Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries

Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries
Makes: 12 to 16 servings
Prep 45 mins
Chill 8 hrs to 10 hrs
Cool 2 hrs 10 mins
Bake 350°F 50 mins

ingredients
1 2-layer-size regular white cake mix
3/4 cup butter, softened
6 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons finely shredded lime peel
1 recipe Tres Leches Mixture (see recipe below)
3 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan; set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, and water. Beat on low speed until combined. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes (batter will be thick). Stir in lime peel. Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake about 50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.
3. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes (cake may sink during cooling). Loosen cake from sides of pan; remove sides. Lift cake from pan bottom using a wide metal spatula. Cool cake completely on a wire rack (the bottom of the cake should be cold to the touch).
4. Line an 11-inch round straight-side Dutch oven or other 11-inch diameter container with plastic wrap, allowing wrap to hang over edges. Using a serrated knife, split cake in half horizontally. Place top half of cake, cut side up, in prepared container. Top with strawberries. Place cake bottom, cut side down on strawberries. Press down lightly.
5. Using a long-tined fork or wooden skewer, poke holes in cake layers across the entire surface. Slowly pour 4 cups of the Tres Leches Sauce over cake. Cover cake; chill 8 to 12 hours or overnight. Cover and chill remaining mixture.
6. About 1 hour before serving, slowly pour 1 cup of the remaining Tres Leches Sauce over cake. Cover and chill cake and remaining Tres Leches Sauce until serving time.
7. To serve, in a chilled bowl combine whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove cake from refrigerator; uncover. Place a serving platter with a lip, upside down, over the container; carefully invert. Remove plastic wrap. Spread whipped cream mixture over top and sides of cake. Some of the Tres Leches Sauce will seep out of the cake as it stands. Serve immediately with the remaining Tres Leches Sauce on the side. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

Tres Leches Sauce

Yield: about 7-1/2 cups
ingredients
2 12 ounce can evaporated milk
2 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2  cups milk or whipping cream

directions
1. In a saucepan combine evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and milk or whipping cream. Cook over medium heat just until boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover; cool completely. Makes about 7-1/2 cups sauce.

Meyer Lemon Cake

Aren’t you glad it’s the weekend? I, for sure am more than ready for the next couple of days to be in  relaxation pace. I dont know mmmmm maybe …some time to sleep in, have some sunday brunch mimosas with friends, bake this cake, and just generally relax and take a breather from this week madness. 

Especially since the first few days of spring, are in full bloom  (in some places at least). It doesn't matter if winter is still in full force where you live or if there still is snow outside. It’s nice to hear the whispers of spring that promise to bring sunshine and warmer weather.

Hope you all have a dazzling weekend.

Meyer Lemon Cake

1 tbsp. butter, plus 8 tbsp. melted

2 tbsp. fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup whole blanched almonds

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. fine salt

1 1/3 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk, at room temperature

2 tbsp. lemon extract

Zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan measuring 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4" with 1 tbsp. of the butter and dust it with the bread crumbs. Invert and tap out excess crumbs; set aside. In a food processor, grind the almonds until very fine, about 1 minute; set aside. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

2. Put the remaining butter into a large bowl and add 1 cup of the sugar. Mix with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just long enough to incorporate, about 30 seconds. Add the flour mixture and milk mixture in 3 batches, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until mixed after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, about 3 minutes total. Mix in the lemon extract. With the spatula, fold in the lemon zest and ground almonds. (The mixture will be thin.) Turn batter into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and dry, about 65 minutes.

3. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Prepare the glaze: Combine remaining sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes. (Do not boil.) Brush the glaze over the hot cake. (The excess liquid may pool along the sides of the pan; it will absorb completely as it sits.) Once the cake has absorbed all the liquid, turn it out of the pan and allow it to cool upright on a rack. Once it's cool, wrap the cake with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours before serving.

Photo and recipe from Saveur