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The Best Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake: Easy Fall Dessert

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This pumpkin tres leches cake is a moist, fluffy sponge cake soaked in a creamy three-milk mixture and topped with whipped cream. It’s the perfect fall dessert that gets better overnight and will convert even the biggest tres leches skeptics.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Saigon cinnamon)
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 5 large eggs, separated (room temperature)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided (¼ cup for yolks, ½ cup for whites)
  • ⅓ cup whole milk (warmed slightly)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 can (12 ounces / 354 ml) evaporated milk
  • 1 can (14 ounces / 396 grams) sweetened condensed milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream (or half-and-half)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Ground cinnamon, for dusting

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick spray, and optionally line the bottom with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until no lumps remain.
  3. In a large clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Gradually add ½ cup of the granulated sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
  4. In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining ¼ cup of granulated sugar until thick and pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Add the warm milk, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree, and mix until smooth.
  5. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture using a rubber spatula until just combined. The batter will be thick.
  6. Add about one-third of the whipped egg whites to the batter and fold gently to lighten. Then add the remaining whites and fold until no white streaks remain. The batter should be fluffy and airy.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not open the oven door for the first 20 minutes.
  8. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then, using a fork or skewer, poke holes all over the top of the cake, about every inch, going all the way to the bottom.
  9. In a large liquid measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon until smooth.
  10. Slowly pour the milk mixture over the warm cake, starting at the edges and working to the center. Let it absorb before adding more. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  11. Just before serving, beat the cold heavy cream in a chilled bowl on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
  12. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake. Dust with cinnamon. Slice and serve cold.

Notes

For best results, chill the cake overnight. Use room temperature eggs and warm the milk for the batter. Poke deep holes all the way to the bottom for even milk absorption. Do not overmix the batter. The cake is meant to be served cold; do not microwave.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin tres leches cake, fall dessert, pumpkin cake, tres leches, easy pumpkin dessert, Thanksgiving dessert

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