Margaret, our dental hygienist, has a favorite recipe. Hope it becomes yours too!

ENJOY!  TRES LECHES

History: There is dispute over where it was first created. It is thought to have come from  Nicaragua by most historians. This cake is very popular in Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala. I can find no proof of this, but the origin of the recipe is reported to come from the back of an evaporated milk or condensed milk can in Latin America to promote the use of the product. Evaporated milk and condensed milk were sold throughout Central and South America and even the Caribbean. By doing this, the company would boost their milk sales, which was probably the original idea.

Condensed milk first came into use in the mid-1850's as a way to preserve milk in cans, without refrigeration. Evaporated milk first became available during the 1870's when milk companies were able to heat the evaporated milk so that it would not spoil in the cans, thereby making the sugar unnecessary. They both became an immediate success in urban areas where fresh milk was difficult to distribute and store.

This cake probably became popular in the early 1900's. Today, the use of condensed and evaporated milk is a part of Latin American culture.

Ingredients:

Serves: 15-18

Cake

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box white cake mix

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups water

Three milk soaking liquid

1 cup heavy cream

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Whip all ingredients

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350º.

2. Grease or "Pam" 9x12 baking pan.

3. Beat eggs in a large bowl.

4. Add water and cake mix and beat 3 minutes.

5. Pour batter into pan.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake has lost its jiggly center and springs back when touched.

7. Let cool to room temperature.

8. Mix the 3 milks.

9. Poke cake full of holes. A chopstick works great for this. Don't skimp on the holes; that's what allows

    the cake to absorb the milks.

10. Pour the milk mixture over the cake slowly, until it's absorbed the liquid.

11. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

12. Serve as desired. If you're serving company, you might cover the cake with whipped cream and fruit;

      you might just drizzle heavy cream over each serving; you might puree a carton of frozen strawberries

     and use that as a base to serve slices on.