Ree Drummond's Favorite Dessert Ever Is A Decadent Mexican Treat

While popular chef, Ree Drummond, has gained a significant following for her country way of living and classic family-friendly recipes, her personal taste buds extend beyond the bounds of homestyle American food. One of Drummond's favorite comfort meals happens to be Chinese cashew chicken, and the celebrity chef's most-loved dessert has authentic Mexican roots. That treat is none other than tres leches cake. Drummond first heard about this decadent confection years ago from a friend and has since developed her own recipe. For the culinary star, what sets traditional tres leches cake apart from other popular cake recipes is its spongy texture.

Airy vanilla cake is permeated by the delightful combination of heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk, which is poured directly over the cake upon cooling. Better yet, this spongy dessert, which is made with more eggs than a conventional cake, doesn't turn mushy after being doused in three different milks.

Another feature that takes this Mexican dessert to another level is the soft layer of sweetened whipped cream which is added to the top before serving. Leftovers consumed straight from the fridge also seem to imbue more and more flavor. If, by chance, you fall in love with Drummond's classic recipe for tres leches cake, you may be up for trying more alternative variations of this Mexican treat.

First off, if you don't always have the time or energy to make Drummond's original recipe, make her delicious, shortcut version. Instead of gathering flour, baking powder, sugar, and eggs, all you need is a trusty box of white cake mix. After baking it, you just poke holes through the surface, and pour the standard combination of milks over the top. Luckily, with this recipe, you don't even need to make your own sweetened whipped cream. Simply use a container of non-dairy whipped topping.

Regardless of the specific recipe you follow, once you feel comfortable making this classic dessert, you may be ready to incorporate other flavors into the mix. For example, you can make tres leches cake with an assortment of creative milk swaps. Instead of topping your cake with three separate milks, use store-bought horchata or make your own with water-soaked rice, cinnamon sticks, sugar, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk.

Alternatively, swap out the whole milk in your traditional recipe for a matcha-infused variety. If you want to give it a fruity flavor, you could blend whole milk with strawberries. Or, for a heftier upgrade, consider making Ree Drummond's piña colada tres leches cakes. These are individually baked in muffin tins and served in jars. What sets this tropical dessert apart from others is the refreshing layer of crushed pineapple and a tres leches mixture that includes not only cream of coconut but optional coconut-flavored rum.