Tres Leches Cupcakes with Dulche de Leche Buttercream
Why I Love This Recipe
I found this recipe on the food network website and thought I had to try it. I play softball with friends on Saturdays and love to try new cupcakes out on them. I made these for Saturday’s game and they were eaten quickly and hidden from the children.
Ingredients You'll Need
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1-cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/2-teaspoon vanilla
1-cup all-purpose flour
1/2-teaspoon baking soda
1/2-teaspoon salt
3/4-cup buttermilk
1/2-cup evaporated milk
1/2-cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2-cup coconut milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening, butter, and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed: ass egg yolks 1 at a time, beating until all the yellow disappears. Add the vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture beginning and ending with the flour.
In a small bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold into cake batter.
Fill standard paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to wire rack that had been placed over a baking sheet to cool.
While cupcakes are still warm, stir together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and the coconut milk. Using a meat injector needle, inject each cupcake in several different spots with about 1/2 to 3/4-ounce of the mixture. Or, poke several holes in the top pf each of the cupcakes with a 1/4-inch wooden skewer. Pour the milk mixture over each cupcake while they are still warm, filing each hole. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before icing.
Dulce de Leche Buttercream:
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 egg yolks
3/4-cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4-teaspoon salt
1/4-cup water
1-teaspoon vanilla
14 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Pour sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate and cover with foil. Place in a large roasting pan where pie plate can sit flat. Pour hot water into the roasting pan to a depth of about halfway up the pie plate. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Stir until smooth.
Place egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Stir the sugar cornstarch, and salt together in a small heavy saucepan. Whisk in the water first, then the dulce de leche and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat. Gradually whisk the dulce de leche mixture into the 2 egg yolks. Stir in the vanilla. Strain through a wire mesh strainer into a small bowl and set aside to cool completely.
Beat the butter on high speed in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the cooled dulce de leche mixture. Beat in the 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth and spreadable.
Frost each cupcake with a generous amount of dulce de leche buttercream. Refrigerate any remaining butter cream for another use.