My Best Authentic Tres Leches Cake

 

The Request...My Best Authentic Tres Leches Cake.

Living in Arizona has given me many wonderful experiences. I've been here just over thirty years. I moved here initially to go to college. I planned to leave this crazy-hot and dry place as soon as I finished school, but my adorable boyfriend (soon-to-be husband) had other plans. So I stayed. Darn that wry smile and the way he carried himself in blue jeans! I digress.

Arizona. One of my favorite experiences working in the kitchens and restaurants of Phoenix is meeting so many friends from Mexico. Many came to America to get a better life. I know my life has been better having known so many Hispanics. I love their devotion to family and zest for life.  

A few weeks ago, one of my friends, Juan, asked me if I could make him a Tres Leches cake. Of course, I always bake for the people I love. Juan and his wife are amazing people; I've loved getting to know them in our small town. So the test was on. Juan is an expert because he grew up with it. Right?

If you haven't tried Tres Leches Cake, let me tell you. It can go one of three ways: Either you love it, you have had a bad one, or you haven't had mine yet (and sworn off any other Tres Leches on the planet but mine). Mine is a little different from some that I have tried, but I insisted that Juan try it. 

What is it?

Traditionally, tres leches cake is a white or yellow sponge cake baked, then cooled, drenched in a sweet milk mixture, and covered with whipped cream. There are many variations, but the general consensus is that the milk mixture should be sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and milk. 

The cake is served cold, having had the milk mixture soak it for about twenty-four hours. I like to use just the right amount of milk mixture so that the cake can still hold together and be served in slices. If the milk mixture's viscosity is too thin, then the cake becomes a weirdly textured, soggy mess. Some use cinnamon. Some do not. I like a hint of it in mine, but not an overpowering amount. 

The frosting is the key!

My secret is the whipped cream frosting. I use a small package of cream cheese instant pudding not only to add stability to the cream but also for a richer flavor. This gives the whipped cream a mousse-like texture that adds another layer of creaminess to the finished product. It's super hot here, and stabilizing the whipped cream ensures that it doesn't melt the second it comes out of the fridge.

It's a big batch!

This is for a party. For this cake, you will need 2 9x13x2-inch metal baking dishes or 2 10x4-inch round springform pans.

I like to make one cinnamon cake and one with fresh berries. That way, everyone can fight over the cakes and punch each other in the foreheads, deciding which cake is the best. At that point, my job is to sit back and bask in my cake glory. You can do the basking too!

My Best Authentic Tres Leches Cake

Cake:

2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Flour (240g)

1 Tbsp.  baking powder (12g)

½ tsp. salt

10 large eggs, separated

2 cups granulated sugar, divided (400 g)

2/3 cup whole milk (160 ml)

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (15ml)

Milk Mixture:

2-12-ounce cans of evaporated milk (680g)

2 14-ounce cans of sweetened condensed milk (793g)

½ cup whole milk (120ml)

1/8 tsp. salt (optional)

Whipped Topping:

1 quart (4 cups) heavy whipping cream (950ml)

1 small package of cheesecake instant pudding

1 tsp. vanilla extract (2.5 ml)

ground cinnamon, for topping (optional)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease 2 9X13X2 pans (or equivalent)

Prepare the Cake:

·   In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

·   Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls.

·   Add 1 ½ cups sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add 2/3 cup of milk and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently until combined (don't over-mix).

·  Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites at high speed. As they begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ½ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined.

·  Divide the batter between two greased 9x13x2 metal baking pans and smooth the batter into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely.

Milk Mixture:

·   Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a medium bowl. Once the cake has cooled, use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.

·   Slowly pour the milk mixture over the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.

·  In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, pudding mix, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy! Also. 

                               Here are some extra pictures so you can drool. You're welcome.

P.S. Juan loved the cake. Too much. Hahaha! Now his wife needs the recipe! So, this is for Robyn and Juan. Love you guys!

