Tres Leches from Costa Rica

My host sister, Naty, told me several weeks ago that her recipe for Tres Leches cake was the best recipe in the whole world. On Sunday I learned the secret of her masterpiece, and I must say it is quite delicious.  Although I have not tasted every tres leches in Costa Rica, I think I would agree with her claim to be the best.

We baked it for Hollie's birthday, which happened to be her 21st. Now here in Costa Rica a 21st birthday does not have the same significance, since the drinking age is 18. But Naty has had enough norteamericana host sisters to know that we consider it a milestone. To celebrate, the cake we made definitely had twice the amount of rum that usually goes into the mix. I'm sure this isn't completely necessary, but it was quite delicious.

Here is the recipe, for any who would like to replicate it at home...
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1.5 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 (or more) tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
2 cans of evaporated milk
2 cans of sweetened condensed milk
rum (if you so choose)
whip cream
Sprinkles!

Directions:
1. Separate the eggs and whip the egg whites until they form peaks.
2. Add in the vanilla and egg yokes one at a time
3. Add sugar gradually, then flour and baking powder gradually
4. Put batter into a greased and floured pan (we used 8x8 pans, but I'm sure you could use one bigger pan)
5. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Blend together the evaporated and condensed milk with the rum (we used around a half cup, but that was for a special--rummy--occasion).
7. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, with a fork poke a whole bunch of holes in it...seriously a ton...and then pour on all the milk mixture. Do it right as the cake comes out, because apparently the cake is more absorbent when it is wet. You will not be able to pour it on at once because it will flood, just pour in as much as will fit, use a fork to lift the sides of the cake and help the milk soak into the cake.  Keep pouring and poking until all the liquid is in the cake.
8. Put the cake in the fridge and let it sit overnight.
9. Before you serve the cake, whip up your frosting/whip cream topping (pretty darn stiff) and spread it over the cake. Then encrust it with sprinkles, but not too soon because you don't want the sprinkles to bleed rainbow all over your cake.
10. Then all you have left to do is eat your lovely sweet and soggy cake! Delicious!!!

 This is a picture of after we demolished the wonderful Tres Leches. It is a terribly ugly representation, I apologize. But I promise, it is fantastic!