For those of you with a sweet tooth and a physical necessity to have a delicious cup of coffee accompanied with something sticky and indulgent we can personally recommend Tres Leches! Tres leches literally means, “three milks” and is an ultra-light sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and is the most popular dessert at coffee time in Central America.

Ingredients

  • flavorless oil, for the tin

  • 4 eggs, separated

  • 200g white sugar

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

  • 200g all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 100ml milk

  • 410g can evaporated milk

  • 200ml sweetened condensed milk

  • 300ml cream

  • 2 tbsp. powdered sugar

  • pinch cinnamon

Method

STEP 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil and line the base and sides of a 20cm square cake tin.

STEP 2
Put the egg whites in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. Beat with an electric hand whisk until foamy, about 3 mins. Keep mixing while you add 150g of the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until thick and glossy.

STEP 3
In another bowl, mix the egg yolks, remaining sugar and vanilla (no need to clean the beaters first) for 2 mins, or until pale and foamy. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the egg yolks, and use a spatula to fold everything together.

STEP 4
Add a large spoonful of egg white to the cake mix, beat together to loosen the mixture, then gently fold through the remaining egg whites with a large metal spoon (being careful not to over-stir so you don’t knock out too much air), until you have a smooth batter.

STEP 5
Pour into the tin, smooth the top and bake for 40-45 mins until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Mix together the evaporated milk, condensed milk and 3 tbsp. of the cream.

STEP 6
Leave the cake to cool for 10 mins in the tin, then ease a knife around the sides. Poke holes over the surface with a skewer, then pour over half the milk mixture. After 5 mins or so, most of it should have soaked into the cake. Leave for another 5 mins, then transfer to a plate and pour over some of the remaining milk until it starts to leak a little. (Any leftover milk that won’t soak into the cake can be served on the side.) Leave to cool.

STEP 7
Whip the remaining cream and powdered sugar together until holding soft peaks. Spread the cream over the cake and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Serve in squares with any remaining soaking milk.

Enjoy!