The Best Festive Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches Recipe
Whether you promised to bring a yummy dessert to Thanksgiving or are reminiscing about the fall months (during which pumpkin spice drinks and snacks are readily available everywhere), this Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches recipe will satisfy your cravings for all things sweet and festive. If you enjoy baking, this modern twist on the classic Latin American tres leches cake is a fun way to play around with your desserts! Tres leches is already a uniquely sweet, light, and creamy option. Add pumpkin spice flavoring, and you’ve got a distinctively delicious treat that is perfect to share (or hoard for yourself)!
Pumpkin spice is often used in drinks, donuts, and other baked goods when autumn rolls around. But in my opinion, it’s a flavor that deserves more air time! My Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches recipe is the perfect antidote to any sweet tooth, and I’m so excited to share it with you.
Tres Leches History
Many credit Nicaraguans for the tres leches cake. However, the origin of this sweet treat is unknown; many regions claim it, including Mexico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and more. Wherever the cake was invented, countless enjoy its airiness and rich flavor today. It’s certainly a cake worth fighting over!
Since its widespread popularity, tres leches recipes have not varied much. However, some variations have cropped up in certain regions. For example, Albanian “trislece” cake is sometimes made with three milks, including milk from goats, cows, and water buffalos.
Baking Tips
Tres leches is made with a lot of milk and cream, but it is somehow light and airy! If it is dense or too wet, something is wrong. With such a particular balance between spongey texture and rich flavor, it is easy to get wrong if you are not careful. And adding in flavoring can complicate things! Remember, baking is a science. I have some tips you will definitely want to follow when making my Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches:
- If you need to swap out whole milk for a dairy or lactose alternative, make sure you use a full-fat one, such as coconut milk.
- During the final step of my recipe, I say to whisk the whipped cream until stiff peaks form. Make sure to pay close attention and stop only when you see these peaks—not before or after! This final textured topping is key to a creamy, rich tres leches cake. (It is quite literally the icing on the cake!)
- Be patient when you place the cake in the fridge to rest! The most painful part is waiting but allowing the tres leches cake to set is essential for texture.
Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches
Ingredients
Mix Dry Ingredients
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Mix Wet Ingredients
- 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Making Cake Batter
- Once you’ve combined the wet and dry ingredients, slowly add in 2 cups of all-purpose flour until combined. You should have a nice smooth batter.
- Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Take out and let cool.
- Once it has cooled, poke numerous holes in the cake and start mixing the tres leches “three milks” mixture.
Making the Tres Leches
- Whisk and pour the following mix onto the cake:
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- Cover the cake and let it sit in the fridge at least 8 hours or overnight.
Prepare the whipped cream (once it’s ready to serve):
- Whisk the following until it forms stiff peaks (will take about 5 minutes):
- 1 ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
- Add the whipped cream on top, and enjoy!
