I traveled to Quito, Ecuador a few years ago as a stopover on my way to the Galapagos islands. I knew nothing about Quito, and while many things were new and unfamiliar, I had a good feeling after my very first afternoon there. I'd strolled into a cafe for a cup of coffee and noticed a towering display of cake slices. The woman at the register confirmed what I thought: tres leches cake, my very favorite. Things were looking up.

If you're not familiar with tres leches cake, it's a traditional Latin American white cake soaked in three kinds of milk, usually a combination of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. It's moist yet not at all soggy and is wonderfully fragrant from the vanilla. Depending on where you try a slice, it can sometimes be made with cream of coconut milk or with dulce de leche, to make a fourth milk. Regardless, I find that even a pretty bad piece of tres leche cake is not all that bad. And a good slice, like the one I had that afternoon in Quito, is memorable enough to get you googling recipes years later on a quiet Sunday morning in August. Here are a few that look especially promising:

Try a Recipe:
• Tres Leche Cupcakes (pictured) - Bakers Royale
• Chocolate Tres Leche Cake - Hey, That Tastes Good!
• Coconut Tres Leche Cake with Caramelized Bananas - Epicurious
• Boozy Berry-Topped Tres Leche Cake - Fine Cooking
• Tres Leche Cake - Bon Appetit

Related: Recipe: Quatro Leches Cake

(Image: Bakers Royale)