I knew this ice cream was going to be quite an undertaking since it had so many components. I was right. Tres leches (3 milks) cake is a traditional Latin America desert. It consists of a sponge or butter cake soaked in 3 types of milk; whole milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Other variations use coconut milk instead of the condensed. It is topped off with a meringue like frosting. It is very moist without being mushy.
The ice cream base consisted of whole milk, evaporated milk and coconut milk. The base was a little bit different than the normal base I have been using. It used more cornstarch and no cream cheese. Next came the cake. It was a white cake that involved beating eggs and the other wet ingredients and gently folding in the dry. Baking isn't my forte so I was a little nervous. Once the cake is done you cut it into cubes and soak it in a mixture of sugar and some more coconut milk. Finally you make meringues and crunch them up. I opted to add some toasted coconut since my sister loves it so much.
Once the base was churned I layered some of the cake and the meringues on bottom and then added a layer of ice cream alternating until I was out of ice cream. Then throw it in the freezer for a few hours. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. It is one of my favorites we have made so far. I don't think I heard anyone say anything about the pistachio- all we could talk about was the tres leches. Tres Leches was a huge hit and everyone's favorite by far. Even though it required the extra effort I'm sure I will be making it again soon! Here is the link to a similar recipe from weallscream.net if you are feeling up to the challenge.
