A rich and moist vanilla bean tres leches cake, soaked in a luxurious three-milk mixture and topped with homemade vanilla bean whipped cream and fresh berries for a delightful dessert.
To a mixing bowl, add 12 tablespoons of salted softened butter and 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar. Cream this together just until it’s fluffy, making sure to not over mix. Then add in 5 eggs (one at a time) and 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste. Prior to adding, mix the dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and a total of a 1/2 cup of whole milk until the batter is nice and smooth. Do not over mix, stop mixing as soon as it’s smooth. Grease a 9x13 cake pan with a generous amount of butter, then add in your batter. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 23 to 26 minutes (or until a toothpick runs clean in the center with a few moist crumbs). Let the cake cool completely while you make the cream. For the tres leches cream, to a bowl add one 12 ounce can of evaporated milk, 21 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, 1 1/2 cups of whole milk, 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream, at least 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste, and salt to taste. Mix until well combined. Once your cake has cooled completely, poke holes all over the cake (using a fork) and then pour in the cream. It will take a little bit of time for the cake to absorb all of the cream. Let the cake soak in the fridge for no less than 8 hours. Before serving, top the cake with an easy vanilla bean whipped cream. To make the whipped cream, combine 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste, and salt to taste. Using an electric mixer, whisk together until stiff peaks form. Decorate with fresh berries if desired. Enjoy!
