Pastel de theen leches - Mexico meets India
On the eve of MLK Jr. Day (Observed), I find myself thinking of my own version of his famous "I Have a Dream Speech". I have a dream, that one day, this world will rise up, look beyond race, and find harmony in food. The majority of my dishes on this blog post have been fusion recipes, and I have a strong belief that food is the simplest common ground that can bring people from many cultures together. Over this long weekend, I was finally able to bake this idea that I've had for a while, which was an Indian inspired tres leches cake. This decadent and spongey cake hails from Latin America (disputes on its actual origin country, but it's damn tasty). An Indian dessert which I've loved since a child is ras malai. It's crumbly cheese patties soaked up in cardamom rich milk and the highlight of Diwali while growing up. Tres leches cake is in many ways similar, in the sense that it has a solid base which gets a sweet milk added to it. Of the few times I've had tres leches cake, I've always thought that a hint of cardamom and saffron would go great with this. Therefore, this recipe came to mind. I read through a couple of recipes on the internet and then ultimately modified it to work with the Indian flavors. Here's what you'll need:
Ingredients:
For the cake:
Dry Bowl:
-1.25 cups of all-purpose flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
Wet Bowl:
-6 extra large eggs, whites and yolks separated
-1 cup sugar
-1.5 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
-Butter or cooking spray as needed for coating the pan
For the tres leches:
-12 oz. can of evaporated milk
-1 cup sweetened condensed milk
-1 cup of heavy cream
-1.5 tsp of green cardamom powder
-10-15 strands of saffron, soaked in 2 oz. lukewarm milk
For whipped cream:
-1 cup of heavy whipping cream
-1/2 tbsp of powered sugar
-1/3 tbsp of sugar
Preparation:
For the cake:
-Start by putting the egg whites (at room temperature) into a mixing bowl
-Using a hand mixer, start on a low setting, work up to a medium setting and gently beat the egg whites till you get firm peaks
-Fold 1 cup of sugar slowly in to the beaten egg whites
-Now, one egg yolk at a time, incorporate it into the sugar and egg white mixture
-Mix in the vanilla extract and cardamom powder
-In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt
-Slowly mix together the ingredients from the dry bowl in to the mixture in the wet bowl till you get a thick batter
-You should end up with a light yellow batter
-Add your baking spray or butter to the pan and pour in the batter
-Place the pan in the oven for 30-40 minutes*
-Once the cake is done, set it aside to cool for about an hour
-After cooling, poke small holes throughout the cake with a fork, toothpick, or skewer. Make sure the holes are deep enough for the cake to absorb the milk mixture. Next, prep the milk mixture
For the milk:
-In a bowl, mix together the evaporated milk, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk
-Pour the milk mixture into a pot over the lowest heat setting
-Add the soaked saffron mixture (milk and strands) as well as the cardamom powder. No extra sugar is needed as the sweetened condensed milk is quite sweet to begin with. Whisk together for 5-7 minutes and set aside to cool. Next, prep the whipping cream
For the whipped cream:
-Place your mixing bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes to help the whipping process
-Add the heavy cream and sugar, and whisk together till you get the consistency of a fluffy whipped cream. You can use a hand whisker, but I feel like it adds a bit too much air, so I end up whisking it by hand. Next, pour the milk mixture over the cake
-You will end up with a lot of the left over milk mixture**. Drizzle over about 7 - 8 oz of the cooled milk mixture on the top of the cake and let it cool in the fridge for 45-60 minutes. If the edges got a bit overcooked, feel free to pour a little bit more milk at the corners.
-After it's been in the fridge, spread the whipped cream and let it set in the fridge again for about 1 hour.
-Cut a slice of the cake, which you can optionally garnish with chopped almonds, cinnamon powder, or chocolate shavings. Feel free to get creative with the garnishes.
Notes:
*At the 30 minute point, you can stick a fork or tooth pick in the center to check if the cake is done
**One tip is to get a can of roshugullas from a South Asian grocery store, drain and squeeze out the simple syrup mixture, add it to the milk for an instant ras malai. Top off with chopped almonds and pistachios
Ingredients:
For the cake:
Dry Bowl:
-1.25 cups of all-purpose flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
Wet Bowl:
-6 extra large eggs, whites and yolks separated
-1 cup sugar
-1.5 tsp vanilla extract
-1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
-Butter or cooking spray as needed for coating the pan
For the tres leches:
-12 oz. can of evaporated milk
-1 cup sweetened condensed milk
-1 cup of heavy cream
-1.5 tsp of green cardamom powder
-10-15 strands of saffron, soaked in 2 oz. lukewarm milk
For whipped cream:
-1 cup of heavy whipping cream
-1/2 tbsp of powered sugar
-1/3 tbsp of sugar
Preparation:
For the cake:
-Start by putting the egg whites (at room temperature) into a mixing bowl
-Using a hand mixer, start on a low setting, work up to a medium setting and gently beat the egg whites till you get firm peaks
Beaten egg whites
-Fold 1 cup of sugar slowly in to the beaten egg whites
-Now, one egg yolk at a time, incorporate it into the sugar and egg white mixture
-Mix in the vanilla extract and cardamom powder
-In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt
Dry bowl
-Slowly mix together the ingredients from the dry bowl in to the mixture in the wet bowl till you get a thick batter
-You should end up with a light yellow batter
Batter ready to bake
-Preheat your oven to 350ºF-Add your baking spray or butter to the pan and pour in the batter
-Place the pan in the oven for 30-40 minutes*
-Once the cake is done, set it aside to cool for about an hour
Fresh out the oven
-After cooling, poke small holes throughout the cake with a fork, toothpick, or skewer. Make sure the holes are deep enough for the cake to absorb the milk mixture. Next, prep the milk mixture
For the milk:
-In a bowl, mix together the evaporated milk, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk
-Pour the milk mixture into a pot over the lowest heat setting
-Add the soaked saffron mixture (milk and strands) as well as the cardamom powder. No extra sugar is needed as the sweetened condensed milk is quite sweet to begin with. Whisk together for 5-7 minutes and set aside to cool. Next, prep the whipping cream
For the whipped cream:
-Place your mixing bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes to help the whipping process
-Add the heavy cream and sugar, and whisk together till you get the consistency of a fluffy whipped cream. You can use a hand whisker, but I feel like it adds a bit too much air, so I end up whisking it by hand. Next, pour the milk mixture over the cake
-You will end up with a lot of the left over milk mixture**. Drizzle over about 7 - 8 oz of the cooled milk mixture on the top of the cake and let it cool in the fridge for 45-60 minutes. If the edges got a bit overcooked, feel free to pour a little bit more milk at the corners.
-After it's been in the fridge, spread the whipped cream and let it set in the fridge again for about 1 hour.
-Cut a slice of the cake, which you can optionally garnish with chopped almonds, cinnamon powder, or chocolate shavings. Feel free to get creative with the garnishes.
*At the 30 minute point, you can stick a fork or tooth pick in the center to check if the cake is done
**One tip is to get a can of roshugullas from a South Asian grocery store, drain and squeeze out the simple syrup mixture, add it to the milk for an instant ras malai. Top off with chopped almonds and pistachios
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