As Cinco De Mayo approaches, you’ll likely see plant-based twists to Mexican favorites, predicts Flavor Forecast. They recently announced Mexicana Vegana Cocina (Mexican vegan cuisine) as the next flavor trend to be on the lookout for. Which means this Vegan Tres Leches Cake will be all the rage at your next fiesta.
Vegan Tres Leches Cake with a Milky Dairy-Free Sauce
Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake soaked in three types of dairy milk. This vegan version forgoes the dairy and eggs in the cake, and is soaked in three dairy-free milks: sweetened condensed coconut milk, almond milk beverage, and cashew milk beverage. The result is a light, airy, and moist vegan cake that lives up to its Latin American roots.
If you need a nut-free vegan tres leches cake, and are okay with coconut, then you can substitute your favorite dairy-free milk beverage for the almond and cashew versions.
Reader Raves for this Tres Leches Cake
Sometimes readers leave feedback via social media. This came via our Facebook page:
This recipe made my Mother’s Day. I put it together yesterday and it was ready to share with friends at church this morning. Amazing. I called it “Tres Leches Sin Leche” 😉 and it was as delicious as I remember the real deal. 🍰 ~ Heather H.
This recipe with photo was shared with us by McCormick.
Special Diet Notes: Vegan Tres Leches Cake
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons + ¼ teaspoon baking soda, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons full fat canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup oil (your favorite type for baking)
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 1 cup aquafaba (canned chickpea liquid)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk beverage
- 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk beverage
- ⅔ cup sweetened condensed coconut milk (see Recipe below)
- 2 tablespoons powdered confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- For the Cake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Put the flour, sugar, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, oil, applesauce, and 1 tablespoon vanilla.
- Place the aquafaba and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.
- Gently fold the whipped aquafaba mixture into the coconut milk mixture until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture, stirring gently after each addition just until mixed.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan and place it on a large, shallow-sided serving platter.
- Poke holes in the warm cake with kitchen fork at 1-inch intervals, moving the fork side to side to enlarge holes slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk beverages, sweetened condensed coconut milk, powdered sugar, remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, cinnamon, and remaining ¼ teaspoon baking soda until smooth.
- Slowly pour the milky mixture over the cake, reserving about ½ cup of the liquid for serving.
- Let the cake cool completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight to allow the milky mixture to absorb into the cake.
- Slice and serve with the reserved milky mixture drizzled over cake.
More Mexican-Inspired Vegan Treats
Classic Horchata
Bittman’s Coconut Flan
Thick Mexican Chocolate Smoothie
2 Comments
Can the AP flour be substituted with GF flour? If so, what do you recommend?
Sorry for the delay Danielle! You could probably sub gluten-free flour, but I hesitate on recommending on egg-free recipes. I would trial with your favorite brand. We haven’t tested it.