Pumpkin Tres Leches – Pumpkin cake is soaked in a mixture of tres leches (three milks), and covered with cinnamon whipped cream
Happy October! The weather is finally cooler and the leaves are changing and it’s really putting me in a great mood. With my anniversary also this month (and a baby boy due this month, as well), October is shaping up to be my favorite month of the year!
To welcome in the new month, it just makes sense to share a new pumpkin recipe – the first pumpkin recipe of the season, actually! This one is also great for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which is also going on right now through October 15. The recipe is for Pumpkin Tres Leches, which is a fun take on the classic Hispanic dessert made by soaking cake with three different kids of milks:
- Heavy Cream
- Evaporated Milk
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
What is tres leches?
Tres leches is a traditional Hispanic dessert that is made by soaking a sponge cake in three kinds of milk and topped with whipped cream.
The milks typically get all the attention but it’s so important to have the right type of cake so that it doesn’t get soggy as it absorbs the milks. That’s why a sponge cake is used. A sponge cake has no added fat and gets much of it’s texture from eggs. This ensures it’s perfectly light but also sturdy.
How is this pumpkin tres leches made?
To turn this traditional dessert into a festive fall one, I made a couple changes:
- Pumpkin puree and spices are added to the cake batter
- Ground cinnamon is added to the whipped cream
- Topped the cake with pumpkin candy garnish instead of a traditional maraschino cherry
Aside from those minor changes, the process of making pumpkin tres leches is almost exactly the same as the traditional version. Let’s quickly break it down.
First, the eggs yolks are separated from the whites. The yolks are whipped with sugar and then added to the dry ingredients. We then whip the egg whites separately to make them super fluffy. This will give the sponge cake its light texture.
Once the egg whites are whipped, they’re folded into the cake batter and then the batter is spread into a 9×13 cake pan. The cake is baked until golden brown and then cooled before flipping onto a serving plate. The cooled cake is then poked with a fork to make it easier to absorb the milk mixture. Then, we slowly pour the milk over the cake. This needs to be done slowly so the cake has time to absorb the milk and it doesn’t spill over the plate.
The cake is then soaked for a few hours before we finish it off with fresh cinnamon whipped cream.
Tips & Tricks
- As I mention above, the key to an amazing tres leches in a light and airy cake that can absorb all of the milk. We achieve this by mixing in the whipped egg whites separately. Make sure you gently stir the egg whites into the cake batter so they don’t deflate.
- Make sure you make the cake until its deep golden brown. I know this goes against your instinct to bake the cake until it’s just a light golden brown on the edges. But trust me – if the cake is too fluffy, it will get soggy when soaked in the milk.
- The cake tastes best when it’s had enough time to absorb the milk, about 4 hours. But I will say…the cake tasted even better the next day. So if you can wait, let it sit overnight before serving.
- Since we’re flipping the cake onto a serving platter, it is so important that you properly grease the pan so that the cake won’t stick. I always butter my dish and then sprinkle with a little flour. This has not failed me yet!
- If using the pumpkin candies to decorate the top of the tres leches, add them just before serving. The color in the candies will run a few hours after it hits the whipped cream and make the cake look sloppy.
Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs white and yolks separated
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the tres leches mixture:
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
For the topping:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 18 pumpkin candies
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9×13 casserole dish or baking pan. This is important so the cake doesn't stick! In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, spices, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 4 egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat with a beater attachment until the yolks turn a very light yellow, about 4-5 minutes. Add pumpkin and vanilla and mix until combined. Pour yolk mixture over the flour mixture and gently fold together just until combined.
- Clean the bowl of the stand mixer. Add egg whites and beat on high until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Add beaten egg whites to the rest of the mixture and slowly and gently fold together until it’s almost completely combined.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pan and smooth out with a spatula. Place in preheated oven to bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top. It may be done sooner than 35 minutes but it’s important that the cake is golden brown on top so that it soaks up the leches.
- When the cake is done, remove from oven and let it cool in the pan on top of a wire rack until completely cool (about 1 hour). Once cool, flip cake upside down onto a serving platter.
- Using a fork, poke hole all over the top of the cake. This will help the leches soak through the cake. Make leches mixture as directed below.
For the tres leches mixture:
- Mix heavy cream, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together in a large bowl. Slowly pour the mixture all over the cake and make sure to get the edges too. There will be some pooling on top and on the sides but don't worry, that will all get soaked up.
- Place cake in the fridge to soak for at least 1 hour but it's best to wait 4 hours. Then, you will top with whipped cream, as directed below.
For the topping:
- When the cake has set for at least 1 hour, it's time to top with cinnamon whipped cream. Place 2 cups of heavy cream, ¼ cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in the bowl of stand mixer. Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
- Dump out whipped cream all over the cake and begin spreading it evenly with an offset spatula. I didn’t spread along the edges, but you can if you want to.
- Place 18 pumpkin candies on top of the cake, evenly spaced. I spaced them so that the bean would sit in the middle of each slice.
- Let the cake sit for another 30 minutes before serving. The cake tastes even better the next day, so, if you can wait, let it sit overnight before serving. But I don’t blame you if you can’t 😉
Pin for later:
More recipes you’ll love:
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding
Irish Cream Tres Leches
Mini Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins
Fall is my favorite for the reason of EVERYTHING pumpkin!!! This look amazing!
My goodness that looks delicious. I would love it for dessert OR breakfast!
I just printed out the recipe!! Can’t wait to try it! I hope it doesn’t flop…I’ve never attempted to make a tres leches cake before!
Tres Leches is my hubby’s favorite, but I don’t think he’s ever tried it with pumpkin! I can’t wait to make this for him.
This is my kind of dessert. I just LOVE pumpkin stuff. I will be trying this for sure.
Mmm, I love 3 leches cake. And your version is calling my name. Great fall twist!
I’ve never made Pumpkin Tres Leches before, but it looks absolutely delicious! I’m going to save this for a Thanksgiving dessert! I know everyone will love it! But I might make it sooner it looks so yummy!
Perfect combo of my two favorite desserts! Love this mash up. Can’t wait to make it for my guests this Thanksgiving. YUM!
This was incredible! The perfect autumn dessert!