Homemade Recipe To Prepare Tres Leches Dessert

The tres leches dessert is a fairly popular dish in several Latin American countries. In addition, as Wikipedia highlights , it offers the possibility of tasting three types of milk integrated in the same cake. If you want to discover how to prepare it, do not hesitate to take note of the simple homemade recipe that we propose. It will be delicious and will delight everyone!

How to make tres leches dessert

Making a tres leches dessert is a delicious way to get more dairy in your diet. However, it is important to note that it should be eaten in moderation, occasionally, as its fat and sugar content makes it a high-calorie dessert.

Now, it should be noted that milk and dairy products are recommended in the diet. Although its consumption is still controversial, research published in Food & Nutrition Research concluded that the intake of milk and dairy products contributes to meeting nutrient recommendations and preventing disease. 

Of course, it is convenient to consult the nutritionist, since the portions and frequencies of consumption may vary between the needs of each person. Also, not everyone can consume them through desserts.

Previous steps before cooking the tres leches dessert

This recipe mixes the interesting flavors of the tres leches dessert with the texture and creaminess of meringue. To prepare a serving for 8 people, we will need the following ingredients:

For the cake

• 3 eggs (180 g).
• 2 cups of flour (280 g).
• 3/4 of a liter of milk (750 mL).
• 1 cup of powdered milk (140 g).
• 2/3 cup of butter (100 g).
• 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar (250 g).
• 1 cup of condensed milk (250 mL).
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream (125 mL).

• 6 teaspoons of baking powder (30 g).
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence (5 mL).

For the meringue

• 6 eggs (360 g).
• 1 lemon (100 g).
• 3/4 cup of water (180 mL).
• One and a half cups of sugar (300 g).
• 1/4 of tablespoon of cream of tartar (2.5 g).

Preparation of the cake

• To start preparing it, we put the butter together with the sugar in a bowl and beat it with a wire whisk, until we get a dough with a smooth cream texture. To do this, it is best to remove the butter from the refrigerator half an hour before starting to cook.
• On the other hand , we will preheat the oven to 250ºC while we follow the previous step.
• To continue with the mixture, we will add the eggs one by one in the bowl with the sugar and butter mixture and we will continue stirring so that they are well integrated. Next, we add the flour and the baking powder.
• When all the previous mixture has been well integrated, add the milk and the vanilla essence.
• After this, we stir a little more and pour it all into a baking dish. We will introduce the mixture here  for half an hour, controlling the doneness by pricking the cake with a toothpick.

• When the cake has risen and has browned on the top, we remove it from the oven and pierce it all over the surface with a fork. By making these holes, we can allow the milk cream that we are going to prepare next to penetrate well.

Pay attention to the heavy cream!

• To prepare this milk cream, we beat the condensed milk, the milk cream and the evaporated milk until we get a homogeneous mixture.
• Finally, and without removing the cake from the mold, we pour the cream over it, distribute it well and let it rest. The cream should penetrate through the holes.

Preparation of meringue

Once the cake is ready and while we allow it to cool slightly and the cream to penetrate it, we will prepare the meringue. To do this, we have to follow the steps shown below:

• First of all, we have to beat the egg whites until reaching the snow point. The best thing to do to achieve this is to use an electric mixer with a wire head, instead of beating them by hand.
• When it is almost ready, we will add the cream of tartar. This substance will allow the meringue to increase its volume and achieve a fluffier texture. If we do not have it, we can replace it with an envelope of soda.
• Next, we reserve this mixture and heat a pot over low heat with the water and sugar. We are stirring this mixture so that the sugar dissolves completely  and, in addition, we add some lemon zest.
• We will continue stirring so that the sugar turns into caramel. We will achieve this when, when lifting the spoon, the drops fall slowly.
• Once the caramel is ready, we pour it into the bowl with the egg whites and beat it vigorously for about 6 minutes. With this, we will achieve a good consistency and we will prepare the meringue.

• Finally, it will be enough to pour the meringue on the cake already prepared. We must distribute it evenly over its entire surface with the help of a knife or spatula.

Give it the final touch …

As a last detail, we can decorate it by adding some red berries on top. In this way, we will prepare this delicious dessert of tres leches so typical of the cuisine of many regions of Latin America. As you may have seen, the steps to follow are relatively simple and the ingredients are not difficult to find. Do not hesitate to prepare it!