Almond and Rum Tres Leches Cake

Pastel de tres leches, or “three milks cake,” is made by soaking a simple cake in a dairy trio, then topping it with whipped cream or meringue. Our riff is inspired by rompope, a Mexican holiday drink similar to eggnog, and includes not three but five types of dairy.

The Challenge

Tres leches cake presents a baking paradox: you need a cake sturdy enough to absorb massive amounts of liquid without disintegrating, yet light and airy enough to maintain an appealing texture. Through six rounds of testing, several critical issues emerged: cakes that rose unevenly and pooled liquid in the center, sponges that collapsed when soaked, raw spices floating unappealingly on top, and finding the right balance between having enough cake to support the "three milks" without making it too dense. The goal was a cake that could stand up to a thorough soaking while still presenting as an elegant, cohesive dessert rather than a soggy mess.

The Cake Foundation

• Use a sturdy whole-egg sponge cake - beat eggs and sugar until thick and tripled in volume (8-10 minutes), then fold in flour
• Skip the baking powder - the final version worked best without any chemical leaveners
• Add almond flour for better texture and flavor - use a mix of all-purpose flour (65g) and almond flour (75g)
• Use milk instead of water in the batter for better results
• Reduce to 7 eggs (from the original 8) for the right cake-to-soak ratio

Baking Technique

• Use an ungreased metal pan - lets the cake climb the walls properly (glass pans don't work as well)
• Invert the pan immediately after baking and let cool upside down for 1 hour to prevent sinking
• Run a knife around edges before soaking to help keep the cake level

The Soak

• Infuse the spices - heat milk and evaporated milk with cinnamon sticks and nutmeg, then strain before mixing with condensed milk
• This prevents raw spices from floating on top and sticking to the cake
• Use milk instead of heavy cream for better consistency in the soaking liquid

Assembly & Timing

• Poke holes all over the cooled cake before adding the soak
• Add soak in two stages - let the first half absorb before adding the rest
• Refrigerate 4-24 hours - the cake needs time to fully absorb the liquid
• Make day-of serving for best texture - the cake retains enough structure to stand on its own

The Topping

• Sour cream + whipped cream works better than mascarpone for balance
• Much easier than meringue and equally appealing

The biggest breakthrough was realizing that a simpler approach worked best - no baking powder, proper flour ratios, and infusing spices into the liquid rather than the cake itself.