It's your turn.

There you go!
Always My Very Best
Chef Tess

Best Ever Black Bottom Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

These luscious chocolate cupcakes are filled with a rich cream cheese chocolate chip filling.

What is a Black Bottom Cupcake? Heaven. I have fond memories of these cupcakes from my childhood.

These delicious velvety chocolate cupcakes have a cream cheese chocolate chip filling baked right into the batter. They come together in just a few minutes and can be served as a warm addition to brunch or a dessert. I like topping them with fresh fruit and whipped cream for a contrast in texture. Fresh berries can also be added to the cream cheese filling before baking.

The recipe is easy to assemble in just a few minutes. Enjoy!

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup (67g) sugar

1 large egg (57g)

1 tsp. (5g) vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cupcakes:

1 cup (200g) sugar

1 cup (255g) water

1/3 cup (75g) vegetable oil

1 large egg (57g)

1 Tbsp. (14g) white vinegar

1 tsp. (5g) vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups (180g) All-purpose Flour

1/4 cup (23g) baking cocoa

1 tsp. (6g) baking soda

1/2 tsp. (6g) salt

Directions

• In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and salt until smooth. Stir in chips; set aside.
• For cupcakes, beat the sugar, water, oil, egg, vinegar, and vanilla until well blended in a large bowl. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into the egg mixture until blended.
• Fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups half full of chocolate batter. Drop a heaping tablespoonful of cheese mixture in the center of each cupcake. Sprinkle with sugar and chopped almonds, if desired.
• Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to racks to cool completely. Refrigerate leftovers.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

My Simple Best Homemade Pound Cake

 

This homemade pound cake comes together in a few minutes and tastes superior to any grocery store frozen product. It is by and far one of the simplest cakes to make. Yet, it is my most craved dessert! Why? Because it's that simple taste of home. 

Here are a few things to know about ingredients and procedures to ensure your cake turns out awesome. 

It is made with nine simple ingredients:

• Unsalted Butter: Higher quality butter is the key to a tender pound cake.
• Granulated Sugar: Sugar will keep your pound cake sweet and contributes to a moist crumb. We prefer to use granulated sugar. A lower-sugar pound cake can be made using half sugar and half granulated stevia or erythritol.
• Eggs: Most height and structure come from beating the eggs into the batter. They are seamlessly incorporated into the batter by ensuring the eggs are at room temperature.
• Vanilla Bean Paste: This vanilla extract incorporates the inner specs of the vanilla bean and bourbon into the extract. The flavor is pronounced and very clean.
• Sour Cream: Sour cream adds a slight tanginess to the loaf, perfectly complementing the sweetness. One can substitute low-fat plain yogurt for the sour cream if desired.
• Milk: The milk will lighten the pound cake so it’s not too dense.
• All-Purpose Flour: Panhandle Milling All-purpose flour will give your pound cake a soft, tender crumb. We prefer to weigh this ingredient to ensure it is appropriately measured.
• Baking Powder: We use a half teaspoon of baking powder in the cake. It will give your cake the perfect rise without creating too many air bubbles.
• Salt: We use salt to offset the sweetness and enhance the flavor of this pound.

Steps are important

Familiarizing yourself with the steps for making the cake is helpful. Pound cake is a very simple recipe, but we’ll break it down step by step to take out any guesswork for you! You can make this pound cake with a hand mixer or stand mixer or by hand with a whisk if you’re up for an arm workout!

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Step 3: Scrape down the bowl and add half of the dry ingredients to the mixture. Fold together until just mixed.

Step 4: Mix the sour cream and milk until just combined.

Step 5: Add the rest of the dry ingredients and fold until combined and no flour streaks remain. It’s important not to overmix the pound cake batter once you’ve added the flour. Once the flour has been added, gluten bonds will start forming, and if you mix the batter too much, your cake will become tough and dense!

Step 6: Bake until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean!

