OK, so I’m going to share with you an extra special, top secret, super-d-duper delicious recipe you’re gonna love!  Cuatro Leches cupcakes!  Tres Leches is a Nicaraguan desert that is popularly served in many different Latin American restaurants whether they be Nicaraguan, Cuban, Mexican or Argentinian, etc.  Latins love sweets and this is SWEET.  Tres Leches literally translates to “three milks” in Spanish.  What makes mine cuatro leches, or “four milks”, is that I have added a fourth milk, Dulce de Leche, as the icing.  (The traditional icing for this desert is whipped merengue.)   I’ve also made mine extra special by adding my little Cuban touch of coconut.  I’ve substituted a cup of half and half with a cup of coconut milk in the tres leches mixture.  Oh, yeah 😉

• Coconut Supreme cake mix or, if you can’t find Coconut Supreme cake mix, use French Vanilla cake mix and add 1 tsp of coconut extract.   Ingredients as indicated on package directions.

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1 cup of coconut milk.

• dulce de leche.

1. Prepare cupcakes following package directions.  Most boxed mixes say that they yield 24 cupcakes but I find that they yield a perfect 18.  ** Important note for these cupcakes:  You must use very thick/ foil lined cupcake wrappers.  Regular, thin paper wrappers will not be able to hold up to the weight and moisture of the “tres leches” we will be adding later.
2. While these are baking, in a separate bowl combine milks and whisk until combined.  Pour into any container with a lip to make easier to pour later.
3. While cupcakes are still warm, cut a cone out of the top with a small knife and lift top.
4. Fill this hole gently to the top with the milks and allow to soak into the cake. Replace top and repeat to all cupcakes.
5. Ice with Dulce de leche and top with some cute picks as I’ve done here…. Mariachi mustaches for Cinco de Mayo!  Arrrrrrriba!