Tres Leche

Recipes from Alton Brown (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/tres-leche-cake-recipe/index.html). The length of this recipe makes it a little intimidating, but don't be afraid! It was really easy...as long as you have a mixing machine (hand held will not do unless you have really strong wrist muscles). On our second day in Costa Rica we bought a box of Tres Leche cake from a little girl on the beach after lunch. It was topped with cherries and clementines. This was my first tres leche experience and it was divine. This is a pretty yummy recipe however I do have a few problems with it. First, I don't why Alton decided to quantify half the recipe in ounces. For the cake flour, he calls for .84 cups of flour which I've estimated to 3/4 cup plus 1 TBS. Also, I've never heard of checking the internal temperature of a cake to determine if it's done. It's not a turkey or beef brisket Alton. Simply poking and waiting for a bounce back is sufficient in my opinion. I decorated mine with orange slices and bananas.




Ingredients
For the cake:

* Vegetable oil
* 6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
* 8 ounces sugar
* 5 whole eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze:

* 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
* 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 cup half-and-half

For the topping:

* 2 cups heavy cream
* 8 ounces sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cake:
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:

Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.