TRES LECHES DE RON CON CHOCOLATE

Tres Leches de Ron con Chocolate image

This is another cake that I developed when I worked at Rosa Mexicano, and it quickly became one of the most popular desserts. We used to serve it with caramelized bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce, all on the side. I have since tweaked the recipe a bit, by adding some chocolate to the tres leches mixture itself, instead of having a separate sauce, and by layering the cake with whipped cream.

Yield serves 10 to 12

Number Of Ingredients 24

Ingredients

3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons instant coffee crystals
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
1 3/4 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 egg whites
Pinch of salt
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup half-and-half
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
Pinch of salt
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup dark rum
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
1 (2- to 4-ounce) piece semisweet chocolate, for shaving

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
TO MAKE THE CAKE, bring the water to a boil and stir in the instant coffee, mixing until it dissolves. Put the cocoa in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot coffee into it, whisking until there are no lumps; set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and half of the sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, oil, and vanilla. Add the cooled cocoa mixture and gently stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture into the large bowl with the flour mixture, whisking until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt and the cream of tartar until it starts to thicken. Add the remaining half of the sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff and glossy peaks form.
Stir about one-third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten the mixture, then add the remaining egg whites in two parts, folding gently but making sure everything is well incorporated. Divide the batter into 2 ungreased 9-inch pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, unmold the cakes onto a wire rack, and let them sit until cool. Remove the pans and prepare the tres leches mixture.
TO MAKE THE TRES LECHES, bring the half-and-half to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot half-and-half over. Allow to sit for a minute, then stir with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the evaporated milk, salt, condensed milk, and rum, blending well. Put the cakes in a deep dish or back into their baking pans and pour the warm mixture over them. Be sure to pour any liquid that dripped down the sides on top of the cakes as well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, or freeze for 30 to 40 minutes, so they are easier to handle.
TO MAKE THE FILLING, beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer or by hand until slightly thickened. Add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla and continue beating until thickened and smooth. Refrigerate until the cakes have cooled.
To assemble the cake, put one of the cakes on a piece of cardboard or a serving platter and spread about one-third of the filling evenly on top. Top with the second cake and cover the top and sides with the remaining filling. Holding the chocolate with a paper towel in one hand, use a peeler to shave the chocolate onto the cake.