Tres Leches filling

[onetoughcookie]

A client of mine has asked for a cake with a tres leches filling. I understand

the tres leches cake, but does anyone have any suggestions for turning the special

syrup into a filling for a cake? I'm thinking about just making the syrup

and incorporating it into a buttercream. Or maybe make it into a mousse by giving it more

volume and adding a leaf of gelatin to stabilize it?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

[Tri2Cook]

I'm wondering what would happen if you made a soft marshmallow by soaking gelatin in the milk then adding the sweetened condensed milk cooked to 240 f then fold in whipped cream to make it mousse-like and flavor it with rum* (if you use it). That's off the top of my head, never tried it or even thought of it until I read your question. Maybe I'll try it tonight and report back later.

*or maybe use a rum syrup on the cake layers instead

Edited April 17, 2008 by Tri2Cook (log)

[emmalish]

I saw someone make a Tres Leches pie filling on a Food Network Challenge show one time. The recipe is here.

[msfurious1]

I don't know if this will help. Anyway, it's another idea.

I found this link to a Chocolate tres leche cake recipe with a flan/custard filling. The filling is made and then frozen to make assembly easier. I'm sure that it could be made with a plain sponge instead of chocolate.

[onetoughcookie]

I inadvertently omitted the part about the cake: pistachio.

Wife loves pistachio cake, husband loves tres leches.

I'm just tryin' to please....and make a living.

[chefpeon]

People and their weird requests.......

If it were me, I'd make a rum essenced Diplomat Cream (whipped cream folded in to pastry cream) and call it good. Should go OK with pistachio cake.

[hummingbirdkiss]

tres leches is one of my favorite cakes to make ... and I am not able to think pistachio with it ...could you make the cake part with pistachio and then do the rest a traditional tres leche? then just sprinkle more pistachios on top?

good luck to you I would love to see how this one turns out

[Daniel]

Thats what I was thinking to do.. Make a pistachio cake, soak in the three milks, top with merengue and crushed pisatchios.. You could even make like a pistachio milk and use it as one of the leches..

[chefpeon]

I think the only concern I'd have with soaking a pistachio cake with the three milk syrup is that the end product might be too sweet. Guess it depends on the cake though.

[onetoughcookie]

I'm wondering what would happen if you made a soft marshmallow by soaking gelatin in the milk then adding the sweetened condensed milk cooked to 240 f then fold in whipped cream to make it mousse-like and flavor it with rum* (if you use it). That's off the top of my head, never tried it or even thought of it until I read your question. Maybe I'll try it tonight and report back later.

*or maybe use a rum syrup on the cake layers instead

←

I started to think along those lines, too! My biggest obstacle is that I'm unfamiliar with

the actual flavor of tres leches. I know it's very sweet, but beyond that, I'm in the dark.

That's why this is a little more challenging....trying to obtain the flavor profile.

[onetoughcookie]

I think the only concern I'd have with soaking a pistachio cake with the three milk syrup is that the end product might be too sweet. Guess it depends on the cake though.

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I agree with the sweetness concerned. This will be a tiered cake decorated with cookies (my

signature style...check the site if you'd like to see what I'm talking about: www.onetoughcookienyc.com). So I need a filling that's stable, too.

Chef Peon, I started thinking along your lines, too...making a creme legere, perhaps with

evaporated milk, and adding rum for flavor. Maybe even a sprinkle of toasted coconut,

as I've seen that in tres leches recipes, too.

The ideas are really starting to flow now!

[chefpeon]

Since it's a tiered cake, have you suggested to the couple that you could do one tier "his" cake and

one tier, "hers"?

It might be better than trying to incorporate two flavors into one cake, where you run the risk of the flavors getting lost within each other, or one overpowering the other.

[onetoughcookie]

Since it's a tiered cake, have you suggested to the couple that you could do one tier "his" cake and

one tier, "hers"?

It might be better than trying to incorporate two flavors into one cake, where you run the risk of the flavors getting lost within each other, or one overpowering the other.

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They want the flavors together. Dead set on it.

And it's a little one, really...just for them and a couple of friends. The real

cake for the party is yellow cake with brown sugar buttercream filling.

It's a big order, actually, and I just want them to be happy!

