Ingredients
Method
Start by cooking down the passionfruit nectar
- In a medium sized saucepan, add the passionfruit nectar and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn down the temperature and let the nectar simmer on low heat, covered, until reduced to half its volume (about 1 cup). This can take up to 30 minutes, so keep checking on it and giving it a stir every 10 minutes or so. Once concentrated to 1 cup, remove from the heat and let it cool in the saucepan.
- Grease a 9x13 inch baking sheet with butter and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Make the cake
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg yolks with the sugar until they turn pale yellow and roughly double in volume. Add the vanilla and ½ cup of the concentrated passionfruit nectar and whisk until just combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and use a large rubber spatula to fold it in.
- Rinse and dry the bowl you used for the egg yolks. Make sure there is no water or egg yolk left, or else the egg whites may not whip properly. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form (when you lift the whisk out of the bowl, the egg whites should hold shape). Carefully fold half of the egg whites into the batter, trying not to deflate them too much. Repeat with the second half.
- Pour the batter into the previously prepared baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before adding the tres leches.
Make the tres leches
- In a medium sized bowl with a spout, whisk together the remaining ½ cup concentrated passionfruit nectar,sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk until just combined.
- Poke the slightly cooled cake all over with a fork. You want a lot of holes, so poke around 20-25 times. Pour all of the tres leches evenly over the cake. It may look like too much to absorb, but don't worry! Cover with cling wrap and chill for 3 hours, or preferably overnight. Letting the cake soak overnight will enhance the flavor and make sure it's really set.
Make the lemon cream
- In a large mixing bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and confectioners sugar on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, and salt, and whip until combined.
- Spread the whipped cream on top of the fully chilled cake (it will be a relatively thin layer of cream). Slice the cake into desired slices, serve, and enjoy! Leftover tres leches lasts up to 5 days covered in the refrigerator.