TRES LECHES CAKE

Ingredients

• • 8 large eggs
• • 1 1/2 cups sugar
• • 2 cups all-purpose flour
• • 1 tablespoon baking powder
• • 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
• • 1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
• • 1 cup whole milk (half and half or cream make it even more rich)
• • 1/4 cup Kahlua or strong coffee (I used Rum - just kidding! I put in 3T lemon juice, but added it to the sweetened condensed milk, THEN added the other milks [to prevent curdling], thinking of the Lemon Passion Cake at Macaroni Grill)
• • 1 teaspoon vanilla
• • Lightly sweetened softly whipped cream
• • Sliced strawberries

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on high speed (use whip attachment if available), beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow, 5 to 6 minutes. In a small bowl, mix flour and baking powder. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add flour mixture in small increments and beat until smooth. Scrape batter into a buttered 9- by 13-inch baking pan.

2. Bake in a 325° regular or convection oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl condensed milk, evaporated milk, regular milk, Kahlua, and vanilla until well blended. Pour evenly over hot cake; let cool about 15 minutes, then cover and chill until cake has absorbed all the milk mixture, at least 3 hours, or up to 1 day.

*We poked holes in ours with a toothpick, as the cake filled the 9x13 pan and we didn't know how the three cups mixture was possibly going to fit in. We did get it all in, but I will try cooking it in a larger pan next time. I told Bryon we had to wait three hours at least and he said, "That's not gonna happen..." ha ha We garnished with lots of strawberries and some whipped cream (not the measly amount of strawberries in the picture).

4. Cut cake into squares or rectangles, lift out with a wide spatula, and set on plates. Top each piece of cake with a spoonful of whipped cream and garnish with strawberries.