recipe, let me just tell you this is the BEST Tres Leches recipe I have made. It could have used a little more liquid, but at this point, it's just personal preference. This cake actually tasted like the Tres Leches we've had at the restaurants and I think it's in part due to the richness of the heavy cream and the addition of rum. You get a perfect symphony of milk flavors that is deepened by the rum. Note: My method of adding the milk is a little messy so if you think of a better way of doing it, let me know!

Tres Leches
Source: adapted from Seasons 52
Makes about 15 cupcakes

The cake
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs, white and yolks separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp whole milk

The milks
5 oz can evaporated milk
1/2 can (7 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp dark rum

Frosting
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp milk mixture

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cavity cupcake pan with liners.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until frothy. Add the sugar and beat to form
stiff peaks. Turn mixer to a slower speed and add yolks one at a time. Add vanilla extract, one-third
of the flour and one-third of the milk. Repeat three times until all the flour and milk are incorporated.

Fill each cavity 3/4 of the way full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing. Make the rest of the cupcakes. Cool cupcakes to room temperature.

Meanwhile, Combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream, and rum in a bowl.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, cut out the center of the cupcakes like you would if you were filling them. DO NOT discard the cut out part as you will be putting it back in. Fill each cupcake with the milk mixture and let it soak into the cake. Use a toothpick to poke the cupcake so that the liquid is absorbed all over. Once the liquid has been absorbed, pour more liquid and repeat until all the liquid is used. Place cut out part back on.

In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Add the milk mixture and continue to beat until it holds stiff peaks. Using a knife or a spoon, top the cupcakes with whipped cream.

Serve and enjoy!