Tres Leches Cake

Why is it that pregnancy cravings are always unattainable?

I knew I was in trouble when I felt a hankering for Chuy’s Tres Leches Cake. Because Chuy’s is no where close to me. Like, when I searched, to see if a road trip was feasible, I discovered that the closest Chuy’s was almost 2,000 miles away.

So … no Tres Leches. No Boom Boom Sauce. No perfect chips. No nothin’. 

Such sadness. 

Because, you see, I’m not a baker. I’m a cook. I can piece together a dinner from rescued fridge ingredients in a jif, but I cannon consistently, successfully bake. Because baking is a science … and I don’t measure very accurately.

But I was desperate. Desperate for a slice of Tres Leches with strawberries and extra cream and whipped topping as high as the sky.

So I decided to give it a try. Tres Leches Cake at home. I dug out all my measuring cups and spoons and even wasted a bunch of eggs when I accidentally mixed the whites with the sugar instead of the yolks on my first go. Note to fellow wannabe bakers — read the recipe. Then, reread the recipe because each step is very, very important. When you follow the instructions, good things happen. 

I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe. And I’m not going to try and claim it as my own. Because her rendition is perfection. Well, accept for the fact that she recommended maraschino cherries. WHAT?!? A crime. So, if you too need Tres Leches in your life, follow her recipe and make these two adjustments …

1. When she says “Slowly drizzle all but about 1 cup of the milk mixture”, don’t reserve any milk mixture, just add it all. It just makes the cake extra moist and delicious. Plus, I’m not in to wasting creamy goodness.
2. Add fresh strawberries. Lots of them. 100x better than maraschino cherries. Obviously.

Oh, and that Boom Boom Sauce I mentioned? My sister is visiting soon and it’s on our agenda to prep some freezer meals. She has a copycat recipe for that heavenly sauce and we’re going to incorporate it into one so keep your eye out. I’m not usually a huge chain restaurant lover, but man, Chuy’s has got it going on!