First Loves Die Hard – Pastel de Tres Leches
Traditional or not, this cake came out looking fantastic.
My first taste of Tres Leches cake was at a little restaurant in San Francisco called Platanos. We were soul mates, captivating my senses with its light, cooled, sweet cake laced with cream and rum. I was happy to see a Pastel de Tres Leches recipe in the Tartine book and was immediately intrigued. The recipe didn’t call for the traditional triumvirate of condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream. Instead, coconut milk is the main ingredient used in both the Coconut Chiffon cake base and the milk mixture. Interesting!
And while I generally embrace novel takes on old standards, I must say that after making this twice, I didn’t love it. Not to say that this cake didn’t taste great, it just didn’t taste like Tres Leches. I am perhaps misguided in opinion and just need to be more open minded to Tartine’s interpretation (a taste test at work between Tartine’s version and a more traditional version came out dead even), but I can’t help but feel like this version lacks the thing that makes this cake special - the condensed milk.
If you are using this recipe and want a more traditional flavor, I’d recommend replacing the coconut milk mixture with the the following:
- 12 oz. evaporated milk
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon rum or brandy
Taste: Unexpected and more dense than a traditional Tres Leches cake
Ease of recipe: Medium
Time: 4 Hours
Total calories* per recipe (excluding the caramel): 8275<--highlight this area with your cursor to see the calories
* Calories based on recipe calculator from MyFitnessPal.com
The Right Tool for the Right Job – Coconut Chiffon Cake
Test cake - Coconut Chiffon Cake
My husband likes to use this line. I think it is his excuse for buying every gadget on the market. I do see his point though as I am making due in the kitchen armed with limited bake ware and equipment.
The recipe calls for the use of a 10" spring form pan, I only own a 9" pan. In the baking process, the cake ballooned over the edge of the pan, then as it cooled off, retreated and formed a crater. What ended up happening was that I had to cut off a whole lotta top layer so that I could get an even surface for my three layer Pastel de Tres Leches cake (post coming soon!).
Additionally, the cake took longer than expected to bake. I went an extra 15 minutes, checking the cake after every 5 minutes until my toothpick came out clean.
Taste: Slightly sweet with a hint of coconut.
Ease of recipe: Medium
Time: 3 Hours
Total calories* per recipe: 3782 <--highlight this area with your cursor to see the calories
* Calories based on recipe calculator from MyFitnessPal.com