CHOCOLATE ORANGE TRES LECHES
Chocolate and Orange flavored Tres Leches cake with Terry's Chocolate Orange Slices
Ingredients for Tres Leches Milk Syrup
½ cup of heavy cream
1 can of evaporated milk
¾ of a can of sweetened condensed milk
1 TBS of Cocoa Powder
1 TBS of Orange Zest
a pinch of salt
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Ingredients for Chocolate Cake
1/2 of a box of chocolate cake mix (like Betty Crocker's Triple Chocolate Cake)
¼ cup of melted butter
3/4 of a cup of orange juice
1 egg
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Ingredients for Whipped Topping
1 cup of heavy cream
¼ of a cup of powdered sugar
2 TBS of freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tsps. of orange zest
a pinch of salt
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Method:
Begin with the milk syrup mixture that the cake will soak in because you want this mixture to chill while the cake is baking. Whisk together the heavy cream, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk---these are the 3 milks—along with the Cocoa Powder, Orange Zest—that’s only bits of the orange skin, not the white pith of the fruit which under the skin and is bitter, and a pinch of salt. Then cover and chill in the fridge.
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Next, bake the cake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. I use a box chocolate cake mix and I only use half the cake mix for a 13 by 9 inch pan. That’s because the cake will swell up with the milk mixture and the whipped cream that we will add to it later. To the cake mix, add the melted butter—make sure this is warm and not hot—orange juice and an egg. Mix well and bake for 22-25 minutes, depending on your oven.
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Once the cake comes out of the oven, cool it for only 5 minutes before poking it all over with either a fork or a skewer. The cake should still be warm for the next step, which is to pour the chilled milk mixture over it. This will ensure that the cake absorbs the chocolate milk well. With tres leches, the cake should be sitting in an excess of the milk mixture, but it should also be absorbed in to the cake as well. Once all the milk is poured on top, cover the cake and refrigerate it until completely cooled (usually a couple of hours).
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In the meantime, make the whipped topping. Pour a cup of heavy cream in a bowl and start beating it to incorporate some air. Then add the powdered sugar and continue beating until it becomes whipped cream. Fold in the freshly squeezed orange juice, the orange zest and a pinch of salt to balance out the flavors. The aroma of the orange is really wonderful as you’re doing this!
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Now the yummiest part—top the cake with the cream and dust lightly with Cocoa powder. Add the Terry’s chocolate orange slices on top. Then, cover it and this is key---refrigerate it overnight. The flavors really meld together best if you wait and eat it the next day.
Enjoy!!