Banana Split Tres Leches Cake

This is Banana Split Tres Leches cake is the mother of all cakes! This cake is soaked in a banana infused three-milk mixture, filled with sweetened pineapple and strawberries, then frosted with a light banana flavored whipped cream. And let's not forget... Drizzled with melted chocolate. This cake tastes just like the banana split of your childhood!

Ingredients

For the pineapple filling

1 15 ounce can Crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 cup Granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

For the strawberry filling

1 pound – Washed hulled, and mostly left whole Fresh strawberry
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

For the cake

1 cup All-purpose flour lightly spooned into measuring cup then leveled
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
5 Large eggs separated at room temperature
3/4 cup Granulated sugar for the egg yolks
1/3 cup Whole milk
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
1/4 cup Granulated sugar for the egg whites

For the banana infused soaking liquid

1 14 ounce can Sweetened condensed milk
14 ounce can Evaporated milk
1/4 cup Heavy cream
1/2 cup Banana Liqueur
2 teaspoons Vanilla bean paste
Large pinch Kosher salt

Banana Infused whipped filling and topping

3 cups Heavy cream
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Banana liqueur
1/2 - 3/4 cup Confectioners' sugar
Maraschino cherries for topping
Maraschino cherries for topping

Instructions

Make the pineapple filling:

In a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the pineapple (with juice), granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the mixture stirring often until the pineapple has softened, looks opaque and the sugar has taken on a syrupy texture, about 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Make the strawberry filling:

In a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the strawberries, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. In a medium sized heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the pineapple (with juice), granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the mixture stirring often until the strawberries have softened, about 20 minutes or so. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Bake the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position a rack in the center of the oven.
Spray the bottom and sides of two 8 inch pans with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Set aside. Place an 8-inch cardboard cake circle on a large rimmed platter and also set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Set the whites aside momentarily in a small bowl.
To a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can use a hand mixer), beat the egg yolks with ¾ cup of sugar on medium/high speed until the yolks are thick, creamy, and pale – About 2 minutes or so. Lower the speed to medium. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined, about 1 more minute. Transfer the egg yolk mixture to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Clean and dry the whisk attachment and mixer bowl. Add the egg whites to the bowl and whisk the egg whites, over medium/high speed until it forms soft peaks, about 2-3 minutes. Increase the speed to high and add the ¼ cup of sugar in a stream. Whisk on high until the egg whites form firm peaks, about 1-2 more minutes.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg yolks and fold with a rubber spatula until combined. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites until no white streaks remain. Alternate between the flour mixture and the egg whites in two more batches until incorporated. Make sure no flour or egg white streaks remain but don’t overbeat the mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bang the pans on the counter a couple of times to even out the batter. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.
Remove pans from the oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about 7 minutes. Invert the cakes onto a wire rack, remove the parchment paper, and allow to cool completely. Once the cakes are cooled, poke holes on the entire surface of the cakes with the tines of a fork. Don’t be shy about poking. Just when you think you can’t poke any more holes, poke a few more. While the cakes cool, prepare the soaking liquid.

Prepare the soaking liquid:

In a large bowl, combine the condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, banana liqueur, vanilla bean paste, and kosher salt. Whisk vigorously until combined and pour into a 4-cup measuring cup. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Filling and topping:

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour about 1/3 of the heavy cream and mix over medium/high speed until thickened. Add another third of the heavy cream and also mix until thickened. Add the rest of the heavy cream, followed by the vanilla extract and banana liqueur. Beat until thickened and forms medium peaks.
Reduce the speed to low and add 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar. Beat on low until combined then increase the speed to high and beat until firm peaks form. Taste and if needed, add remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Mix until combined. Remove the heavy cream filling from the mixer, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

To assemble the cake:

Place one of the poked cakes in the prepared spring form pan. Slowly pour half of the soaking liquid, starting at the edges, pausing to allow the liquid to soak into the cake before adding more liquid. A turkey baster (a new one) works very well for this.
Spread the pineapple filling over the cake making sure to cover the surface of the cake. Spread about 1 ½ cups of the whipped cream over the pineapple and spread to cover evenly. Spread the strawberry filling over the whipped cream making sure to cover the surface of the cake. To recap, you should have the following in place: soaked cake -> pineapple filling -> whipped cream -> strawberry filling.
Place the second cake on top of the filling. Slowly pour the rest of the soaking liquid, once again starting at the edges and pausing to allow the liquid to soak into the cake before adding more liquid. Spread whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. Top with maraschino cherries.
I like to place the cake in a spring form pan over a large platter to ensure the cake stays put.
Cover the cake loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate or place in the freezer until the cake is well chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours. Remove the cake from the springform pan (if using) and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Slice and enjoy.
Servings: About 10