Tres Leches " Three Milk(s) Cake

What can I tell you about Tres Leches, as the name indicates its a Mexican cake that is soaked in 3 types of milk; evaporated, condensed and heavy cream.

The first time, I tried this cake it just blew my mind. It was so well soaked in the milks and yet so firm. I just had to learn her to make it. Its very simple once you understand what and how to make it special. 

This cake is very  popular in Central and South America, North America , and many parts of the Caribbean. The origins of the tres leches are disputed, however the idea for creating a cake soaked in a liquid is most likely of Medieval European origin, as similar cakes, such as British Trifle and rum cake, and Tiramisu from Italy, use this method. Recipes for soaked-cake desserts were seen in Mexico as early as the 19th century, likely a result of the large cross-cultural transfer which took place between Europe and the Americas.

This is a very simple yet very delicious cake and it can be served in many different ways ; as simple as you want or as fancy as you can imagine. Other than the 3 milks that are used to soak the sponge, you can add other flavors such as caramel or  dulce de leche or coconut milk.

If you are to add any whipping cream and fresh fruits please ensure that the cake is consumed within 2 days; I don't have that problem in my house, not with this cake! I have done this cake so many times , each time differently its one of those cakes where it gives you so much room for imagination.

It is s advisable to use the sponge that has no butter or any fat, this results a very light cake, with many air bubbles(sponge cake). This distinct texture is why it does not have a soggy consistency, despite being soaked in a mixture of three types of milk.

Like any other cake I like this one in summer but you can prepare it anytime of the year and you don't have to add fruits; believe me its so delicious on its own.  

Ingredients:

For (1) 9"pan or 9 x 13

01 Cup granulated sugar

05 Egg Yolks

05 Egg Whites

1/3 Cup milk

01 tsp vanilla

01 Cup All Purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

For (2) 8" pan

1 1/2  Cups granulated sugar

08 Egg Yolks

08 Egg Whites

1/4 Cup milk

1 1/2  tsp vanilla

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

For the 3 Milks

3/4 cups evaporated milk

3/4 cups sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cups heavy whipping cream or double cream

You can have more , I prefer to mix a little and add more when required rather than mixing a lot and I am left with a lot of leftover mixture of the 3 milks.

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour the pan and set it aside

2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add 

    the sugar gradually with the mixer running and peak to stiff peaks.

3. Add the egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after the addition of each.

4. Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the egg mixture and mix to 

    combine quickly you do not want to over whip it will deflate it.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, let it cool just enough to remove from the pan.

6. Remove the cake from the oven and while still warm, pour the cream mixture over it.

    Let sit and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Soft and fluffy Cinnamon Rolls

Who doesn't like a good soft and fluffy cinnamon roll? and its much better if it is so easy to make. I love cinnamon rolls with a glass of cold milk anytime of the day.

There are so many great recipes out there, just experiment and pick the one that works for you, I have 3 recipes but I prefer to use this one because its very quick and the results are just perfect.

Cinnamon Rolls/Buns are presumed to have originated from Sweden, known as Kanelbulle which literally means Cinnamon Bun, however the dough also contains  powdered/buds cardamom to give the distingtive flavor.

Cinnamon Rolls consists of roll sheets of yeast- leavened on to which the cinnamon and sugar ( brown) is rolled on thin layer of butter, sometimes with nuts or raisins. The dough is then cut into individual portions which can be baked or fried. In North America a heavy glaze of powdered sugar or cream cheese is used on the top. In Northern Europe 'nib sugar' is used with glaze instead of icing.

The size of Cinnamon Rolls/Buns vary from place to place and also the varieties of similar method such as Honey Bun, Cinnabon, Chelsea Bun , Sweet Roll or a Norwegian Skillingsbolle, Cinnamon Snail, Cinnamon Swirl etc

Cinnamon Rolls are commonly served for breakfast as well as brunch , in my house we do brunch and evening snack time

Ingredients:

1 cup warm milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup/4 Tbl  melted butter

4 cups/520gms  All purpose flour

2 1/4 tsp yeast ( 1 packet – 7gms)

1/2Cup /100gms  granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

For the filling

1 cup /200gms brown sugar

2 Tbs cinnamon powder

1/2 cup/113gms soft butter

For the glaze

1 cup /125gms powdered sugar

3 Tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbl corn syrup

For virtual tutorial please click the link below:

Zanzibar style Fruit Salad

Back in the days in Zanzibar when you utter the word fruit this is what you would get, a mashed papaya with chopped crunchy fruits and may be if its a special day or you are special enough then it will be topped with ice cream and its heaven on earth!!!

How this combination of various fruits is label just "fruit' is a mystery to me because all other  are known by their own respective names. In short this is what can be called fruit salad.May be it was meant to be called

" Fruits" and the "s" disappeared in the fruits.

Fruit was always a special thing for me as a child, we were treated with this only on Sundays or special occasions. It was always made at home of course but we never had ice cream containers in our freezers, however, the ice cream kiosk at Frorodhani served only fruit with ice cream and I think it was only one flavor ice cream they served then , Vanilla.

Forodhani is an open park located along the main walk of stone town and partially facing the beautiful Indian Ocean. Forodhani is the happening place in the evenings for the locals and the tourists when you are in Zanzibar. There is no special season or reason for one to visit Forodahani. 

As a child every evening we visited the park and enjoyed the Zanzibari street food as well as the well known Swahili delicacies under the beautiful sun set. Its a kind of peaceful atmosphere , a place were friends and loved ones met and exchanged greetings and a fashion parade for women to flaunt their latest styles in clothes, jewelries , shoes etc.

Forodhani always stays live with crowd till late evenings but for us children , we used to rush home as soon as we heard the sound of the fired cannon at every dusk, this coincided with the evening prayer time as well.

So much about the venue and not my fruit, so here we go.

Please note Papaya makes the base of the fruit salad, the rest of the fruits are as per your preference

Ingredients:

1 medium size papaya - peeled and sliced

1 orange - peeled ,cut into small pieces

2 Bananas - peeled , sliced, please squeeze lemon to prevent it from discoloring

1 Apple - Peeled , sliced into small pieces , squeeze some lemon/lime to prevent from discoloring

1 Cucumber , peeled , sliced into small cubes

Sugar and lemon are optional

For the method, please click on the video below