This fall inspired take on the traditional tres leches cake starts with a fluffy pumpkin sponge cake that’s laced with pumpkin pie spice. Then it’s soaked in a creamy milk mixture of whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. What makes this version a little different from most tres leches recipes is the addition of cajeta in the milk mixture, giving this cake a subtle caramel flavor.
- Prep Time:
4 hrS 20 mins - Cook Time:
50 mins - Total Time:
5 HRS 10 mins *
* includes 4 hours chilling time
Pumpkin season is here
There was a time when I posted a new pumpkin recipe each October. There were the swirled pumpkin cheesecake bars, pumpkin spice latte crème brûlée and pumpkin snickerdoodles. But then a few years passed and two overseas moves happened and the annual pumpkin recipe quietly faded away. Until now.
After a long hiatus, the annual pumpkin recipe post is back and, this year, it’s pumpkin tres leches. We have a traditional tres leches recipe that we love and make regularly but my husband has been in the mood for some pumpkin recipes lately. So he modified the recipe we had for tres leches, swapping out the water for pumpkin purée and adding in some pumpkin pie spice. The cake stayed light and fluffy and soaked up all the creamy milk mixture beautifully. This recipe is a strong contender for our holiday dessert table this year.
Cajeta is the secret ingredient
I think what makes this recipe so good is the addition of cajeta in the milk mixture alongside the usual “three milks” of whipping cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. Cajeta is a caramelized goat’s milk spread and it adds a subtle caramel flavor to the cake.
Pumpkin tres leches is the perfect make-ahead dessert since it only gets better the next day as the cake has more time to soak up all that creamy goodness.
Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 (9×13) pan
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Description
A fall inspired take on the traditional tres leches cake with a pumpkin spiced sponge cake soaked in a milk mixture of whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and cajeta then topped with a whipped frosting.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 eggs, separated
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 15 ounces pumpkin purée
For the milk mixture
- 3 tablespoons cajeta (goat’s milk caramel spread)
- 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 cup corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cake
- Prep. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9×13 inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mix batter. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites for about 30 seconds, then gradually add the sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and continue beating until stiff peaks form, 4-5 minutes. Add egg yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly mix in pumpkin purée then add flour mixture. Mix on slow speed until evenly blended.
- Bake. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool cake while making the milk mixture.
For the milk mixture
- Heat milk mixture. In a medium saucepan, whisk together all the ingredients for the milk mixture. Heat mixture to boiling over medium-high, whisking constantly. Let mixture cool slightly.
- Soak cake. Once cake is lukewarm to the touch, pierce cake all over with a fork or skewer. Pour milk mixture over cake, 1 cup at a time. Allow the milk mixture to absorb into the cake between additions. Gently tilt the pan as necessary to evenly distribute the milk mixture.
- Refrigerate. Cover the cake and refrigerate at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
For the frosting
- Frost. Beat cream with granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Add sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat until evenly mixed. Spread frosting over chilled cake. Keep cake refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Serve. Cut cake into squares and serve.
Notes
- Cajeta can be found in the Mexican food aisle of some grocery stores and at Mexican grocery stores.
- Dulce de leche can be substituted for the cajeta.
- Recipe adapted from Sausalito’s restaurant via the Houston Chronicle.
Originally published .
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