Simple Best Homemade Pound Cake

1 cup (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups (267g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ½ tsp. Vanilla bean paste

2 cups (250g) All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup (58g) sour cream or plain yogurt

1/4 cup (59ml) milk

Directions: 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a standard-size loaf pan on all sides.
• Combine the softened butter and granulated sugar in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extract and mix well.
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir to combine.
• Add about half of the flour mixture to the bowl of the mixer and mix until just combined. Add the sour cream and milk and mix until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Refrain from over-mixing.
• Transfer the batter to your prepared pan and spread it into an even layer using a silicone spatula.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes back primarily clean and the loaf is golden brown.

Variation:

Add 1 Tbsp. lime zest and 1 tsp. coconut extract to the cake for a delicious coconut lime pound cake.

There you go, darlings! Make some awesome pound cake.

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Natural Whoopie Pies and Updated Natural Homemade Chocolate Cake Mix

Oh I love exploding myths and making convenience foods from scratch. Why is it? Why do I love it? Well...perhaps it's the sweet stream of email flowing to my heart thanking me for saving family budgets around the world. Literally. It's so highly motivating to get a thank you note. It warms the coggles of my heart.

How many recipes call for a box of cake mix? Well, in America anyway, I've seen whole books written on the subject. They're books that doctor a cake mix into a lot of other stuff. However...what if the person making the cake or doctored mix had some crazy stipulations? I do. I want the mix being made with all natural ingredients, from scratch and things most people have access to. I want it made to taste wonderful without adding a lot of chemicals to my diet. Yikes...did I just say "diet" in blog entry about chocolate cake? Oh the irony of my existence is sometimes scary.

You will need some very high quality vanilla. It will still make a very impressive cake. If this recipe looks familiar, It is in fact an adaptation of the Chocolate Toffee Buttermilk Cake Mix. A simple form of that cake with some subtle changes. The texture is still perfect.

Chef Tess' Natural Chocolate Cake Mix

yield 16 cups mix (4 mixes total)

1 cup (8 oz) Avocado oil
6 cups (1 lb 11 oz)  Organic grains sprouted  white wheat flour here
3 cups (11.5 oz) baking cocoa
1 cup ( 4.5 oz) non-fat milk powder or soy milk powder
2 1/2 cups coconut sugar or  Pyure Organic Stevia Sweetener
4 tsp salt
1/3 cup baking powder (2 oz)
1T double strength vanilla bean paste
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cayenne pepper

To prepare mix: In a large 3 gallon or larger bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, dry milk
sugar, baking powder and salt very well. You may use an electric mixer if you have one with a large enough bowl. With a wire whisk, ease the avocado oil into the dry ingredients in a steady stream until the mixture resembles sand. Take the mix and a couple of cup fulls at a time, run through a flour sifter. I use a hand flour sifter that works very well to help the mix become smooth and homogeneous. ( Need a picture tutorial on the mix making process? See: My Yellow Homemade Cake Mix) Divide into quart size bags. 20 oz of mix equals one  conventional cake mix. This is almost exactly 4 cups of measured mix.

To bake:
Combine with 3 eggs
1/3 cup Avocado oil
1 cup water
200 strokes by hand or 3 minutes medium speed.

Bake time 350 degrees:
Pan size: 2 8 inch 33-35 minutes
2 9 inch 28-31 minutes
13 by 9 inch 32-35 minutes
bunt 38-43 minutes
24 cupcakes 18-21 minutes
High altitude: stir 1/4 cup all purpose flour into mix. Mix as directed.

Whoopie Pies from Cake Mix

4 cups cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup Avocado oil
Mix to combine. Scoop by rounded Tablespoon onto parchment lined baking sheet, allowing 1 inch between cookies for spreading. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes until cake springs back. Remove from oven and cool completely. Sandwich with cream cheese white chocolate frosting (below).  

