Strawberry "Milkshake" Tres Leches Cake



Strawberry-flavoured cake with a tart and fruity strawberry base, soaked in three milks and topped with Kirsch-laced whipped cream



Recently, I have been having a penchant for all things pink, perhaps because it's PINKTOBER^®. Strawberries are in season and it's always the first thing I see when I enter the grocery store. Trust the stores to choose a strategic spot to display them. I had just baked a strawberry pound cake last week, which was all finished yesterday. So, finally I get to try making a Tres Leches cake, which is a traditional Mexican cake. I must admit I have never seen or tasted one before this, but from the description of it, I could pretty much imagine what it would taste like. Initially, I wanted to make a coffee-flavoured one. That would have tasted so intense! But I settled on making a pink strawberry version of it instead, and after scouring the internet for recipes, I decided to use this one which I found on Myrecipes. I made some changes and added strawberries to it, which gave a slight tartness to balance out the sweetness of the cake. And of course, Tres Leches Cake means Three Milks Cake, being the use of cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk in soaking the cake. Mmm....tastes like strawberry milkshake in a cake! And I think dear H might like this one :)

Here is the recipe, adapted from Myrecipes:

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup (approx 112g)  unsalted butter
• 1  cup  sugar
• 5  large eggs
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 2 tsp strawberry essence
• A few drops pink food colouring
• 1 1/2  cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 250g punnet strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1  cup milk or whipping cream
• 1  (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1  (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2  cups  whipping cream
• 1/4  cup  powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp Kirsch (optional) or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 177°C. Grease and flour a 13- x 9-inch baking dish (or a 9-inch round springform pan). Arrange strawberry pieces on the base of the tin.

2. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; mix in eggs one at a time. Then add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, strawberry essence and a few drops of pink food colouring. Combine and sift flour and baking powder; add gradually to butter mixture, stirring to blend. Pour batter into prepared tin over the strawberries, and bake at 177°C for 30-40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Pierce cake with a fork all over.

3. Combine and whisk the 3 milks, and pour on top of cake; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and Kirsch/vanilla at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until thick; spread over cake, and serve cold.