Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
By Yankee Magazine|Sep 16 2024|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanTres leches cake, literally translated as “three milks cake,” is one of my all-time favorites to bake for special occasions and gatherings. Traditionally the recipe boasts a perfectly moist sponge cake that’s infused with a luscious syrup of three milks, vanilla, and cinnamon. With this recipe I wanted to take it a step further and create an even more indulgent treat by incorporating the rich flavor of chocolate. The light chocolate sponge cake, created by folding whipped egg whites into the batter and infusing chocolate in the three-milks syrup, combine to enhance the overall decadent nature of this cake.
Excerpted from The Feast & Fettle Cookbook: Unlock the Secret to Better Home Cooking © 2024 by Maggie Mulvena Pearson, reprinted by permission of Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
Yield:
Ingredients
1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (25 g) cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup (200 g) sugar
½ cup (125 g) chocolate milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the cake: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350˚F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or casserole pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Add the egg yolks and ¾ cup of the sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (alternatively using a hand mixer) and beat on high speed until the yolks turn a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes. Add the chocolate milk and vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the flour mixture and gently stir to combine.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (alternatively using a hand mixer) and whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining ¼ cup sugar, continuing to beat on high until stiff peaks form, which should take 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the stiff egg whites to the batter and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined. Try to not overmix.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