Cream Cheese and White Chocolate Orange Frosting

3 ½ c powdered sugar
 ½ c butter, softened 
8 oz cream cheese, softened 
6 oz white chocolate*, melted and cooled 
½ t orange extract 
1 T orange zest

Chop the white chocolate and melt in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds then stir and microwave in 10 second increments until nearly melted. Stir until remaining small chunks melt entirely. Set aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until it is completely smooth, with no visible lumps. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar and orange extract and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the white chocolate and the orange zest. Do not over beat the filling, or it will lose structure. (The filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover the bowl tightly and put it in the refrigerator. Let the filling soften at room temperature before using.) *Please use real white chocolate. White“confection,” “dipping chocolate,” “bark,” or “morsels” will not work. You know it’s white chocolate if in the ingredient list you see cocoa butter. If you can’t find white chocolate, it’s better to leave it out than to use the fake stuff.


There you go darlings! Something wickedly delicious and somewhat healthy for a crazy day.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Soft Sugar Cookies with Amaretto Buttercream and Apricots

This is post number 3 from the catering that I did for my sweet best friend Gena's baby shower. Gena loves soft sugar cookies with real buttercream and I had to bring these little guys along. The frosting was topped with freeze-dried chunks of apricot and then I sprinkle a few edible gold pearls on each one along with a few sliced almonds. The freeze-dried apricots gave them a fabulous tart-sweet contrast. After they were finished decorating, I added a little flourish of edible gold spray. They turned out stunning and delicious! These would be perfect for a wedding, bridal shower, or any holiday catering event this winter. 

Chef Tess'Almond Soft Sugar Cookies

1 ½ cup butter, softened

 ¾ cup granulated sugar

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

½ cup milk

1 1/2 tsp almond emulsion

4 1/2 cup Organic All-Purpose Flour

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Directions: Preheat oven to 375° F.  Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils, and hands before handling raw flour and dough. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla and milk. Stir well. Combine the flour mixture with the creamed butter mixture, just until combined. Scoop by rounded Tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet or sheet lined with parchment paper. Wash and sanitize all work surfaces, utensils and hands after handling raw flour and dough.  Bake until lightly golden, about 10-13 minutes. Allow cooling on the baking sheet about 10 minutes before transferring to another location. Store in an airtight container. Yield approx. 5 dozen cookies.  

Amaretto Buttercream Frosting

3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 tsp. almond extract
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

Directions: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. Pipe frosting onto cookies. Top with freeze-dried chunks of apricot and then I sprinkle a few edible gold pearls on each one along with a few sliced almonds. After they were finished decorating, I added a little flourish of edible gold spray. 

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

My Favorite Best Ever Homemade Cupcakes with Homemade Buttercream and White Chocolate Shards

Post number two on the baby shower food that I catered for my BFF Gena's new arrival. Cupcakes.  They can be a source of great joy at a party but sometimes they can also stress you out. If you have a great recipe, however, that doesn't have to be the case.  Recently I found a really great recipe for scratch yellow cupcakes from Here and I altered it just a bit for these baby shower cupcakes, but they turned out amazing! You can either frost them with fresh whip cream or the buttercream recipe below. Either way, they're killer perfect. 

 My Favorite Best Ever Yellow Cupcakes                                                                                                                                                                

2 ½ cup Texas Pure Milling All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter 
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 Tbsp. Orange Zest (optional)
1 cup milk

Citrus Infused Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
½ cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 tsp lemon emulsion

1 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. orange emulsion
3-4 Tbsp. hot water

8-12 oz White Chocolate, sharded for garnish

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a small bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; add vanilla and flavorings. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing on low speed.

Divide batter evenly into prepared cups.

 

Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (at least 170°F). Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from baking pan to cooling rack. Cool completely.  

Frosting: In a large bowl, beat remaining Frosting ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until creamy. 

Decorating: Once cupcakes have cooled completely, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes in a decorative swirl. Arrange shards of white chocolate on the frosting.

There you go!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess