Ingredients

For the cake:

• 120g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, separated
• 40ml full-fat milk

• 250ml condensed milk
• 150ml evaporated milk
• 150ml full-fat milk
• 45ml tequila

• 229ml double cream (heavy cream)
• 90g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp tequila
• 300g fresh strawberries, washed
• Raw coconut flakes to taste, toasted

Tools

• Stand up mixer, with whisk attachment
• Cupcake tin
• Foil cupcake cases
• 2 or 3 Toothpicks

Method

For the cake:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 200°c and line up a cupcake tray with cupcake cases made out of foil (the regular paper ones might fall apart once you use the syrup). Set aside.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder 3 times. This is very important as otherwise your cakes won’t be light. Set them aside.
3. Using the K-mixer with the whisk attachment on, beat the egg whites at high speed until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar while still beating at high speed. Follow by adding the egg yolks one at a time and leaving time in between addition.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and using a hand held whisk, fold in a third of the shifted flour and baking powder using gentle folding movements. Don’t over mix. Repeat this step until all the flour has been incorporated to the egg mixture. Finish off by adding the milk and folding it with the whisk again. Don’t over mix the batter as it will lose all its airy lightness.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake cases taking care of going just a little over the half, they rise a lot! Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown and a toothpick or a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.

1. While the cake cooks, make the tres leches syrup; combine all of the ingredients in a jug and mix well with a fork or small whisk until everything is incorporate. Set aside until needed.
2. As soon as your cupcakes are out of the oven take a toothpick or something thin enough like a cake tester and start pricking the cupcakes to make loads of holes in them. These holes will allow the syrup to sip through and soak the cupcakes all through. Be careful not to perforate the cupcake liners though!
3. Take a spoonful of the tres leches syrup and start pouring it on the cupcake, give it time to adsorb the liquid before doing it again, I do a spoonful over each, so by the time I finish the last cupcake, the first one is ready for more syrup. I usually do 2 or 3 spoonfuls per cupcake, but you can add more if the little cake takes it. It is a very thirsty cake, so it will take plenty of liquid. It is important to do this step while the cupcakes are still hot, otherwise they will just get soggy in the outside and the centre won’t absorb any syrup.
4. Once the cupcakes have taken all the syrup they can, remove them to a plate and let them cool off completely while you make the boozy cream for the icing.

1. Using your k-mixer with the whisk attachment on, whip the double cream at medium high speed until the cream starts to thicken a little. Start adding the caster sugar gradually with the mixer still on. As soon as the sugar is in, follow by adding the tequila (or vanilla extract). Make sure you don’t over beat the cream or you might end up with butter! Set the cream aside in the fridge until you need it. I normally put it in a piping bag with a wide nozzle ready to decorate the cupcakes when I need to.
2. Once the cupcakes are completely cold, pipe a good amount of delicious boozy cream on top and decorate with fresh strawberries or your fruit of choice.

Chef's Notes:

1. These cupcakes are way better made the night before you are going to use them. I take it as far as step 10 and leave the decorating for the following day. If you have any leftover syrup, top the cupcakes the following day before decorating them.