This Latin American sponge cake is drenched with a sweet mixture of two types of milk and heavy cream. It is traditionally topped with sweet soft meringue; replace the meringue with whipped cream, if you prefer.

Have all ingredients at room temperature, about 70°F. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan or an 11 × 7-inch baking pan.

Sift together:

Combine in a large bowl or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form:

Gradually add, beating on high speed:

Beat in one at a time:

Add one-quarter of the flour mixture at a time, beating on low speed or stirring with a silicone spatula just until incorporated and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add and beat just until the batter is smooth:

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together in a medium bowl:

Leaving the cake in the pan, prick it with a toothpick at 1-inch intervals. Pour the milk mixture slowly over the cake, including the edges and the corners. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight, before serving.

For the topping, prepare:

To serve, leave the cake in the pan or slide a slim knife around the cake to detach it from the pan, and invert the cake onto a large shallow serving platter with enough of a rim to hold the excess milk that will gradually collect around the cake like a sauce. Spread or pipe the meringue topping over the cake. Cut into squares to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers and eat within 24 hours.