we don't cry over spilled milk in this house

the tres leches (sweetened condensed, evaporated, and heavy cream)
half of the cakes!

today I made four tres leches cakes for alicia’s wedding tomorrow. the recipe, courtesy of marcela valladolid from the food network, called for one cake, so we had to quadruple the recipe. good thing andy was in the kitchen with me while I was attempting to multiply every ingredient by four. he was the one who pointed out that there was no way that my mixer would hold the batter of four cakes, and he was so right. luckily, the only thing we had done was separate (16) eggs. nothing had been combined yet, so we were still in the clear. so, instead of quadrupling everything, we doubled the recipe and made two cakes twice. needless to say, it was a long day in the kitchen, but it was well worth it. i would do anything for my dear friends jake and alicia and baking four cakes is the least I can do for their wedding day.

here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
• Nonstick cooking spray, for the cake pan
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the cake pan
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 3 tablespoons orange liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray and flour a 10-inch cake pan with 2-inch high sides and then line with parchment paper. Grease the parchment paper.
Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites until frothy. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks. Beat in the yolks, 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the whole milk in 2 additions.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake slightly, about 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter with 1-inch high sides.

Pierce the top of the cake all over with a thick skewer. Mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream and orange liqueur in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the cake while warm. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or overnight.

Combine the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream onto top of the cake and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon.