This giveaway is now closed, but you really should keep reading because this cake is DELISH.
It’s no secret I love Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. I am very grateful to know her. She is lovely. And she deserves every bit of success she is having. I like it when good karma just works like that. Plus, her food is yummy.
I am delighted to share Ree’s latest cookbook with you! The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier just came out and it is every bit as scrumptious as her last cookbook and her delicious website. This book is also brimming with cream. LOTS of cream, people. Like, you might need to buy a cow or at least some stock in your local dairy.
I needed a dessert the other night because, well, I just needed one, okay? I flipped open Ree’s book and discovered Tres Leches Cake, which I am tempted to rename Patience Cake. Seriously, you need some patience for this recipe. There is a lot of waiting. But it is worth the wait. Believe me.
Tres Leches Cake is my daughter Anna’s dream dessert. She’s not big on dessert or chocolate. (I am still wondering if she’s really my child.) But she loves milk. And she loves whipped cream even more than milk. She ate THE ENTIRE PIECE OF CAKE. I don’t think she’s ever eaten all of her dessert.
Before we get to the recipe, how about a giveaway? I love giving away great cookbooks!
THREE of you lucky, randomly-selected people will each win a copy of Ree’s new book The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier. Simply leave a comment on this post by Midnight PT on Monday, March 26. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 27. Good luck!
And, to help quench any whipped cream and/or milk and/or cake cravings you may be having, here is the Tres Leches Cake recipe, with my notes. Enjoy!
Tres Leches Cake
From The Pioneer Woman
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup sugar plus 3 Tbsp, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole milk (Jane note: I used 2%, everything came out fine)
- 1 pint plus 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided
- 1 12-oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milkPreheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9″ x 13″ pan.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
Mix egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat until very light in color (Jane note: I used my hand mixer, you can also use a stand mixer). Add milk and vanilla and beat until just combined. Pour this over the flour mixture and stir gently to combine.
In a separate mixing bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff but not dry.
Gently fold the egg whites into the other ingredients. Don’t over mix, stop stirring just before everything is mixed together.
Spread the batter in the pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Jane note: Mine was definitely done by 30 minutes, so keep an eye on it!)
Let cake cool completely. (Jane note: Here is the first part requiring waiting and patience…) When the cake is cool, invert onto a platter and poke holes in the surface with a fork. (Jane note: I just left it in the pan because we weren’t serving it to guests and didn’t need it fancy on a platter. Also, I used a steak knife to poke the holes – my fork was sticking to the cake too much, the sharp, thin knife worked better.)
Combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and 1/4 cup cream. Slowly pour milk mixture over the cake, getting it all around the edges and evenly coating the surface. It will puddle, which is fine. Let cake sit for at least 30 minutes to absorb the milk. (Jane note: more waiting!)
Whip 1 pint of cream with 3 tablespoons sugar (Jane note: I use powdered sugar here because that’s what I like in whipped cream) until thick. Spread over top and sides of cake (Jane note: or just the top if you left the cake in the pan).
Jane note: Here’s the last bit of waiting…the cake was good at this point, but it was REALLY good the next day after being refrigerated. I highly recommend eating after it is cold! Totally worth all the waiting and your patience skills will be well-honed! Regardless of when you eat the cake, leftovers need to be refrigerated.
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
I like your site. With four girls and a hungry husband to feed, I’m constantly looking for ways to vary our menu! Thanks!
I am a “newbie” to your blog page and may I say I’m in love with it!. Although I no longer have children at home and am busy non the less. With an active and stressful job I need all the help I can get for my husband and I. I may not be married to the Marlboro Man, but I laughingly call my hubby, Mr. Greenjeans because when he’s at home he’s in the garden or in the yard finding something that needs his attention and when he comes home from work he wants supper ready, doesn’t have to be 4 courses something simple serves him well.
I LOVE the Pioneer Woman and I’m just dying to get my hands on the new Cookbook. Also, what beautiful pictures of that scrumptious looking cake!
Looks beautiful!
First time i’ve been to your blog. Love it! And that cake is to die for…made it for the first time not too long ago. Big fan of the cake and you!
I love cookbooks and this looks delicious!
I’d love a chance to win a copy of Ree’s new cookbook. That cake looks amazing! I had my first slice of Tres Leches cake from a local bakery yesterday at a birthday party and was suprised at the great flavor.
I just expected sogginess for some reason and it was delish!
how did she get the top so smoothe…oh my!
I have only had tres leche cake once….i was going, but i havd to say it didnt looke near as pretty as this one.
Both look wonderful! The cake and the cookbook!
I’m not sure what is more inspiring . . . PW’s recipes, her patience in making them or that she somehow doesn’t gain a pound while enjoying them!
I got addicted to tres leche cake in Mexico…can’t wait to try your recipe. It sounds yummy!!!
I’ve never tried a tres leches cake, even though it always sounds so good. Someday I’ll get around to it I hope.
I would love to win this book for my mother! She loves the Pioneer woman.
p.s. The cake looks to die for!
I’ve made this before
It’s delicious
Ooh, this looks so yummy! I love her recipes, and winning her cookbook would be wonderful! (crossing my fingers!)
Hmmmm, just looking at this makes my mouth water!
Yum! Thanks for the dessert idea and the awesome giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Jane – my wife would love you (even more) if you made me the winner.
yum yum! I just love love love P-Dub!
I just discovered your blog and this geat giveaway! I will be back to check out your blog again!
That cake looks wonderful! And I would love a copy of the P-dub’s new cookbook (planning to buy it eventually, if not for me, then for my mom!
LOVE PW!!! Have her first book and would love this one! Thanks for the giveaway! Love your site!
My obsession with The Pioneer Woman has led me to another great site! I love cooking and my family appreciates my efforts, but I feel stuck for new and interesting meals – I know I’ll find some great ideas here! Thanks
I LOVE the Pioneer Woman! I was just at Costco today and spent an hour just meandering through her beautiful new cookbook. I have tried many of her recipes and have loved them all. Someday I plan to own both of her cookbooks.
Shannon
I’m so excited that this cookbook is finally out! And this cook look A-mazing.
I got rid of most my cookbooks when I moved and I wish I hadn’t! This looks like a good one to start off the new collection!
I admit it, had not heard of your site, but found it on the Pioneers website. I would love a copy of her cookbook!
Thanks for the giveaways!
Thank you for the extra notes on this recipe. My daughter is making this cake for one of her 4H projects. We can use all the help we can get as she is 11 and has to make this all on her own. We were thinking of adding a curl of chocolate to the top just to give the judges a little chocolate taste, if that is what they like. Wish us luck and that we make the auction.
She is also making The Pioneer Womans Mocha Brownie for her other project:))
so cute! good luck to your daughter making the cake – I’m sure she’ll do great! and I imagine a chocolate curl on top would be yummy – the cake is pretty neutral in flavor. pioneer woman tops it with maraschino cherries, but no one in our family likes those, so I left them out!
OMG! That looks soo yummy! I just recently discovered The Pioneer Woman website… I had been glancing at the recipe books forever. Love her site! I was going to have flan for Cinco de Mayo… but, I may just do this instead!
Love this cake…I went to LA last week nd it was from a small bajery there i first tasted this cake …..I wanted to make this cake..But just one question..how did you cut this so perfectly ..Even the iciing on the top has a perfection..how did u do that
when I cut the cake it was cold out of the refrigerator, and I used a thin knife and no problem – you can do it too I promise!
Looks and sounds delightful! I will take one of each – book and cake please!
It looks delicious!