Finally, it’s here. The Cafe Lattes Tres Leches Cake. If you follow me (I’d love it if you would, sign-ups are to the right!) you might remember the blogging fail when I dropped the Cafe Lattes Tres Leches Cake in February. I called it The Cake of Broken Dreams.
Caffe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake,
I was so sad about that but here it is again and all in one piece! With Easter coming soon, and right after, Cinco de Mayo, I knew this cake couldn’t wait until next Valentine’s Day before I remade and posted it. The Cafe Lattes Tres Leches cake is perfect for either holiday or for that matter, almost any holiday party or any celebration. It’s a cake often served at celebrations throughout Latin America.
About Cafe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake:
If you don’t know about Tres Leches Cake, the name comes from three milks that are traditionally used in & on the cake: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. All Tres Leches cakes always have one thing in common. The cake is baked and then soaked with a milk-based liquid. The cake absorbs it all, making it incredibly moist and delicious. A good Tres Leches Cake won’t be “wet” though.
My Cafe Latte Tres Leches Cake takes a slight departure from the traditional because it’s a copycat version of the famed Cafe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake. Their recipe calls for condensed milk and half and half. The frosting is made primarily from whipped cream, so I guess they are justified in calling this a Tres (three) Leches (milk) cake.
Cafe Latte is an institution here in the Twin Cities. It’s located on historic Grand Avenue in St. Paul, a fun place to visit with shops & restaurants galore. I’ve always loved stopping in whenever I’m in the area. I’ve mentioned Cafe Latte, before; their Turtle Cake is our preferred birthday cake so I was psyched that the Quinn’s shared their Cafe Lattes Tres Leches Cake on WCCO.
Making the Cake:
While Cafe Lattes Tres Leches Cake is absolutely creamy, dreamy perfection, and is absolutely divine, it’s also super easy to make. The hard part is getting the frosting smooth, at least for me coz I’m not too much of a decorator and my hands were getting shaky by the time I was done.
I watched a few YouTube videos, which helped, but I might go free form next time with a few swoops and peaks. Also, I kept trying to smooth the top and took off too much of the frosting. There’s always next time, right?
I only made a small, little adaptation to the cake – I used a stabilized whipped cream for the frosting, and I’m pretty sure Cafe Latte does, too. Refrigerate this cake for a few hours or overnight if you have time so the frosting firms up a bit. Since the stabilized whipped cream has gelatin in it, it will firm a bit in the fridge as it cools. The cake, too, will firm up a bit and that will help avoid the cake squishing as the knife goes through.
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A reader, Lynn Ziegler, below in the comments also had a great suggestion for baking cakes that remain level in the pan. She said she learned “in cake decorating class that moist paper toweling folded in tinfoil wrapped around the rim of pan can keep the cake level, and it did mine.” Of course, a bit of a trim on the cake will do the trick, too. I didn’t realize at the time I put it together that there was such a rounded dome on my cake in the center.
It’s helpful to make the cake the day before which will give it plenty of time to soak in the liquid, then the next day make the whipping cream and frost the cake. The Cafe Lattes Tres Leches Cake is a great make-ahead option & keeps very well, uncut for two days in the fridge. What’s leftover, if there is any, is still pretty decent for four days, maybe beyond.
Caffe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake,
Saving Money on Cafe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake:
Whipped Cream:
- Just adding up the cost of all the cream is enough to make me gasp. Buy at Aldi or Lidl or wait for a sale. Because cream is great holiday sale item & keeps for weeks in the fridge it never hurts to buy a bit extra if you have room and see it at a low.
- If cost is a factor, the whipped cream topping could be cut in half and just the middle and the top frosted. It would still be gorgeous, although all that topping is part of the appeal of this cake.
Fruit:
Choosing seasonal fruit is always a good call and if you’re flexible consider decorating with whatever fruit is on sale. I couldn’t resist raspberries, though!
Condensed Milk:
- Another holiday sale item is condensed milk and there are usually coupons available; shop for it during the Winter Holidays, especially around Thanksgiving through New Years, and look for sales, too, around Lent & Easter. Stock up for the year if you see it at rock bottom.
- Again, Aldi and Lidl have great pricing all year round, but might not approach the grocery store holiday prices.
Half & Half:
- I don’t believe I’ve ever seen half and half in a one cup (half pint) container. Consider comparing the price to a mixture of 1/2 milk & 1/2 cream, unless you use half and half for something else.
- Milk runs about $2.75 a gallon in my area and has 16 cups/gallon, so that’s 17 cents a cup. If you’re going to buy a pint (2 cups) of 1/2 & 1/2 it should be no more than the cost of an 8-ounce container of cream + the 17 cents.
Cafe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake
Cafe Latte’s Tres Leches Cake
A creamy, dreamy “three milks” cake from the famed Twin Cities eatery, Cafe Latte.
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
Cake Layer:
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
Soaking Liquid:
- ½ can (4 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup half and half
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Frosting:
- 4 teaspoons gelatin (you’ll need 1 packet + 1 teaspoon from another)
- 4 tablespoons water
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Cake:
Butter an 8” round pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour, shaking out any excess flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture. Add buttermilk in stages, stirring (a wooden spoon works well) until the mixture is wet enough to accept the rest, being careful not to overbeat.
Pour into the round cake pan, bake for 20-25 minutes until cake is golden brown and when pressed lightly in the center, springs back. The top will be slightly rounded but will even out as it cools.
Cool in pan about 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Soaking Liquid:
Combine all ingredients with a whisk, then pour into a bowl or measuring cup with a spout. When cake is cool, slice in half horizontally so there are two 8” round layers. Arrange cut side up. Slowly pour soaking liquid over the cake layers.
Frosting:
In a small saucepan, add the water then sprinkle gelatin evenly over the top. Let sit for several minutes until gelatin softens and becomes translucent. If it doesn’t become translucent after about10 minutes, place the pan over medium-low heat for just a few seconds until gelatin starts to melt. Remove pan from heat and swirl to distribute heat and fully melt the gelatin.
Slowly mix in about 3/4 cup of the cream, set aside. In the meantime, add cream to mixing bowl and beat just until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar, then with the mixer running, slowly add the gelatin cream mixture. Turn mixer on high and beat until very stiff peaks form.
The whipped cream at that stage may not look quite as smooth as “regular” whipped cream but will smooth out as it’s spread.
Place one layer of cake on a cake plate, cut side up, and top with 1/3 of the whipped cream, then smooth it. Place the second layer on top of the whipped cream, cut side down, then to the top, add another 1/3 of the whipped cream and smooth it. Frost sides with the remaining whipped cream.
For best results, refrigerate for several hours before cutting. Store in the fridge, keeps very well for two days, if you’d like to make it ahead, but is still good after several days in the fridge.
Notes
No buttermilk? No problem. Add a teaspoon and a half of vinegar to a measuring cup. Add milk until it reaches the 1/2 cup mark.
Make sure to measure the soaking liquid exactly or you’ll end up with a cake that is too dry or worse, too wet.
If you need a recipe to use the rest of the condensed milk, check out the Fake Frappe recipe right here on my site.
Garnish with fresh berries; Cafe Latte uses raspberries.
For best results, refrigerate for several hours before cutting.
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I’ll be bringing this cake to Fiesta Friday #215, hosted this week by Laurena @ Life Diet Health and Alex @ Turks Who Eat. We’d all love it if you stop by & see a collection of recipes and posts by the fantastic food bloggers who’ve joined in.
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