Our friends gave a dinner party last weekend and asked us for the Alpha and the Omega. For a Mexican-themed dinner, my role was to supply margaritas and dessert. We knew the main entry, pork shoulder cooked for hours with spices and chiles, would leave people with mouths ablaze. Suzen and I needed a dessert that would not be overpowered by that earlier heat that could stand on its own, and yet provide a mellow, modestly rich conclusion to the meal. And, we wanted something different, spectacularly different.
To sooth tongues bathed in chile sauce, nothing can match a Tres Leches Cake. And to make it strong enough to compete with those lingering chile flavors, we decided to make it Mocha. We were fortunate to find this recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens Website, bhg.com. Sadly, the recipe has disappeared from that site so readers of this blog will now be graced with an orphaned and yet brilliant recipe. UPDATE: the recipe is back on the website. I have no idea what is going on, but you just might want to get your own copy of the recipe now. You can always print this blog post!
This cake, once you have poured in sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream, weighs in at slightly under one ton. Only slightly. I was carrying this to table with both hands. No, my unsteadiness had nothing to do with my three margaritas.
This cake has a dark mocha flavor from a combination of cocoa powder and espresso powder added to the evaporated milk. It’s truly a mocha monument, not chocolate, not cocoa. You will enjoy it and, I can say from experience, it’s even better the next day.
The recipe below calls for a cream cheese frosting. I thought that was tad too much, so Suzen and I whipped cream, added some Kahlua, and spread it over the cake. Then we added a dusting of chocolate shavings. Our friends at the dinner party were all artists, so I called this cake a tribute to Jackson Pollack. They loved the cake. Not my sense of humor.
Mocha Tres Leches Cakes
Serves 16
Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoons instant espresso coffee powder
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups whipping cream
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325⁰ F. Separate eggs, placing egg whites in a very large bowl and yolks in a small bowl; set aside. In a small saucepan heat the ¾ cup milk over medium heat until simmering; remove from heat. Whisk in the cocoa powder (mixture will be thick); set aside to cool.
In a small bowl combine the flour and baking powder; set aside. Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form (tips curl). Slowly add the granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
Add egg yolks to the beaten whites and beat just until combined. Add the flour and cooled chocolate mixture alternately to the egg mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat just until combined.
Pour batter into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Transfer cake to a cooling rack and cool completely in the pan (about 1 hour).
In a medium saucepan combine the evaporated milk and espresso powder. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the espresso powder has dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and the ¾ cup whipping cream.
Use the tines of a long fork or a wooden skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cake. Pour the espresso mixture evenly over the top of the cake.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth; beat in powdered sugar. Add 1/4 cup of the whipping cream and beat until combined. Add remaining whipping cream and beat until soft peaks form.
Pipe or spread whipped cream mixture over cake and refrigerate for 3 to 24 hours, covering cake after topper is set. If desired, sprinkle with chocolate jimmies.
Source: Better Homes and Gardens
