A light pumpkin spice sponge cake saturated with three kinds of milk and topped with whipped cream! This is a fall twist on a classic dessert, and you'll love it.
Tres leches cake is one of my favorite desserts, but it can be tricky to get just right. Too much milk and you have a soggy sponge cake and too little milk ends up being dry. This pumpkin spice tres leches took a few times to get just right and it's worth it. The actual cake part is a vanilla box cake mix but it's the spices that take it to another level. Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and cloves will take you straight to fall when you take the first bite. The cinnamon sugar and candied pecans sprinkled on the whipped cream is also the perfect finish. And if spice cake isn't your thing, try my chocolate tres leches cake!
Tips for making a good tres leches cake
- The cake must be cool before you add the milk, or it could turn into a soggy mess.
- Make sure the cake is baked fully, adding another 3-4 minutes over the bake time is a good idea.
- Tres Leches cake must be made a day ahead to let the cake absorb the liquid.
- This pumpkin spice cake is best served at room temperature and not straight from the fridge.
FAQ's about making pumpkin spice tres leches cake
What does tres leches mean? It translates to "three milks". In this case that would be evaporated milk, condensed milk and whole milk.
It looks like a lot of milk to pour over the cake. The cake will absorb the liquid over time, that's why it needs to be made a day ahead of when you need to serve it.
How do I store my cake? Keep it in the fridge but try and let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. This will loosen up the liquid.
