This unusual cake ought to be called the original sponge cake as it soaks up so much yummy liquid: the three milks in fact, as the title tells us.

Serves: 12 – 15

Time: about an hour + cooling + 20 minutes decorating time

Level: Reasonably easy

Equipment: 1 x 23cm/9” loose-bottomed round cake tin

Ingredients

Cake

butter or oil for greasing
4 eggs
170g (5¾oz) granulated sugar
125g (4½oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
5 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
A few drops of cherry flavouring (optional)
2 egg whites
350ml (12fl oz) evaporated milk*
350ml (12fl oz) sweetened condensed milk*
50ml (2fl oz) double cream
60g (2½oz) white chocolate, grated finely

*These amounts make for a very wet cake; it may be possible to reduce them by about 20% if you want a less wet cake.

Topping

500ml (18fl oz) double cream
3 tbsp caster sugar
12 – 15 cherries (+ more chocolate if you want to dip them)
Pink or red food colouring (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Fan 160C / 350F / Gas 4. Grease and line the base of the tin. Lightly dust with flour.

2. Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and whisk until doubled in volume. Slowly sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix with a large metal spoon. Stir in the milk, vanilla extract and cherry flavouring (if using).

3. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then gently fold into the mixture, once again using a large metal spoon. Grate in the white chocolate and stir gently.

4. Pour into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface then bake for 30 – 32 minutes. After removing the baked cake, prick it all over with a fork, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Keep in the tin.

5. Meanwhile, thoroughly mix together the evaporated milk, condensed milk and the cream. Gradually poor this mixture over the cake, pausing occasionally to ensure the liquid is fully absorbed. Leave to stand for 30 minutes, then remove from the tin. Place in the fridge until you’re ready for the topping. (NB Handle carefully, it will be fragile.)

6. If you intend dipping cherries in white chocolate now’s the time to do it. Melt a small amount of white chocolate (about 6 squares from a block) in a bain marie or very carefully in the micro wave. Use the stalks to hold while dipping and twisting the cherries then set onto baking parchment to dry.

7. To make the topping, whip the cream with the sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Spread this over the cake then decorate with the cherries. (NB An option is to colour about a third of the cream – pink or red maybe – so that the white chocolate coated cherries stand out better.)

I hope you make this cake and enjoy it. If you want more cake recipes click this link, or have a look at my site for lots of other great recipes, both sweet and savoury.

In the meantime here are three quite different ones that may interest you:

Blueberry and White Chocolate Bundt Cake