Why limit yourself to one flavor in your cake when you can make each tier something unique? And then, why not drench it in sweetened condensed milk? I’m not gonna lie — this takes some effort and a little mess to make, but it’s delicious, moist, and a helluva lotta cake.

This three-layer cake is inspired by a recipe from Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking by Bonnie Frumkin Morales. I think that recipe was in turn inspired by tres leches cakes, but given a bit of a Russian twist.

I’ve changed it a bit to use flavors I thought would go together: lemon poppyseed, cranberry/blueberry, and almond. Feel free to play around with other flavors. It’s ideal to use a combination of flavors that won’t clash with each other, but even if you do get a layer that doesn’t quite “go” with the others, you can easily separate it as this is a very modular design.

2 14-oz. cans sweetened condensed milk
2 sticks (1 c.) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

For each layer (x 3):
3/4 c. flour (2 1/4 c.)
2 tsp. corn starch (6 tsp.)
1 tsp. baking powder (3 tsp.)
1/4 tsp. baking soda (3/4 tsp.)
1/2 c. sugar (1 1/2 c.)
1 egg (3)
1/2 c. sour cream (1 1/2 c.)

1 c. slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 c. dried cranberries
1/2 tsp. blueberry (or other fruit) extract
1/2 c. poppyseeds
1/2 tsp. lemon extract

Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a straight-sided 9 x 5″ loaf pan. You will want to cut slits in the corners and trim the excess to avoid adding more bulk to your cake layers. Be sure to include enough excess paper on the sides to you can lift the cake out of the pan later. Now, use this piece as a pattern to cut two more pieces of parchment.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease the pan, then add one of the pieces of parchment and grease that too.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), stir together the milk and butter until combined. Set aside.

For each layer:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the stand mixer, cream together the sugar and egg until it’s light and fluffy. Add the sour cream, mixing until combined, then add the dry ingredients and combine.

Gently mix in the almonds/almond extract, cranberries/blueberry extract, or poppyseeds/lemon extract. (It’s good to start with the heaviest layer first, then the next heaviest, so the lightest layer will be on the top of the cake.)

Pour into the pan, place in the oven, and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 30 minutes. While it’s baking, get the next layer of batter ready. Set up tray with a container with sides underneath it, something large enough to catch a lot of drips.

When the layer has baked, remove it from the oven and run a knife around the edge to loosen it if needed. Using the parchment, flip it out upside-down onto a tray and add another piece of parchment to the loaf pan, and grease the paper.

Add the next layer of batter and bake.

While the second layer is baking, pour 1/3 of the milk/butter mixture over the top of the warm first layer, spreading it around with a spatula so that it can soak in everywhere.

While you’re waiting on the second layer to bake, repeating the steps above for the third layer. Spoon up any soaking liquid that has seeped out of the first layer and ladle it back over the top and sides. By the time the second layer has finished baking, most of the liquid will have been absorbed.

Carefully place the second layer on top of the first. Get the third piece of parchment in the pan, grease it, add the third-layer batter, and bake.

Pour half of the remaining milk mixture over the top of the second layer and spread it around. Add more as it soaks in.

Place the third layer right-side up and drench it with the rest of the milk mix. You can place the cake in the drip-catching container and let it soak more overnight, unless you forget about this step like me and take all the pretty pictures an hour or so after baking. Even without the extra soaking, this will be a very moist cake, so the rest is gravy (a very sweet, creamy gravy).

Cut into slices and serve.