Have you ever tried tres leches at cafe rio? It is an amazing south american dessert. It is Jack's very favorite, so I have been trying to duplicate it at home with no success. But I just tried this recipe and it is amazing! I love to cook but I don't really like to bake, but this dessert is totally worth the time and effort once in awhile.
Makes about 28 cupcakes
8 eggs, separated
1 1/3 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
3 T corn starch
1 t baking powder
pinch of salt
6 oz evaporated milk (1/2 can)
11 oz condensed milk (3/4 can)
3/4 C heavy cream or 1 can of coconut milk, unsweetened (I used heavy cream)
In a big bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1 C of the sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the vanilla.
In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt.
Mix until combined with the yolk mixture.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Add 1/3 C sugar at the end. Do not over beat!
Fold the whites into the yolk and flour mixture, being very careful not to deflate the batter.
Fill cupcake liners about halfway.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
With a serrated knife, remove the top golden layer on each cupcake to expose the sponge. You can toss the tops in the trash or proceed to eat them all! You can see the pile of cut off tops on the left edge of the photo above.
Mix the three milks and spoon them into the cupcakes.
Put about three T of the milks into each cupcake.
Wait for the milks to be absorbed and add more. You will see a pool of milks at first, like the photo above, but soon the milks will completely absorb into the sponge cake.
Refrigerate the cupcakes covered for 5 hours or overnight.
Cover with whipped cream (or a merengue) and cinnamon or strawberries.
