
Tres Leches Cake

Tres leches cake is a delicious special occasion cake that lots of kids in Mexico eat for their birthdays! Tres leches means “three milks,” and you’ll see why in the ingredients below. Can you guess what three milks might be in this delicious cake?
And don’t forget when you’re decorating your cake with fresh fruit that you can make a special design to represent the country where your family sponsors or a special picture that represents a place you’ve learned about in school! Scroll through the flags below and think about which fruits you can use for each color.
Adult help needed.
Adult help needed. First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Next, separate your egg whites into one bowl and your egg yolks into another.
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with ¾ c. granulated sugar until pale yellow. Stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently to combine. If there are some lumps, that’s OK!
In a large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining ¼ c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg white mixture into batter gently until just combined.
Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla extract until well combined.
When cake is cool, poke small holes in it using a fork or skewer. Slowly drizzle milk syrup over cake, then set aside and let the syrup soak in while you make your frosting.
Beat whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Frost your cake with your homemade frosting. You can also decorate it with fresh fruit, such as berries, kiwi and pineapple. Sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar if you’d like.
Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Adult help needed. First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Next, separate your egg whites into one bowl and your egg yolks into another.
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with ¾ c. granulated sugar until pale yellow. Stir in the vanilla extract and milk.
Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently to combine. If there are some lumps, that’s OK!
In a large bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining ¼ c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg white mixture into batter gently until just combined.
Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla extract until well combined.
When cake is cool, poke small holes in it using a fork or skewer. Slowly drizzle milk syrup over cake, then set aside and let the syrup soak in while you make your frosting.
Beat whipping cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Frost your cake with your homemade frosting. You can also decorate it with fresh fruit, such as berries, kiwi and pineapple. Sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar if you’d like.
Serve immediately or place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes

Did you know ...
... that LOTS of kids who attend Compassion centers take what are called vocational classes? These are classes where kids can learn skills that can help them get a job one day. One of the most popular classes is baking! Kids just like you learn how to make bread, cakes and cookies. Sometimes they serve the treats to the other kids at the center. Sometimes they sell them at the market to earn money to buy extra supplies for their class.


