Angel Food Bakery: Tres Leches Cake

The popular Minneapolis restaurant, Hell’s Kitchen, is teaming up with a higher power by opening the pearly gates to their venture, Angel Food Bakery and Coffee Bar!  Manager, Katy Gerdes, makes her favorite dessert from the bakery.

Tres Leches Cake

(Makes 2 – 9” cakes)
Oven at 325 (still)

Sponge Cake

2½ C   flour                                    
2 t        baking powder                                  
1 t        kosher salt                             
8          eggs, separated                                              
2 C      sugar                                      
1          zest and juice lime
2 t        vanilla                                    
2/3 C   whole milk, room temp

Three-milk Topping

1 can (12oz) evap milk
1 can (14oz) condensed milk
1½ C heavy cream
1 t      vanilla

Pan spray and parchment 2 - 9” cake pans.

Sift flour, baking powder & salt together. Set aside. Whip egg whites until foamy and slowly add sugar. Whip on high until stiff peaks form and meringue is shiny. On low speed, add yolks in one at a time. Add in lime juice, zest and vanilla. Add in flour and milk, alternating starting and ending with flour. DO NOT over mix once the flour is added (finish folding by hand if more mixing is needed to incorporate all the flour). Pour into prepared pans and tap on counter to release bubbles. Bake at 350 for aprox 30-40 minutes (until cake is golden and center springs back).

For the 3-milk topping, whisk together the milks and vanilla and chill until ready to use.

When cake is done, let cool on rack for 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto parchment lined sheet pan and poke lots of holes in the cake with a skewer. VERY SLOWLY pour a little of the 3-milk topping over each cake and let sink in (use a spatula to help spread if needed, make sure to get the whole cake wet). Repeat this step until all the topping is used up. If you do it slowly enough, there shouldn’t be much milk on the sheet pan when you’re done. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 3 hours (overnight is best).