Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches Cake is going to be your new holiday family favorite. This masterpiece will put you squarely on Team Pumpkin Spice.
I already have a popular Non Dairy Coconut Tres Leches Cake, but I wanted to put a pumpkin spice spin on the traditional Mexican dessert.
Square Tres Leches Cake
I have specifically made this cake for a square pan. You can use either 8 x 8 or 9 x 9. Most Pumpkin Tres Leches Cakes are made in a larger baking dish.
Since Tres Leches Cake doesn’t last as long as other cakes (only 2-3 days), I needed a recipe for a smaller gathering. A square baking pan was just the perfect size.
Ingredients
This recipe starts with a typical Pumpkin Spice Cake. There are only a few primary ingredients for the recipe, most you will probably already have in your pantry.
The spices are the real showstoppers, though. I’ve used cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves.
You can leave out some of the spices, if you don’t have them. You can also use Pumpkin Spice blend or even Apple Pie Spice blend, if you want.
What Is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres Leches literally means “Three Milks”. For this recipe, you will need 3 cups of milk mixture.
Always start with 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk. The rest can be substituted.
Once you add the sweetened condensed milk, you’ll need 10 ounces of other milk products. You don’t want to use all straight milk because your cake could end up being too soggy. If you want to use some plain milk, be sure to combine it with something like heavy cream.
What is a Poke Cake?
You’ve probably seen poke cakes before. You start with a fully baked cake and poke holes in the top. You pour over a liquid that gets absorbed into the cake.
Most poke cakes in the United States use a flavored gelatin. For Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches cake, you use a mixture of three milks.
The typical tool used for making holes in the cake is the end of a wooden spoon. You will see lots of people using forks. But me, I use my meat shredding claws. Just look at the efficiency!
More Recipes
Try these great recipes for holiday baking as well!
Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches Cake
Equipment
- 8" x 8" baking pan
Ingredients
Cake Dry Ingredients
- 150 grams All Purpose Flour (about 1 ¼ cups spoon and fill) *see note
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon ceylon cinnamon preferred
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Ginger ground
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice ground
- ¼ teaspoon Cloves ground
Other Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup Sugar granulated
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree canned or fresh
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs slightly beaten
Three Milks
- 1 cup Evaporated Milk
- 14 ounces Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ¼ cup Half and Half
Topping
- 8 ounces Whipped Topping thawed
- Cinnamon a few pinches
Instructions
- NOTE: This cake requires chilling overnight. Plan ahead.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all Dry Ingredients for cake. Set aside.
- In a large bowl with hand or standing mixer, mix together sugar, pumpkin, oil, vanilla and eggs until combined well.
- Add about ⅓ flour mixture and mix well. Repeat until all flour mixture is combined.
- Spray 8×8 baking pan with cooking or baking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake 35-40 minutes or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
- After baking is complete, in small mixing bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and half and half.
- While cake is still hot, poke holes all over the top with a fork, end of wooden spoon or meat shredding claws. Slowly pour milk mixture all over the cake. Where it pools on the edges, scoop it up gently with a spoon and pour into the center.
- Allow cake to cool completely (about 1 ½ hours) then cover with foil and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, cover completely with whipped topping. Sprinkle tiny pinches of cinammon on top.
Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result. 2019-2026 Kim Guzman and Christian Guzman. All rights reserved. 24Bite®
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Awesome! This cake looks great and delicious! I totally loved it already! A perfect treat for the whole family to enjoy!
Adding pumpkin spice to this tres leche cake is genius! So delicious and seasonal!
That is so easy and delicious.
A perfect weekend treats to make for my kids. Yum!
This cake looks and sounds amazing! I love a good pumpkin spice flavored dessert! Excited to give it a try!
Looking forward to making this for the holidays. Thanks for sharing! Your recipes are awesome!
Thank you so much. That’s very nice. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for visiting!