I do not question the three.  It could be two. Even one.  But, whatever.
I also do not question its origins.  Just like Southern banana pudding was not created by Jell-O, I won’t believe completely that tres leches (three milk) cake was developed by the likes of Nestlé… even when considering the number of cans used in this recipe.

Post-baking, post-poking, pre-milk

My first taste of the mysterious three milk (WHY THREE?!) cake was at El Rancho in Edmonton.  In their early days, the dessert menu usually only consisted of flan and tres leches.  Both coming dressed with a small swirl of canned whipped cream and a maraschino.  Having had one burnt syrup flans too many in my Central American restaurant journeys had me lean to tres leches one night.  Like, but not love.  I’m not a cake girl, so my attachment was very tentative.  But the bread pudding/custard-like texture made me return to it now and again.

Post-milk, pre-soak

For a casual dinner party chez moi, I needed to think of a casual Mexican dessert to accompany my quesadillas and tortilla soup.  Nothing says casual like cans, right?
My aversion to cake made me nervous as I started baking.  The toothpick test is sound, but I still always get thrown off by the browning.  What came out of the oven was a lovely sponge.  Extra golden from those crazy eggs.    As I soaked the sponge with the milks, I anticipated some magic.  The eggy aroma of the cake surely meant custard action would ensue overnight as it married with the milks.  Please, oh please.  That would move like to love.

Now I know that seems like an extraordinarily large dollop, but they don’t call me Cream for nothing.  As you can see, the cake indeed is a sponge.  With every depression of your fork tines, there is some weeping that reminds you of its namesake, but no giant pool.  My soup was pretty tasty, but this was the star of the meal.  As a dessert in the style of other soaked cakes like trifle or tiramisu, you often go back digging with a spoon for just one more bite.

Or piece.  Which I did shortly after my guests left.
If I hadn’t given them some to take home, it definitely would have been a tres tres leches night. Wuh-wuh.

Tres Leches Cake
adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food

Serves 6

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for baking dish
3 large eggs, separated
0.5 cup sugar
0.5 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
0.5 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
0.5 can(12 ounces) evaporated milk
0.5 cup whole milk
0.75 cup heavy cream
0.5 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
0.5 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 8-by-8-inch glass baking dish. In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. In another bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Using a rubber spatula, fold whites into yolks until almost combined. Gently fold in flour (do not overmix).
Spread batter in prepared dish. Bake until golden and pulling away from sides of dish, 20 to 25 minutes. Poke many, many holes in cake with a toothpick. Cool cake 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the three milks; pour evenly over cake. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.
To serve, prepare topping: In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream with sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Chill cake and cut into squares; serve topped with whipped cream.