Tres Leches Cake: Three Times the Awesome.

Last month, my boyfriend took me to a Mexican restaurant for my birthday. It was absolutely fabulous – possibly the best Mexican restaurant I’ve ever been to, and I have been to many (too many). From the sangria to the dessert, it was to die for. Here’s a glimpse of the gloriousness:

heaven on a plate.

Anyway, for dessert, we split a slice of Tres Leches Cake. Now, I’ve had this cake before, and always loved it, but this was one especially grand. It was so moist, perfectly sweetened, and wonderfully light all at the same time. It was at this moment I decided I needed to make this cake at home.

Having never made this cake before, I needed to find a good base recipe to start with. I began searching my books and the ‘net, and eventually settled on this one.

I knew going in that my first attempt at this mouth-watering food-coma-inducing dessert was not going to be anywhere near the perfection I had at the restaurant. But you know what? It really did turn out pretty darn good. I started by gathering up the three major players: the milks.

the three musketeers.

Next, I made the cake, pretty much exactly as the recipe dictated, except I added the dry mixture in larger amounts that two tablespoons at a time – I pretty much divided it into fourths and added 1/4 at a time. It worked just fine, as you can see.

the canvas.

Next, I poked holes in it, allowed it to cool, than doused it with the milks until it couldn’t take it anymore. (Tip- put a sheet pan below the cake to catch all the excess milk mix when you pour it over the top – it was the best idea EVER and there was literally no milky mess to clean up at all.)

drowning in milk.

Next, I whipped up some homemade whipped cream to use as the topping.

whip it good.

Once it was whipped to stiff peaks, I applied it to the cake.

top that.

For me, this just wasn’t enough. It needed something more. So, I mixed up some cinnamon sugar, and dusted the entire thing with it.

a dust of sweetness.

The result: a Tres Leches cake that won the hearts of many, and could definitely hang with the best of them.

one of the cool kids.

Now that I have the cake down, my goal is work towards that unforgettable piece of awesome from the restaurant. You know what they say – practice makes perfect. So everyone I know may be enjoying practice cakes for a while. I do believe this is not such a bad thing. 😉

Ch-ch-ch-churros! (recipe included!)

Recently, I was invited to a Mexican food-themed dinner party. Everyone was bringing their favorite Mexican dish, and I, as always, volunteered to provide dessert. I really wasn’t sure what to do though. I started thinking about my favorite Mexican restaurants, and what delicious meal-ending sweets I’ve enjoyed there…

My first thought was fried ice cream. I haven’t had it in years, and it has always been near and dear to my sweet heart. But I don’t own a deep fryer, and I foresaw the giant ice creamy mess that would certainly ensue. So that was out. Then I remembered Churros. Again, the first recipe I came across called for a deep fryer, but thinking back to the only other time I made them, which was in pastry school, no deep fryer was needed. We just heated up the oil to the proper temperature (which is key in this case) in a large pan, and dipped them in. I consulted my text book to be sure, and so it was written.

churros in a pan of oil.

I wound up combining two recipes into one, and added my own cinnamon sugar topping. The results? Perfecto!

delicioso postre.

My homemade Churros were a huge hit at the dinner party, and will definitely be called upon again for future dessert needs, whether it be a Mexican-themed party, or any event where a sweet treat is required (which is pretty much any event, in my book).

three cheers for churros!

.

Cinnamon Sugar Churros.

What you’ll need:

1 cup water

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

additional vegetable oil (for frying)

1 cup sugar + 1 tblsp cinnamon (combined)

What you’ll do:

Depending on how big you want your churros, fill a saucepan or deep frying pan with oil, at least two inches high (enough to completely cover the churros). In a separate saucepan, combine water, oil, salt and sugar, and bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Once the water mixture boils, remove from heat and pour into the flour/baking powder, stirring vigorously until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a solid ball – it should form a thick dough. At this time, begin heating the oil until it is between 350 and 375. Fit a pastry bag with a large star tip, and pipe logs of dough directly into the oil. You can make them as long or as short as you like. Fry them until they are golden brown. Remove them from the oil, and place on a paper towel. While still warm, coat in cinnamon sugar. Churros are best when served right away – they start to get “chewy” if kept for any longer than a day.