tequila-lemon tres leches cake

i was lucky enough to have 2 thanksgiving dinners this year, one from my mom and one from our friend travis' mom. both were da bomb. i thought it would be a nice gesture to bring them a cake so i made a tequila-lemon tres leches cake. there were so many desserts when we got there! i think i ate more dessert than thanksgiving dinner this year. i love tres leches cake so i was really interested in making one. recipes usually suggest you make the cake the day before and let the milk soak in over night. i decided to bake the cake the day before thanksgiving before i went to work. i thought i had followed the recipe correctly but i had a lot of problems:

Tequila-lemon tres leches cake

Cake:
1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup tequila (80 proof) 3 large eggs, separated 1 vanilla bean scrapings 1 teaspoon lemon zest 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Topping:
8 fluid oz. whole milk 8 fluid oz. evaporated milk 8 fluid oz. condensed, sweetened milk

the first issue i had was that my cake was not only flat, but it shrunk. it was also charred on the edges. so when i came home from work i chucked the cake in the garbage and bake another one. this time i used an electric beater on the egg whites, confectioners sugar and cream of tartar mixture. i also turned the oven down from 375 degrees to 350 degrees and baked it for 30 mintues instead of 50-60 minutes. i also added the entire cans of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milks instead of the suggested 8 ounces of each so it would be less dry. after i let it soak over night i topped it with fresh whipped cream. it was worth rebaking it, even if i did waste 1/2 cup of tequila. i almost forgot to snap a picture of the cake so i have an after photo. i haven't decided what i shall cook next, but i have to mention ryan made a delicious roast beef today and it made me want to john's deli that bitch up...make some red eye gravy and top it with fresh mozz and sauteed onions...mmmm