Tres Leches Cake with Mango Sauce

The very first time I laid eyes on a Tres Leches Cake was on Alton Brown's Food Network Show "Good Eats". I watched him prepare this cake, that after being baked seemed to hold an unbelievable amount of liquid, like a sponge. I was very intrigued. 

A little while after that while out shopping one day, I came across a Tres Leches Cake in a boxed cake mix. I thought why not give that one a try. Oh my, it was disgusting. It tasted fake, the milk mixture didn't soak into the cake, and it was all just a big mess. I think I ended up tossing most of it. 

Still intrigued and not willing to give up, I decided to go with Alton Brown's version after all. His is truly a good recipe, but I still thought it was a little too rich with all the half and half and heavy cream that was called for in his recipe. Nonetheless, it is fantastic tasting, and I have taken it to parties before and everyone has loved it. 

So when my newest Food Network Magazine showed up not too long ago and I saw they had a Tres Leches Cake with Mango Sauce inside, I knew I had to make it. Well, this version blows any other version I have had out of the water. It calls for whole milk instead of half and half and also reduces the heavy cream topping and sugar. That along with a fantastic fresh mango sauce makes this my new go-to recipe. 

Give it a try, it would make the perfect ending to any Cinco de Mayo Celebration!

Tres Leches Cake with Mango Sauce

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil, for greasing
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounce can evaporated milk
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 large ripe mangoes
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Make the cake: Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until pale and slightly thick, about 6 minutes. Slowly beat in the melted butter, then beat in the vanilla and 1/4 cup whole milk.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula to make a thick batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted  into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes*. Run a knife along the edges to release the cake from the pan.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 cups whole milk, the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and rum in a bowl. Pierce the warm cake all over with a fork, then pour the milk mixture evenly on top. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Before serving, make the topping: Peel, pit and dice the mangoes. Puree half the mangoes in a blender with 2 tablespoons sugar. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the remaining diced mango.
In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with a mixer until soft peaks form. Slice the cake; top each piece with the whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve the mango topping on the side.

*I had to bake my cake closer to 45 minutes, after the 30 it called for it was still liquid inside.

Adapted from: Food Network Magazine