Recipe: Tres Leches Cake with Variations (Three Milk Cake, using cake mix)

TRES LECHES CAKE (THREE MILK CAKE)

"The Cuban-American community has adopted as its own this unusual cake, which actually originated in Central America. Tres Leches is a classic yellow cake that, once baked, is saturated with more than 4 cups of liquid - a mixture of three kinds of milk. The result is a remarkably light, sweet, moist confection."

FOR THE CAKE BATTER:
1 package Betty Crocker Super Moist yellow cake mix (with pudding)
1 1/4 cups water
1/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs
FOR THE MILK MIXTURE:
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
FOR TOPPING:
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat the entire inside of a Bundt pan with vegetable cooking spray.

Place cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and heat 2 minutes more, scraping howl occasionally. Pour cake batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 38 to 43 minutes or until cake pulls away from sides of pan and a wooden skewer inserted in cake comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, while preparing the milk mixture.

Place evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and cream in a medium bowl. Whisk to mix well.

Invert Bundt cake onto an oversize round serving platter. With a wooden or metal skewer, poke holes all over cake. With a flatware tablespoon, spoon milk mixture over cake, allowing it to absorb into the cake. Some of the milk mixture will pool around the cake and in the center of the Bundt. Keep spooning this mixture over cake, adding new holes occasionally, until all liquid has been absorbed. (This will take about 30 minutes.)

Sprinkle cake with coconut. Refrigerate cake until completely chilled, about 1 hour, before serving.

But because of the preponderance of milk in this cake, be sure to keep it refrigerated until ready to serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

VARIATIONS:
The neutral flavor of this cake encourages experimentation. Variations are endless:

- Substitute sweetened coconut milk for 1/2 cup of the sweetened condensed milk.
- Add 1/4 cup rum, brandy, Irish cream, peach schnapps, or chocolate syrup to the milk mixture.
- Bake it as a sheet cake or a layer cake.
- Frost the cake with vanilla whipped cream or fluffy white icing.
- Top it with a medley of fresh seasonal fruits.

Makes 1 Bundt cake, 12 to 15 servings
Source: The Florida Keys Cookbook by Victoria Shearer