Tres Leche Cake

Say what?! A Tres Leche cake  (Spanish for three milk cake) is a sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk; namely evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream. What sets this cake apart (besides its awesomeness) is its unique texture that prevents it from being a soggy mush despite being soaked in so much milk. And its absolutely to die to for. What a cake this is!



I first tried this cake in a Mexican bakery in LA, and it blew my mind! And ever since then, its been on my cooklist. So when we decided to throw a birthday party for my mother-in-law, this was the only cake I could think of. This is my first attempt at making it, so I obviously needed the recipe from someone whose cooking sense I could trust i.e: Martha Stewart

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes cookbook



For the cake:

1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1tsp baking powder
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla essence

For the soaking liquid:

1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk*
1 cup whole milk



*Evaporated milk is milk that has been cooked down to allow more than 50% of its water content to evaporate. Since its not easily available in India you can make your own or use a substitute:

Make your own: Simmer 2 cups of regular milk down to 1 cup to give you one cup of evaporated milk
Substitute: Take some milk powder and reconstitute it using only 40% of the recommended water. You should get a thick cream-like milk consistency.



Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients i.e. flour and baking powder. In a larger bowl, beat eggs and sugar until well combined. The eggs would turn a pale yellow colour. Add vanilla and mix. Now gradually add the flour mix and fold to combine. Its always a good practise to add the flour in batches, wait for it to mix completely before proceeding to add another batch. Fold in the melted butter until incorporated. Butter a baking dish and transfer the batter to this dish. Bake for 30-40 mins or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.



Whisk together the milks. With a fork or skewer, poke the warm cake all over. Make sure you make sufficient holes and the luscious milk mixture will seep into the cake through this. Now pour the milk mixture over the top of the cake. Don't panic if the cake is submerged in the milk. It will absorb all that liquid eventually. Set aside and let it cool.



You can serve as it or whip 250ml cream and 1/4cup sugar together. Spread it over the cooled cake. Sprinkle cinnamon or cocoa powder or top with fruits.

P.S: This cake was so good that I could barely save a slice for pictures. Apologies for the terrible pictures. It was a birthday party hence too much clutter in the background

Guacamole

I'm back!!! I apologize for my sporadic blog posts this month, but my health wouldn't permit me to enter the kitchen. But I'm back...with a vengeance may I add. I have a full pantry and a hungry tummy to make up to.

Knife to my neck, I could tell you how to make guacamole in one sentence. Mash avocados, add some onions and lime. But great great guacamole calls for a little more. Like most dishes, the success or failure of it depends on the quality of your ingredients. The most important thing in a guacamole is the avocados. I spend more time choosing avocados that making guacamole.They have to be ripe...but not too ripe. You are looking for buttery yellow flesh and texture. Too firm and its bitter as hell. Too soft and it will be too mushy.

Makes a big bowlful

4 avocados
1 clove of garlic, chopped and smashed
1 medium onion
Juice of 1/2 a lime
A pinch of chili powder or paprika
1 tsp cannola or olive oil (optional)
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander, chives and/or jalapeños to serve (optional)

Scoop out the avocado flesh into a bowl. Use a fork and mash the avocado. The extent of the mashing really depends on your preferences. If you like your guacamole chunky, obviously keep the mashing to a minimum. Add in the onions, garlic, paprika, oil and lime juice. At this point taste and adjust, trust your taste buds to balance things out. Serve topped with coriander, jalapeños or chives.



The best part of a guacamole is that its a versatile dip! Traditionally served with tortillas, I serve them with anything crispy, right from potato chips to rusk. I've served mine with some fantastic tapioca chips that I got from Kerala.



If you like your guac extra creamy or smooth, add a spoonful of yoghurt to the mixture.

Note: Always use room-temperature avocados and serve guacamole at room temperature. Don't serve guacamole chilled or make it with cold avocados.

Many recipes/ restaurants add tomatoes to the guacamole. I'm not a big fan of this, and to me its like mixing oil and water. I also feel like many restaurants do this to give the dish 'volume' as avocados are expensive and they can't afford to be luxurious about it.



Tip: Any leftover guacamole will turn brown when continuously exposed to air. Use plastic wrap pressed to the surface while storing (in the fridge). Another great way to save the integrity of your guacamole is to sit a stone in it, cover with cling and then refrigerate.