Tres Leche Cake With Whipped Cream and Fresh Fruit Topping

After going through a long-list of cake ideas, I decided that Tres Leche Cake is what we will all be sinking our tooth into on hubby's birthday. Since I was baking for a 12+ crowd, I wanted a fail-safe recipe. So I went surfing in Martha's website. I have tried many recipes from her site(Remember Italian Plum Cake? Eggless Pear-Upside Down Cake?) and they have all turned out splendid! So I was 100% sure that this cake would be a sucess too. Base recipe is from here.

A tip about making the Whipped Cream Topping: I read in some site that to make the best whipped cream, "all elements" have to be cold - This means the bowl, whisk besides the heavycream too. I stuck the bowl and whisk in the freezer for 5 minutes before I begun. Overwhipping will cause the heavy cream to seperate into butter and buttermilk. So keep a wary eye while the mixer is whipping away.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup/ 1 Stick Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 5 Eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1-1/2 Cup Whole Milk
• 1/2 Can Evaporated Milk
• 1 Small Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

For the Whipped Cream and Fruits Topping:

• 2 Cups Cold Heavy Cream
• 6 Tbsp Confectioner's Sugar
• 1 Red Plum, thinly sliced
• 2 Ripe Kiwi, thinly sliced
• 1 Cup Blackberries
• 8-10 Strawberries, roughly sliced

Tool:

• 12" X 8" Oven-proof Pan

Procedure:

• Sift the flour, baking powder in a wide bowl. Mix in the salt. Using an electric mixer, whip the butter and sugar. Add the room temperature eggs one by one and mix at medium speed until the mixture is pale yellow.Add the sifted flour mixture in batches. Mix to incorporate. Do not overmix. 

•  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the rectangular pan with aluminum foil. Pour the batter and spread evenly. Bake for 30-32 minutes,rotating the dish half way through. 

• Once out of the oven, prick in several places with the tines of the fork.

•  Quickly mix the milk, evaporate milk and condensed milk. 

•  Pour over the still warm cake. Let it sit and soak for 2 hours.

• Meanwhile cut all the fruits.

• Make the Whipped Cream: Stick the electric whisk, stainless steel bowl in the freezer for 5 minutes.

• Add the cold heavy cream and confectioner's sugar. Start to whip at slow and then high. Keep a wary eye and do not over-whip. Once the heavy cream turns foamy and stiff peaks are formed, stop whipping. Over-whipping will cause it to turn to butter + Buttermilk. You get ~4 to 4-1/2 Cups whipped cream.

•  Scoop the whipped cream using a soft silicone spatula and spread it on the cake. 

• Remove the cake from the baking pan at this stage. The cake doesn't absorb all the milk-mixture.

• Decorate the top with fresh fruits. Cute and serve immediately and refrigerate the left-overs rightaway! Truly Scrumptious Scrumptious Scrumptious!

Enjoy! 
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