I am an expert sous-chef, but I have little experience in the dessert realm. But what kind of chihuahua-terrier-Dalmatian-Pekingese hybrid would I be were I to quake in the presence of a few eggs, flour, and sugar?
When the Lady announced Her plan to participate in our friend Lili’s Tres Leches Challenge, I knew I would be a vital part of the cake-making team. It was quite a learning experience for me (I seem to be having a lot of new experiences lately), and I hope my newly acquired knowledge will demystify the baking process for any dogs who, like me, have little acquaintance with the pastry arts.
Albert’s Guide to Helping Your Human Bake a Cake
Step 1: Try to convince your human to make something else instead. Perhaps a nice London Broil? Why not some scallops, perfect for this lovely spring weather we’re having? And you can never go wrong with a classic roast chicken, can you?
If, despite your best arguments, your human insists on sticking with the cake plan, proceed to step 2.
I don’t understand why there is no liver in this recipe.
Step 2: Procure the ingredients. Depending on where you live, you may find yourself excluded from much of this activity. Most of the ingredients in the recipe came from a grocery store, whose doors are forever sealed against little old me.
However, the good thing about tres leches cake is that it calls for a lot of eggs, which meant a trip to our friends from Tamarack Hollow Farm at the Union Square Greenmarket. I requested a dozen of their finest eggs. I also scanned the ground for my favorite snacks, but neither kale nor Brussels sprouts are in season in Vermont. I left empty-stomached but with hope that at least one of those eggs might find its way to me.
Step 3: Prepare the cake. Here is where you can be very useful. It is a good idea to watch while your human prepares the cake in case anything delicious falls on the ground.
The Lady decided to use a recipe for coconut tres leches cake as our base, with a few modifications: She added a little lime zest, swapped out sweetened coconut flakes for unsweetened, and used a springform pan (which I helped choose). We do not have a stand mixer in our tiny kitchen, so the Lady was able to use the egg white preparation as a triceps toning workout. If your human is stuck in a similar situation, be sure to lend moral support while those flaccid arm muscles are subjected to unfamiliar exercise.
After the flour is folded into the egg mixture, the cake bakes in the oven. This is a good time to take a nap.
Step 4: Finish and enjoy the cake. After the cake has bathed in its milk mixture (our version used coconut milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk) for several hours, or overnight, it should be ready. Wake up your human: it’s time to finish the cake! (Also, it’s time for a walk and my breakfast, thank you very much.)
We topped our cake with the traditional lightly sweetened whipped cream. Once again, I stood by and encouraged the Lady as She exercised Her upper arms. The cake was then garnished with toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes and a few curls of lime zest. The coconut flakes not only provide a pleasingly crunchy contrast to the moist cake and silky cream, but also are a suitable comestible for dogs (since we used the unsweetened variety).
For a non-professional attempt, we think it didn’t come out too bad. But I still do not comprehend why my suggestion of a salmon jerky garnish was ignored.
If your human declares that such a rich cake is liable to wreak havoc with your canine constitution, demand that they make you an alternative dessert. I was served a small dish of plain, nonfat yogurt garnished with unsweetened coconut flakes, and it was quite tasty.
I still think we should have made the London Broil, though.
For a healthier and more expert tropical twist on the tres leches cake, take a look at Lili’s coconut, pineapple, lime, and rum version here. And you can see all of the pretty tres leches cakes in the challenge here.
¡Buen provecho!
Albert's New York 
I have never heard of a Tres Leches cake so thank you, Albert, for bringing it to my attention! Will add it into my bakes to do as it looks marvellous.
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Thank you! If you decide to make one, you should check out Lili’s links to the classic recipe and other variations. Ours uses the non-traditional (though delicious) coconut milk.
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Well done Albert. Us humans need as much help as we can get in the kitchen. Archie regularly comes into mine and watches over me…. 😉
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I don’t know how humans without dogs cope! 🙂
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That is a great post and beautiful cake you helped your lady make Albert! I’m sure she appreciated the moral support too, what with all that really effective hand whisking! 🙂 I like the idea of the crunchy coconut flakes providing contrast and your recipe looks great! Such a moist cake! Think I might try this one next time … Thanks so much for bringing it to the challenge! 🙂
P.S. I am sorry you didn’t get the London Broil
P.P.S. Love the photo of you in the chef’s hat – very becoming!
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Thank you, Ms. Lili! The Lady is not a very experienced baker, so I had to help her quite a bit. We think we could have done a better job soaking the cake. Thank you for organizing the challenge!
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You’re welcome Albert! A couple of us with baking blogs had issues soaking the cake … it’s something specific to tres leches cakes. I’d really like to see a Mexican grandmother making one! 🙂 Still think your cake looks great! Good work both of you! 🙂
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Love your perspective on cake baking Albert. Mikey would completely agree.
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Thank you so much! It was a fun experience for me.
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Providing all of that moral support to The Lady and her triceps sounds exhausting, Albert. I’m glad you were able to squeeze in a nap. I hope she knows how lucky she I’d to have your help!!
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Thank you, Carol. She did appreciate my contributions!
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Hi, Albert! I’m glad you were so supportive as The Lady did her baking. No matter where Afton is or how tired she is, she loves to enter the kitchen when either of us is there for any length of time. She too, is very good at sniffing out the floor for any goodies that may have fallen there. And she loves to sit at my feet while I eat (I am much messier than her dad and much more prone to drop/spill something.)
Have a great day!
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Thank you! I wish the kitchen here was big enough for me to sit at my People’s feet–that sounds like an ideal situation. Instead, I have to wait in the doorway.
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Wow, Albert! Be sure to tell The Lady that I think her cake looks out of this world delicious!! Yummmm! I’ve never been much for baking myself. A brownie mix out of the box is a big deal for me : ) Oh, and you look absolutely adorable in your chef hat (although I am well aware it probably involved a little photo magic). I am sure you were a tremendous source of help and encouragement!
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Thank you, Pickled Pastor. Photo magic is always required because I refuse to wear anything on my head. And we don’t usually do much baking here either, so this was quite an adventure for everyone!
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Just read it, it looks a very appetizing perhaps for humans but I am sure if we give it to Bismark he would eat it very fast and with the cream!!
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Oh, yes, we dogs are like that. And the result would not be pretty!
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This is a new cake for me, thank you! I also hold a tricep-toning workout while baking. 🙂
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It’s good to multi-task!
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