MSC Club: Tres Leches Cupcakes

A quick note: This is going up a day early because the 15th is Shabbat and we don't post on Shabbat.  I will comment on everyone's blogs on Saturday night.

Another month, another entry in the Martha Stewart Cupcake Club.  I think these cupcakes get better each month -- I didn't like the first two I made very much, but they have steadily improved.  This month's cupcake was Tres Leches, which can be found on page 48 of the book.  They were chosen by Lisa of Smiley's Sweets and Creations.

Tres Leches means three milks in Spanish.  The three milks are evaporated, sweetened condensed and heavy cream, all of which are easy to find and are generally available kosher.  I made these just after Cinco de Mayo, which is a big deal here on the Mexican boarder and they seemed quite appropriate.  I didn't have high hopes for these cupcakes when I tasted the batter.  In fact, I have never tasted batter that tasted so much like...nothing.  However, these cupcakes get all their flavor after they are baked.  While the cupcakes are still hot, you brush the combination of the three milks over the cakes and it sinks in and gives them a delicious, moist flavor.  It takes a long time to brush all the milk onto the cupcakes, but in the end I thought they were really good and worth the effort.

Martha suggests sweetened whipped cream and a cinnamon garnish.  I think I would make the whipped cream just a little bit sweeter next time.  The cupcakes themselves weren't very sweet, so it would have been ok.

My husband took these with him to a party and they got good reviews (even from people who really know tres leches).  He also got to carry them in my nifty new cupcake carrier that I bought on Amazon.  It makes it so much easier to transport them without crushing the tops!  If you make a lot of cupcakes, I highly recommend this carrier.  It is very sturdy and holds up to 36 cupcakes.

One final note on the recipe.  Martha says that you get 20 cupcakes.  I got 24 and had batter left over.  I think I would have gotten close to 30, but 24 was more than enough and I only have two cupcake pans.