Gluten Free Tres Leches
Over the years, I have gotten LOTS of questions on living a gluten free lifestyle. I really think now it is easier than ever. When I first got diagnosed with gluten intolerance- ALL I ate was salad. Literally lol and chicken. I had no idea how versatile the diet could be. Let alone that I could eat cake again.
With that being said, my husband LOVES a good Tres Leches Cake. I was truly scared to try this recipe but it actually turned out well. Rarely ever do I make a “normal recipe” and use gluten free flour but with this one I did… and WOAH. It’s a yummy one folks.
This is a recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen that I made gluten free. I used Bob’s Red mill Gluten Free flour mixture for this one.
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs (large)
1 cup sugar divided into 3/4 and 1/4 cups
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
Syrup:
12 oz evaporated milk
9 oz sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
Frosting:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 cup berries to garnish, optional
How to Make Tres Leches Cake Base:
Preheat the oven to 350 °F and butter a 9x13 casserole pan. Set up three mixing bowls.
In a large bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 salt. Separate egg whites and yolks into the other two bowls.
Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer on high speed, until yolks are a pale yellow (2 minutes). Stir in 1/3 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla.
Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (1 minute). With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until egg whites are stiff but not dry (1 minute)
Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and combine gently with a spatula.
Gently fold in egg white mixture with the spatula until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For the 3-Milk Syrup:
In a large measuring cup (or a bowl with a pouring lip), combine 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, 12 oz evaporated milk and 9 oz condensed milk. When the cake is cool, pierce the surface all over with a fork. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake.
To Make the Whipped Cream Frosting:
Pour 2 cups cold heavy whipping cream and 2 Tbsp sugar into a large chilled mixing bowl and beat on high speed 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until thick, whipped and spreadable. Spread over the cake with a spatula then decorate with berries if desired or (add cinnamon, like I did)!
This cake stays good in the refrigerator for 3 -4 days. As the days go on the more “mushy” it gets. I recommend serving it cold, so leaving it in the fridge a few hours before you serve it or overnight will make it even more delicious. But if you can’t resist it- like I couldn’t I tried a bite before I kept it cold!
To freeze: “You can make the cake base ahead of time. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature then cover the casserole dish tightly with a couple of layers of plastic wrap and freeze the tres leches cake base up to 2 months. Thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter before using it. It is not recommended to freeze the cake once the syrup and frosting are added.”