Thanks for your suggestions!

[hummingbirdkiss]

whatever you choose I would not worry about the amount of sweetness ..anyone who loves tres leches really has no threshold!

I know that for a personal fact!

[sugarseattle]

i guess traditionally, the tres leches cake is a one layer cake topped with whipped cream; however, I've torted it with whipped cream in the middle.

I also like Annie's suggestion of a diplomat cream...and I agree with her concerns of the cake being too sweet. I often make my tres leches with evap milk, cream, sweetened condensed, and whole milk (making it a four leches ...i think it lightens the syrup so it doesn't get too sweet.

[Tri2Cook]

This is the result. I didn't do anything pretty with it for the picture, it's just piled in a bowl, but it was easy to pipe or spread before chilling and plenty (maybe a little too) firm after chilling. The flavor is sweet and milky but I'm curious about dissolving some skim milk powder in the evap just to see if it would up the milk flavor even more. Maybe another time.

I bloomed 14g gelatin powder in 120ml evaporated milk and whipped in 300ml sweetened condensed milk, 60 ml evaporated milk and 60ml corn syrup cooked to 110 c (230 f) until it thickened and cooled. I then folded in 250ml cream, whipped soft.

I didn't add rum because I didn't have any on hand but if I had to make the cake you described I would probably just make a pistachio cake, soak it with rum syrup, fill between the layers with the mousse and coat it in whipped cream.

Notes: If I were to make it again I would try less gelatin, it's a little too spongy once chilled. If you try it, pay close attention when cooking the s.c. milk. It scorches VERY easily. I toasted the first batch just by walking away for ~30 seconds to check on the cream that was whipping at the same time. For the second batch, I stirred constantly and poured it through a sieve at the end.

Edited April 20, 2008 by Tri2Cook (log)

[onetoughcookie]

This is the result. I didn't do anything pretty with it for the picture, it's just piled in a bowl, but it was easy to pipe or spread before chilling and plenty (maybe a little too) firm after chilling. The flavor is sweet and milky but I'm curious about dissolving some skim milk powder in the evap just to see if it would up the milk flavor even more. Maybe another time.

I bloomed 14g gelatin powder in 120ml evaporated milk and whipped in 300ml sweetened condensed milk, 60 ml evaporated milk and 60ml corn syrup cooked to 110 c (230 f) until it thickened and cooled. I then folded in 250ml cream, whipped soft.

I didn't add rum because I didn't have any on hand but if I had to make the cake you described I would probably just make a pistachio cake, soak it with rum syrup, fill between the layers with the mousse and coat it in whipped cream.

Notes: If I were to make it again I would try less gelatin, it's a little too spongy once chilled. If you try it, pay close attention when cooking the s.c. milk. It scorches VERY easily. I toasted the first batch just by walking away for ~30 seconds to check on the cream that was whipping at the same time. For the second batch, I stirred constantly and poured it through a sieve at the end.

←

WOW!!!!!

[onetoughcookie]

This is the result. I didn't do anything pretty with it for the picture, it's just piled in a bowl, but it was easy to pipe or spread before chilling and plenty (maybe a little too) firm after chilling. The flavor is sweet and milky but I'm curious about dissolving some skim milk powder in the evap just to see if it would up the milk flavor even more. Maybe another time.

I bloomed 14g gelatin powder in 120ml evaporated milk and whipped in 300ml sweetened condensed milk, 60 ml evaporated milk and 60ml corn syrup cooked to 110 c (230 f) until it thickened and cooled. I then folded in 250ml cream, whipped soft.

I didn't add rum because I didn't have any on hand but if I had to make the cake you described I would probably just make a pistachio cake, soak it with rum syrup, fill between the layers with the mousse and coat it in whipped cream.

Notes: If I were to make it again I would try less gelatin, it's a little too spongy once chilled. If you try it, pay close attention when cooking the s.c. milk. It scorches VERY easily. I toasted the first batch just by walking away for ~30 seconds to check on the cream that was whipping at the same time. For the second batch, I stirred constantly and poured it through a sieve at the end.

←

What you did is beautiful!...taking the time to make this, photo it, etc. Thank you so very much

for your hard work.

What did you think of the taste? What did you ultimately do with it?