This is your sign to finally make some of the most popular Mexican desserts out there: tres leches cake and flan.
I grew up making these desserts, so I took some of my family’s recipes and made them more accessible for college students.
TRES LECHES CAKE
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients:
Box of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix (or yellow cake mix of your choice)
Water (1 cup)
Vegetable oil (⅓ cup)
3 eggs
Evaporated Milk (12 ounce can)
Condensed Milk (14 ounce can)
Media Crema (table cream) (7.6 ounce can)
2 egg yolks
Heavy Whipping Cream (1 pint)
Powdered Sugar (3 tablespoons)
Vanilla Extract (½ teaspoon)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, add cake mix, water, vegetable oil and three eggs. Mix until combined.
Pour the cake batter into a greased 13-inch by 9-inch pan. Bake for 26-31 minutes or until an inserted toothpick in the cake’s center comes out clean.
Once the cake is done, let it rest for 20 minutes.
In another bowl, mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk, media crema and egg yolks until combined.
Once the cake has cooled a little, use a fork and poke holes all over the cake. The fork should be reaching the bottom of the pan every time you do this. Poke as many holes as you can but making sure the cake’s crust stays intact. This will ensure the cake absorbs as much of the milk mixture as it can. Carefully pour the milk mixture over the cake in batches, so it can soak in all of the milk.
For the whipped cream topping, whip the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks are formed. Smooth over top of the cake. Put the cake in the fridge until cold to serve. If desired, garnish with strawberries, and enjoy.
FLAN
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients:
5 eggs
Evaporated Milk (12 ounce can)
Condensed Milk (14 ounce can)
Sugar (¾ cup)
Vanilla Extract (1 tablespoon)
Dulce De Leche (½ a can)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Take an 8-inch cake pan and coat the entire bottom with the dulce de leche. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly pour the ingredients into the prepared pan. Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil without it touching the custard.
Grab a pan that is at least 2 inches deep and large enough to fit the flan pan. This pan will be used to create a water bath. Place the flan in the large pan, and fill the large pan with warm water until it reaches half the height of the flan pan. Add both pans into the oven and let bake for 45-50 minutes. To check that it’s done, the flan should jiggle slightly in the center when shaken.
Let the flan cool completely. To serve, put a plate over the flan and flip it over. The dulce de leche should drip all over the flan, and it’s ready to eat.
