More Leche than you can shake a stick at...

Tres leches means '3 milks' in Spanish. The last time I really had a true tres leches cake was when I was in Mexico. My cousin's wife made it, and it was amazing. I remember coming back home and trying to replicate it - I was unsuccessful. Back then, the Internet wasn't a big thing, Google was unknown, and if you didn't have the recipe in an old cookbook, you didn't search much further. Lucky for us, the Internet is here and if we want a crazy, wacky, off-the-wall variety of cupcake, we can Google it. Heck, even my 9 yr old daughter knows what "Google it" means.

Anyways, this cupcake is, thus far, my favorite since having started my challenge. The texture is indescribable. It's moist, almost, wet, but in a GOOD way. Soaking the milks into the cake make it creamy and wonderful, unlike any other cupcake you will ever try. Then, the frosting takes it over the top. An oven-made dulce de leche turned into a frosting enhances the flavor and then when you thought it couldn't get any better, a kiss of cinnamon makes it epic. Yes...eeeeepic. When will I make these again? I'd love to make more today, but they are tiiiime consuming, and yield only 16-17 cupcakes. Was it worth it? Ooooh yeah!

Tres Leches Cupcakes
with Dulce de Leche frosting
cupcake adapted from Foodnetwork.com

For the cupcake:
3/4 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c buttermilk
1/2 c evaporated milk
1/2 c sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c coconut milk

For the frosting: 
1 14oz can condensed milk
2 egg yolks
3/4 c sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c water
1 tsp vanilla
14 tbsp butter
4 1/2 c confectioners' sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and prep your cupcake tins with liners.
In a small bowl, whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In your stand mixer bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Transfer them to another bowl, and set aside. Wash out your bowl, and swap your whisk attachment for a beater blade, then put butter and sugar into bowl. Beat at medium-high speed until light & fluffy, which is about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down your bowl, then add your egg yolks, one at a time, making sure that they are completely incorporated after each addition. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Scrape down your bowl, again.
Slowly add 1/3 of your flour mixture, then follow that with 1/2 of your buttermilk. Do this again, ending with flour mixture. Give it one last stir with a spatula, making sure that all is well combined. Gently fold your egg whites into your batter, taking care not to deflate the whites. Scoop into your muffin pans. You'll want these about 3/4 full. They will not rise much, which is GOOD because we will be pouring milk over them soon, and if they were mounded, it would run off the sides.

Bake for about 17 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. They will look a little porous, but that is a good thing, I promise. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes while in the trays, then place them on wire rack to finish cooling.

While they cool, prep your milks. In a small bowl, combine your evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut milk. Whisk together and set aside. Use a kabob skewer (if you have one) and start poking a bunch of holes in your cupcake. I wanted to make sure that plenty of the milk mixture got into the cupcake, so I used a straw to poke holes in the cupcakes...really...like this:

I suppose you could use a meat injector to inject the milk directly into the cupcake, but I don't have one so I went with a straw.

Now, the fun/scary part...adding the milks. You want these to be wet...like, REALLY wet. That is the point. This is a milky cake. You want to literally pool your milk on the cupcake. Don't freak out, it will soak in (see photos to left)
Looks like a lot of milk, huh? Yeah...use about 1/2 an ounce to 3/4 ounce...seriously. You will be thankful that you did. Once you have poked and pooled your cupcakes, place them in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 2 hrs, but overnight is better.

Approx 1 minute has lapsed

Within minutes the milk has soaked into your cupcakes

Next day... (or 2 hrs later, for those who are impatient)...

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Pour your entire can of sweetened condensed milk into a small oven-proof dish and cover tightly with foil. Place this dish into a larger dish, and fill with water, about 1/2 up the side of your small dish, to create a water bath. Bake this for 1-1 1/2 hrs, checking every 30 minutes. It is done when it is a pretty caramel color. 

While this is in the oven, you can go ahead and prep your other ingredients. Put 2 egg yolks in mixer and attach a whisk attachment. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan. 

When you pull your dulce de leche out of the oven, go ahead and add the water to your sugar mixture, and simmer over medium heat. Add desired amount of dulce into saucepan, I added about 3/4 c. Whisk entire time, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Remove this mixture from heat and turn your mixer onto high. Temper yolks by adding about a tablespoon of your hot dulce into the mixer, making sure to not turn the mixer down. Then, add the rest of your dulce to the yolks, followed by the vanilla. Whisk about 1 minute, then strain back into saucepan. Allow to cool. 

Once cool, return to mixer and begin mixing. Add your softened butter a few tablespoons at a time, until incorporated. Lastly, add your powdered sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time. Add as much as you need, until you reach your desired consistency. I ended up using 4 1/2 c of powdered sugar. 

Allow frosting to sit for a minute, while you pull out your cupcakes. Frosting will be a bit on the thin side, but I found that 4 1/2 c of confectioners' sugar was the perfect amount to allow frosting to be piped.

Spread, or pipe frosting over cupcakes, then sprinkle a bit of cinnamon over top, if you'd like. 

Now, after ALL of this working, and waiting, ENJOY!! If you are like me, it will definitely have been worth the wait.