Pastel de Tres Leches

I was introduced to Puerto Rican's Tres Leches a few years ago when I visited the wonderful island. Now that I have the luxury of working with some awesome Puerto Ricans, I figured it's the best opportunity to have them be the judge!

It turned out that the cake is mediocre. And I blame it on the pan.... because my dear friend, David, cannot distinguish a cake stand from a Hefty Foil Pan, and hence I ended up baking the cake in a foil pan in which I couldn't turn the cake upside down in order to soak the cake properly with tres leches. Watch out for tres leches part two!

Pastel de Tres Leches
1 1/2 cup of cake flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp of baking powder
1/3 cup of oil
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1/2 cup of whole milk
Cream syrup for soaking (recipe below)
Whipped topping (recipe below)

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, combine oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture one at a time until well combined. Stir in milk, then gently fold in the flour mixture, a little at a time.
Pour batter into a lightly grease cake pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool to room temperature. Turn it over onto a platter with raised edges. Pierce cake with a fork 20 - 30 times. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes.

Cream Syrup
12 oz of evaporated milk
14 oz of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp of rum or brandy (optional)

Whisk together the three milk and the rum or brandy, if using it. Slowly pour the liquid over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Occasionally, spoon the milk runoff back onto the cake.

Whipped Topping
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tbsp of sugar

In a chilled mixing bowl, add heavy cream, vanilla, and sugar. Beat on high speed until peaks form. Spread a thin layer over the cake.

Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or garnish with fresh berries. (Optional)