rose tres leches cake
Tres leches cake is a traditional Latin American dessert made of sponge cake that is soaked in three different types of milk: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and cream. This recipe uses dried rose buds to add an elegant twist to this classic dessert which beautifully accents the pudding-like cake. Floral notes add a unique and sophisticated touch that elevates the simplest dish to next level.
History of Tres Leches Cake
Origin of tres leches cake can be traced back to the 19th century when the European influence made soaked desserts popular because they were great for repurposing stale bread and cake into a delicious dessert. The first version for a bread cake that was soaked in wine and topped with custard. This could be a spin of either the English trifle or Italian tiramisu. Surprisingly, we can thank Nestle for taking this delicious dessert mainstream. When Nestle opened plants in Mexico in the 1930s they printed a recipe of tres leches cake on the label of condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cream cans.
How to make rose tres leches cake?
This recipe begins with preheating the oven to 350f and buttering a 10” spring form pan. In a medium size bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until light, then whisk in milk and vanilla bean seeds. TO scrape a vanilla bean cut the ends off and cut vertically across. Then twist open one end and scrape the bean by sliding the knife sideways across the bean. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, then slowly pour in 1/4 sugar while whisking on high speed until stiff peaks form. Combine the flour and yolk mixes, then fold in the egg whites until just combines. Do not over mix, mixing too much will knock down the air bubbles and make your cake flat. Pour the batter on the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile whisk together 1/3 cup cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Once the cake is cool poke holes all over it with a fork and pour the milk syrup over it. Let the cake soak for 30 minutes to overnight. Once ready to serve open the spring form and transfer the cake on a cake platter. Make whipped cream by whisking 2 cups of cream with 2 tbsp of sugar on high speed until firm peaks form. Frost the cake with the whipped cream. Crumble about 2 tbsp of rose buds and sprinkle them on top of the tres leches cake.
Tips
If you don’t have whole vanilla beans on hand use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract instead.
Make sure the cake is completely cool before pouring the milk syrup over it. Let the cake sit until all the syrup is soaked up, otherwise it will spill when opening the spring form cake pan.
Make sure the rose pedals are mostly crumbled - while whole buds look beautiful the texture isn’t pleasant to eat!
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