This post is sponsored by Hiland Dairy but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I want to first say that this post had planned to launch a week ago and we paused it because that was the right thing to do. And I do not know about y’all but in times of uncertainty I find great comfort in baking. So I am so happy to share these recipes today and hope that they bring a smile to your face even if for a brief moment in time. And hey..carbs sure do make everything feel better!!!!! Am I right?

It’s almost the time of the year where my oven goes into hibernation, turned off, only to be brought back to life when temps drop back into the double digits. Almost. (These Oklahoma summers are no joke) Even though things are heating up. I’m a firm believer that the start of summer needs to be celebrated with the sweetest, ripest strawberries you can find. Sure, eaten fresh they’re one of the season’s greatest joys, but there’s something absolutely irresistible about the magic that takes place when summer berries and the oven meet. (The butter helps, too.) There is also something so irresistible about cake soaking in three types of milk overnight topped with fresh strawberries! (Gosh, my tia made the fresh Tres Leches cake and my grandmother made the best strawberry cobbler)

The last few months Lin and I have been enjoying these quiet moments at home baking! We are actually adding all of our recipes to a little baking book I found and I am going to have them made into a little recipe e-book that we can gift our family members for the holidays. We have really embraced these special moments together creating the recipes we both remember as children. As a kid, my mother never showed much interest in cooking or baking, but in the summertime I would spend time with my grandmother and aunt and they could make the most exquisite meals and desserts. I really looked forward to visiting them and learning..well, and of course being a pro taste-tester! LOL.

These last few months have awakened mine and Lin’s relationship! I truly believe that. We have been able to focus on what is most important in our lives. Slowing down has just been the best thing that could happen in so many ways.

Our love and our love for baking has grown! And we have been using Hiland products as we recreate these family recipes. Lin’s mom says you cannot bake without Hiland butter and I would agree! (wisest lady) Hiland’s butter is made with the freshest ingredients! It’s so creamy. And from smooth and spreadable to solid and salted, Hiland has butter for your every baking need. We always have it on hand.

Last week I took the opportunity to show Lin to make my grandmother’s cobbler and how to make my tia’s Tres Leches cake! We needed to shoot them for the book too! And my dears…both recipes came out so wonderfully. Hiland Dairy just makes the recipes all that much better too. Their dairy products contain NO artificial growth hormones, NO dyes or artificial flavors, and NO high-fructose corn syrup. That really means the world to us when shopping for our groceries!

Here are the recipes for you!

The Best Tres Leches Cake

Tres leches cake gets its name because after making a soft, tender cake you poke holes in it before pouring over a mixture of three milks – sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. The cake is ridiculously moist, beautifully sweet, perfectly tender, and melts in your mouth.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

5 large eggs, separated
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/3 cup Hiland whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Tres Leches Mixture

one 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
one 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 cup Hiland heavy whipping cream

Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups (1 pint) Hiland heavy whipping cream
cinnamon, optional for garnishing
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Cake

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl and handheld electric mixer) add the 5 egg yolks, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume, about 4 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add 1/3 cup whole milk, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, and beat on low speed until combined, don’t over-mix; set aside.
To a medium bowl, add the egg whites and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form but egg whites are not dry.
Gently fold egg whites into the cake batter.
Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 32 to 35 minutes (I baked 33 minutes) or until cake is set in the center, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack. While cake cools, make the tres leches mixture.
Tres Leches Mixture
1. To a medium bowl, add the 3 milks and whisk to combine.
2. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake. I stuck the cake with the fork about 100 times. Slowly pour the tres leches mixture over the top of the cake letting it soak in as you go. Try to pour as much over the cake as possible, without neglecting the edges. All of the milk mixture for my cake soaked in, but if yours is pooling excessively and you have any leftover, the milk mixture is wonderful served in a small ramekin alongside the cake.
3. Allow cake to cool at room temp for a 1 to 2 hours before covering and refrigerating until chilled, at least 2 hours, or overnight. Tip – If making the cake in advance of an event, don’t add the whipped cream topping until the day of.
Whipped Cream Topping
1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or a large bowl and handheld electric mixer) add the heavy cream and beat on high speed until thickened and spreadable.
2. Add the confectioners’ sugar and beat to combine.
3. Evenly spread the whipped cream over cake and optionally garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon and serve any extra tres leches mixture on the side. Serve immediately.
Strawberry Cobbler

Ingredients

For the filling

2 pounds strawberries, trimmed and quartered (6 cups)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For the topping
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted Hiland butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup Hiland heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- Sanding sugar, for sprinkling, optional
  - Heavy cream or ice cream, for serving (optional)Directions
    Instructions
    Step 1
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in middle and bottom. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place on bottom rack to catch any juices that might bubble over. Stir together berries, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.
    Step 2
    Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until the largest pieces are the size of small peas. Add cream, and use a fork to incorporate, stirring until a soft sticky dough forms. Dollop dough over filling, dividing evenly into 9 pieces. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
    Step 3
    Bake until biscuits are golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool at least 1 hour before serving. Serve warm or room temperature with a scoop of ice cream or drizzled with heavy cream, if desired.

What do you think?! So tasty, right?

I am really excited too because Hiland is offering you a chance to win a year’s worth of Hiland Dairy products and a video cooking lesson with Chef Alli to help families spend quality time together!!! Enter here for a chance to win!