Mocha tres leches with vanilla bean ice cream

I've been hankering for some strawberry milkshake for quiet sometime and planning on making a batch of strawberry ice cream so that I can make it .....

But what if I want some chocolate or mango or coffee milkshake then ?

So I settle for vanilla ice cream , which  I'm not really fond of eating much less making it .....

How I changed my mind ^____^ ''

Oh , you'll change yours as well if only you can taste this vanilla bean ice cream of mine !

I bet even Haagen Dasz vanilla ice cream can't beat it lol 

No eggs in this recipe but for a simple vanilla flavor , it has 8 ingredients , too much , I'll say , but still easy to make  ....

Why make vanilla when there are much more exciting flavors out there , like coffee perhaps ? -____-

Ha !

Coffee ice cream still rule ! 

Another reason for making vanilla ice cream is to use it as a topping for my mocha tres leches cake ... 

The best thing about joining some of the blog hop event online is you can make some of those recipes that you've been eyeing for months but haven't got around on making it for one reason or another ...

In my case , too lazy or the recipe is too time-consuming  or I don't have that ingredient(s) yada , yada ......

But tres leches cake is a must-bake for me , I love milk , ( though I'm lactose intolerant before 11 am  ,  I know it's weird hee hee ! ) and  condensed milk is one of my fave ; 3 milk in a cake sounds like calcium overload  er divine !

According to Wiki  : Tres leches cake aka three milks cake , is made of sponge cake or some recipes , made of butter cake and soaked in three kinds of milk , evaporated milk , condensed milk and whole milk . When butter is not used , the tres leches cake is very light and does not have a soggy consistency despite being soaked in a mixture of 3 types of milk .

Though a part of the middle of the cake turned out soggy , I think because when I tested the sponge cake , some wet crumbs still clinging on the wooden skewer , that's good if you're making brownies but a no-no when making this cake , better overdone and dry than a moist cake in this instance ...

I was thinking before that making this cake takes too much time , but after making the sponge cake and the soaking liquid , I told myself , is that it ?

Easier than making that ice cream for sure !

The cake itself is not sweet and go really well with the vanilla bean ice cream .....

Please check full recipe @ Better Homes and Gardens

For the chocolate sponge cake :

3 eggs
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

* Preheat oven to 325°F / 160°C . Separate eggs , put whites in a large mixing bowl and the yolks in a small bowl , set aside . In a small saucepan , heat milk over medium heat until simmering , remove pan from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth , set aside to cool .

* In a small mixing bowl , combine the flour and baking powder , set aside . Beat egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy ; increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form . Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form .

* Add yolks to the beaten whites and beat until just combined . Add flour and cooled chocolate mixture alternately to the egg mixture , beating after each addition , scraping the sides of the bowl from time to time . Add vanilla and beat until just combined .

* Pour batter into an ungreased 8 x 8-inch baking pan , spreading evenly  . Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes our clean . Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let cool completely in the pan before removing .

For the soaking liquid : 

Makes about 1 2/3 cups ( I used 1 1/3 cups )

168 grams evaporated milk
2 tablespoons instant espresso coffee powder
100 grams condensed milk
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons whipping cream

* In a medium saucepan , combine the evaporated milk and espresso powder , heat over medium heat , stirring constantly until espresso powder has dissolved . Remove from heat and whisk in the condensed milk and whipping cream .

* Use the tines of a long fork or a wooden skewer and poke holes all over the top of the cake . Pour the espresso mixture evenly over the top of the cake . Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight . Slice and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream .

*****Vanilla bean ice cream recipe from Jeni's splendid ice cream or check Better Homes and Gardens

I'm linking this post to the Bake-Along event hosted by the trio of foodielicious ladies namely Joyce of My Kitchen Flavours , Lena of Frozen Wings and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids