Pastel de Tres Leches

I mentioned earlier, somewhere, that this month begins chile season in the Southwest (my roots). My mom is on her way with my Boy Wonder and a suitcase full of green chiles and I couldn't be happier. To see my sweet boy after a long summer, naturally, but the green chiles sure don't hurt, either.

I wanted to make August a sort of "southwest" celebration around here, and last weekend I had the chance to make a cake of legends. Not my legends, per se, as I'd never made it before. But hopefully it was appreciated and if the fact that I had very few leftovers says anything, well, I did a pretty good job.

Tres Leches Cake has a disputed past. The Nestle company claims to have made it famous after World War II when canned milks were the rage. A few Latin American countries would argue that they had it figured out long before that. Either way, a great Tres Leches (3 Milks) Cake is a thing of beauty and really, once you get over your fear of beating egg whites and sugar to within an inch of their lives ("stiff peaks" for all those in the know), well, it's an easy dessert that needs very little other than some whipped topping and fresh strawberries.

Tres Leches Cake

(adapted from taste of home)

Ingredients:
5 eggs, seperated
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 T softened butter
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Milk Syrup:
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup half and half
1 T vanilla extract

Also:
Whipped topping
Sliced strawberries

Prepare a 13X9 baking dish by spraying with non-stick cooking spray and dust with flour. Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Let egg whites stand at room temperature in large bowl for at least 30 minutes.

In separate bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and yellow (around 4 or 5 minutes). Beat in 3/4 cup sugar and butter. Add milk and vanilla. Slowly add in flour, soda, and baking powder.

Beat egg whites until soft peaks stage. Beat in sugar on high speed, one tablespoon at a time until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into cake batter. Spread into baking dish and bake 18-20 minutes.

In saucepan, combine milks for syrup and bring to boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pierce cake with tines of fork or with skewer throughout. Pour one-third of syrup over cake and let absorb. Repeat two more times until syrup is absorbed. Cake should chill for at least one hour before serving.