Tres Leches Cake

while i love a good margarita (and this one could pass as a dessert) i still think the best way to celebrate a holiday is with dessert. okay, maybe the best way to to celebrate with a cocktail and dessert!

this cinco de mayo, we celebrated with a tres leches cake.

i turned to alton brown for a traditional recipe and only made a couple small changes. alton likes to weigh dry ingredients instead of measuring them and i find it makes for a very accurate, fool-proof cake.

the cake turned out perfectly. let's just say i had to get this out of the house because i couldn't keep my fork out of it! it's super moist and the whipped cream balances out the sweetness of the cake. it's delicious!

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Tres Leches Cake
slightly adapted from Alton Brown

6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbs powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. grease 9x13" pan with butter wrapper. spoon a little cake flour into pan and tap around making sure flour covers bottom and sides of pan.

in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. reduce speed to low and add sugar slowly. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

in a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt. slowly add mixture to mixing bowl and beat on low until just combined. pour batter into greased and floured pan and spread it out evenly. it will look like not a lot of batter. bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

in a medium bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half and half. when cake is done, immediately poke holes over the entire cake (i like to use a chop stick but you can use a knife or fork too). very slowly pour three milk mixture over cake. once cake is completely cooled, refrigerate overnight.

to make frosting, whisk heavy cream in a very clean, cold mixing bowl. slowly increase speed to high and once it thickens slightly, sprinkle in powdered sugar and vanilla extract. continue to whip on high until thick and stiff peaks form. spread over cake and refrigerate until ready to serve. keep refrigerated.