Sweet Caramel Cake

Ingredients

Tres Leches Cake

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoons Salt
• 5 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Sugar, Divided
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/3 cups Milk
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk
• 1/4 cups Heavy Cream
• 1-2 tablespoons rum (optional)
• 1 can dulce de leche (see recipe below), or buy pre-made

Dulce De Leche

• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• *Note: If you want to skip making this because it takes a few hours and constant attention, then look in your store for a tube of dulce de leite).

Directions

Tres Leches Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan liberally until coated.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Separate eggs.
4. Beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Stir in milk and vanilla. Pour egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir very gently until combined.
5. Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, pour in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are stiff but not dry.
6. Fold egg white mixture into the batter very gently until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread to even out the surface.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a rimmed platter and allow to cool.
8. Combine condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and rum in a small pitcher. When cake is cool, pierce the surface with a fork several times. Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture—try to get as much around the edges of the cake as you can.
9. Allow the cake to absorb the milk mixture for 30 (but it is best left for a few hours to really soak up the cake).
10. Spread top of cake with as much dulce de leche as youd like, Put a little dollop of ice cream when you cut and serve the cake.
11. Homemade Dulce de Leche
12. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
13. Pour milk into a pie plate and sprinkle with salt. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in a roasting pan.
14. Place the roasting pan in the oven and add enough hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for 1 hour.
15. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and remove the pie plate.
16. Carefully uncover the plate and whisk the mixture until smooth, about 1 minute.
17. Replace the foil and return the pie plate to the water in the roasting pan.
18. Place back in the oven, adding more hot water so that it remains halfway up the sides of the pie plate.
19. Continue to bake until the dulce de leche is dark golden brown (about the color of peanut butter), about 1 1/2 hours more.
20. Remove from the oven and transfer the pie plate to a wire rack.
21. Remove the foil and whisk the dulce de leche until smooth, about 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container with a tightfitting lid for up to 1 week.
22. .*Dulce de leche is extremely versatile and can be used as an ice cream topping, a dip for fresh fruits, or the filling in Alfajores cookies.