TRES LECHES CAKE FROM CAFE CENTRAL, EL PASO

Steps:

• Cake:.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Separate egg yolks and whites, keeping whites at room temperature.
• In bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar and butter together until pale yellow and fluffy.
• Add egg yolks and beat until fluffy again, 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed.
• In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder.
• In a third bowl mix milk and vanilla.
• Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture to the butter mixture (a fourth at a time) until all are combined.
• Beat until smooth after each addition.
• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form and, using a large spatula, gently but thoroughly fold into flour-and-butter mixture.
• Grease bottom of a 9- by 13-inch metal baking pan.
• Pour in batter and bake for approximately 25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool.
• (May also be baked in an 11.5- by 17.5-inch sheet pan for 20 minutes; this size rises very evenly, helpful for inexperienced cooks.).
• Three Milks:.
• Stir the milks together thoroughly; do not beat.
• Do not refrigerate canned milks before using.
• Cream Icing:.
• Whip cream and sugar together until stiff.
• When cake is cool, slice or peel off the thin top crust.
• Ice sides first, creating a small lip on top to catch milk mixture.
• Pour milk mixture evenly over top of cake (if necessary, poke holes in cake with a knife or toothpick to facilitate soaking; you will probably need only 3/4of mixture).
• Finish icing top.
• Refrigerate.
• (If using an 11.5- by 17.5-inch pan, cut cake in half to make 2 equal pieces. Soak first layer, ice top if desired, and place second layer on top of it. Proceed as above.) Serves 12.