A fantastic variation on the easiest sweet treat you'll ever make.
You will want a sifter and a hand mixer at the very least for this one! Or you will be spending a long time doing arduous tasks. This is only easy with the right tools. Also, if you have a mortar+pestle or a molcajete, I highly recommend finding the cardamom in this whole and grinding it up yourself. The flavor difference is i n s a n e.
I use an 8 inch by 8 inch pan purchased from the local Publix, but you can use a variety of different pans. The book I got my sponge cake recipe from recommends a 9 by 3 by 5 inch loaf pan. Pick whatever seems appropriate for the amount of batter that comes out, minding your heat distribution. Metal will, of course, be your best option for this.
Ingredients:
For the cake,
1 cup sifted flour
1 and 1/4 cups powdered sugar (this is also called confectioner's sugar)
5 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
1/2 teaspoon salt (kosher preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
For the milk mixture,
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup milk of choice (I typically use whole Lactaid)
6 bags of chai masala (I use the ready-to-use bags at the Indian market near me, but you can use black tea and chai masala as well)
For the topping,
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Everything in place? Then it's time for the instructions:
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now start by making the sponge cake. Combine the flour and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar in a small-ish bowl and set that aside for later. Beat the egg yolks for about five minutes, until their color lightens to a lemon yellow. Then, gradually add the remaining 3/4 cup of powdered sugar and the salt, until it's all combined.
Clean your beaters for this next part. Combine the egg whites, vanilla extract, and cream of tartar until you have semi-stiff peaks. Then, gently fold the yolk mixture into the beaten egg whites.
Take the flour mixture from before and sift it about one third at a time over the egg batter, gently and completely folding it in before adding more. Pour the batter into your ungreased pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
While the cake is baking, make the milk mixture and the topping. Let's start with the milk. You can add the canned milks straight into a bowl - the chai flavor comes from the whole milk. Put the whole milk in a saucepan with the chai bags and bring that to a boil. Keep an eye on it! Once it's started boiling, reduce it to a simmer and leave it there for about two minutes. You should see that brown color come out. Let that cool a little then add it to the other milks and leave it for when the cake is ready.
Now for the topping. Take your whipping cream, sugar, and spices, then put that all in a bowl and start whisking. I recommend tasting as you go to see if the spice levels are to your liking and adding more as desired. Be careful not to overbeat, stopping once you've achieved stiff peaks that hold their shape when you swiftly pull up your mixer.
Once the cake is out of the oven, let it cool for at least thirty minutes, then poke holes all over it with a fork. The more holes the better. After that's done, pour the milk mixture over the cake and let it all absorb, then spread the topping all over it. Dust over the top with cinnamon if you'd like. Let the finished product rest in your fridge for at LEAST four hours, or overnight. Serve it right out of the pan. Then make it again the next week because it all got eaten so fast. Awesome.
You can convert this into a plain tres leches by omitting the spices and tea bags. it is also exquisite.
Add comment
Comments