Do you have an abundance of mint growing in your garden?
I do, so I decided to alter my regular Tres Leches recipe by omitting the vanilla and trying to incorporate the pineapple mint from my herb garden. By allowing the mint to infuse into the milk, I ended up with a delicious dessert. It did not have a strong mint flavor, just enough of a hint for you to know that there was some herby goodness happening. In fact, Brett’s comment was, “you should always do this and never use vanilla again”.
You need to plan at least 6 hours in advance for this delicious cake. In the morning, measure out approx. 3 ½ tablespoons of milk (I used half & half and will probably continue to do that) into a small glass container. Gently press 10 – 15 large mint leaves between your fingers and submerge in the milk. Put this in the fridge until you are ready to make the cake. At least 6 hours so that the mint mixes with the milk. **Remember to remove the leaves before using the milk. **
CAKE
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup sugar
- Small pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons mint infused milk (see first step below)
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
TOPPING
- ¼ cup sweet condensed milk
- ¼ cup evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon mint infused milk (see first step below) (I opted to use the remaining infusion)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray 2 8oz ramekins.
- Whip egg and sugar together, I did this by hand using a fork.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the mixture. Then add the melted butter and mint infused milk. Mix by hand until well blended.
- Pour batter evenly into the ramekins.
- Bake at 350 for 25 – 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool and remain in ramekin. Pierce the cakes several times with a fork, this will allow the topping to soak into the cake.
- Combine the 3 topping ingredients in a bowl. Pour over the top of the cakes (still in the ramekins). The cake will quickly begin to absorb the mixture. Serve right away…and don’t worry about sharing, it’s too good.
How much of the topping to pour in is a matter of preference. We usually pour most of it in, and then add the rest as we are enjoying the dessert. For some reason we never commit to the full amount up front but always end up using it.
Enjoy!
