Tres Leches Cupcakes – A Taste of Yellow

These cute yellow cupcakes were made with love, for a really special group of friends I received for a Taco Night. They will also help me talking about something really important.

I could never imagine cancer would be part of my life or someone close to me.

My mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 62. She was still working, travelling with her friends, enjoying life. Right after that, my brother and her wife got pregnant, and she was so happy about being a grandma.

We fought – together – for six months, always with hope. Unfortunately, we lost our battle. At the time, I felt lonely a lot, but also got so much love and support from my family, friends and even strangers.

The yellow cupcakes are my contribution to this fabulous event, promoted by fabulous Barbara of winosandfoodies.com.  A Taste of Yellow is our food blogger way to raise awareness of cancer issues in the world and support the LiveStrong Day, on October 2nd. If you want to show your love for this cause, cook something yellow and check Barbara’s blog to see how to participate!

Cupcakes Tres Leches (adapted from here) – makes 20

This cupcakes are inspired by the traditional latin dessert Pastel de Tres Leches (three milk cake).

Now, seriously, you HAVE to make them. Because they are SO GOOD.

The cake is a very light and yellow sponge. It has to be a sponge, in order to absorb all the delicious sweet three milk cream, making a super moist dessert. The flavors are mellow, and the whipped cream cloud is just perfect for them.

For the cake and cream

• 6 large eggs. separated
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk  (I didn’t have any, so I used 1/4 cup milk)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

For the whipped cream frosting

• 2 cups heavy cream, very cold
• 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
• ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 160°-170°C/ 325°F. Line muffin tins with paper liners (the recipe recommends foil liners).

2. In the electric or stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the baking soda and salt, until you get soft peaks. Still beating, add the egg yolks, one by one, then the sugar.

3. Turn off the mixer and add the melted butter, folding with a spatula until incorporated.Add the flour in four additions, folding carefully just until incorporated.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the liners, filling halfway through. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. immediately poke the cakes with a skewer, making several holes.

4. In a bowl, whisk the sweetened condensed milk, the evaporated milk and the cream until smooth. Brush this cream on the top of the cupcakes, repeating until all the cream is used. Let cool and place in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 30 minutes, to absorb the liquids.

5. Make the whipped cream only when it’s time to serve. Beat the cold heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and whisk a little bit to mix well. Distribute dollops of the cream on the tops of the cupcakes and sprinkle cinnamon to taste.