Vanilla Bean Tres Leches Cake
A lovely spin on the classic cake, this recipe uses homemade vanilla bean cake and three milks to create a forever moist sponge, topped with vanilla bean whipped cream and cinnamon. The vanilla bean and cinnamon help balance the sweetness of the other ingredients, creating a lovely marriage of flavors and textures.
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Why this recipe works
This was my first tres leches cake, but wow is it easy to make! It doesn’t use a lot of ingredients and isn’t that difficult to make. I’d say the hardest part is the extra work of whipping the egg whites up, but that’s pretty simple and surprisingly easy to fold into the batter. Plus, I loved the texture created by whipping the egg whites separately. And since this recipe uses a lot of eggs and not a lot of flour, it’s light and fluffy. Adding the tres leches soak (the “three milks”) creates this lovely, almost pudding-like or souffle-like texture to the finished product. And of course adding vanilla bean whipped cream is always a good idea.
Key ingredients
Flour. Be sure to spoon then level your flour so you don’t pack it in, and always sift with a fine mesh sieve!
Baking powder. Be sure it hasn’t been open longer than a few months or it does start to lose its umph, regardless of the indicated expiration date. And be sure it’s been well-sealed! Any moisture getting in will stop it from working properly.
Salt. I highly recommend sea salt, as it helps complement the sweetness better.
Sugar. Obviously! You don’t need a ton, since the condensed milk also helps sweeten the cake.
Eggs. Use fresh, large eggs and make sure they have reached room temperature.
Vanilla bean paste. Used in the cake and the whipped cream, this adds an earthy taste that perfectly balances the sweetness of the cake.
Whole milk. Whole milk will make a better cake than nonfat. You can also sub soy milk.
Condensed milk. I was hesitant to use this, but I found organic and it honestly makes this cake!
Evaporated milk. One of the three kind of milks, necessary to create a thick soak for this cake.
Heavy cream. This is used in the soak and the whipped cream. Use heavy cream (or double cream), not just whipping cream. And make sure it’s cold!
Powdered sugar. Used to sweeten the whipped cream just a little.
Ground cinnamon. To top it off—a classic on tres leches cake.
How to make vanilla bean tres leches cake
1. Sift and whisk dry ingredients.
2. Whisk egg yolks and part of the sugar until pale and fluffy. It should increase in volume and you should be able to draw a figure 8 and have it not disappear right away. Add the milk and vanilla bean after the eggs are pale and fluffy.
3. Gently mix in dry ingredients. Don’t mix too much, just until combined.
4. Beat egg whites and remaining sugar until stiff peaks. Don’t beat them so long that they separate—once they form stiff peaks they are done.
5. Fold egg whites into batter in two batches. Do this gently, ensuring that there are no large lumps remaining.
6. Bake. You don’t actually need to grease the pan, since you’ll be soaking the cake in the pan after baking.
7. Mix three milks together. You’ll whisk the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream until smooth.
8. Poke holes then soak cooled cake. Use a fork to poke holes all over the cake. Drizzle the milks over the cake, getting all over the cake so the entire top has been soaked.
9. Beat whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. You only need soft peaks here.
10. Frost and decorate cake. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Enjoy!
Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe
Spoon then level your flour
Don’t scoop your flour! I never knew this until I started blogging, but it seriously makes a big difference. You will end up with roughly 25% more flour than the recipe called for if you just doonk (official baking term right there) your measuring spoon into the flour container and scoop. Gently spoon your flour into your measuring cup then level it off with the back of a knife. Trust me! It makes a difference.
Can this be made ahead?
Yes! It can be made 1-2 days ahead and is actually best if made at least the night before serving, as it gives the milk time to soak into the cake. Be sure to cover it well to prevent it absorbing the flavors of your fridge (trust me, it happens). If possible, save the cinnamon for when the cake is served so it doesn’t soak into the whipped cream.
How many holes should I make?
This may be obvious to some, but I’m always worried I’m going to poke too many holes and end up with mushy cake—then I don’t actually do enough and it’s not filled enough. Luckily, you want to let this cake soak for at least an hour, longer if possible. Still, it’s best to poke holes all around the cake, leaving about half an inch between fork marks.
My cake tools
Here are my must-have tools I use for making these cupcakes. Affiliate links provided.
All-rubber spatula (this makes scraping the bowl easier so the batter and frosting doesn’t get all over a wooden handle!)
Mesh sieve (because sifting is KEY for a fluffy cake)
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Vanilla Bean Tres Leches Cake
- prep time: 15-20 minutes
- bake time: 30-35 minutes
- total time: 55 minutes (plus cooling time)
servings: 12-16
Ingredients:
for the vanilla bean cake
- 1 cup (136g) flour, spooned then leveled
- 2 teaspoons (8g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (2g) salt
- 5 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (220g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla bean paste
- ⅓ cup (80g) whole milk, room temperature
for the tres leches soak
- one can (14 ounces or 396g) sweetened condensed milk
- one can (12 ounces or 354g) evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup (80g) heavy whipping cream
for the vanilla bean whipped cream topping
- 2 cups (480g or 1 pint) cold heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (32g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon (13g) vanilla bean paste
- ground cinnamon to serve
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 325F/165C.
- Using a large fine mesh sieve, sift and whisk your flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs, placing the whites into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl). Place the yolks in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale and and doubled in volume. You should be able to lift the whisk and draw a figure 8 and have it hold its shape for a second before disappearing back into the batter. Whisk the vanilla bean paste and milk into the egg yolk mixture.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer using the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites on medium until frothy then on high until stiff peaks form. Don’t overbeat.
- Gently mix the flour into the egg yolks.
- Next, gently fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions. There may be a few small lumps, but overall the batter should be pretty smooth.
- Pour into a 9x13 cake pan (ungreased). Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake springs back if pressed with your finger and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let cake cool completely. Once it is cool, poke holes all over it using a fork.
- Mix the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream for the tres leches together until combined. Slowly drizzle it all over the cake. The goal is the ensure you pour it over the entire top so there are no dry spots that didn’t get any of the soak. Ideally, refrigerate at least an hour to let it soak up the milk.
- After it has soaked in a bit, make the whipped cream. Combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a medium bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Beat on medium until frothy then on high until soft peaks form. Watch closely so you don’t over-beat it (you don’t want stiff peaks).
- Spread whipped cream over cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon, using a small sieve to distribute it evenly
Enjoy!
Keep refrigerated until serving. If not serving that day, sprinkle cinnamon right before serving.