Yup, it's Vegan

Plant-based recipes for everyone

  • Home
  • About
    • Press
    • F.A.Q.
  • Recipes
    • Reader Favorites
  • Work with Me
  • Resources
    • What Do Vegans Eat?
    • Vegan Dining in Baltimore
Home » Desserts » Vegan Tres Leches Cake

Vegan Tres Leches Cake

May 2, 2017 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 128 Comments

5.4K shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Print Recipe Jump to Recipe

Apologies in advance for the overload of pictures in this post, but I just adore this vegan tres leches cake and had a tough time choosing my favorite shots! This is my dairy-free spin on the classic cake.

Two slices of tres leches cake arranged on a gray plate on a gray wooden table, drizzled with vegan macadamia nut syrup and topped with a layer of sliced strawberries and raspberries.

 

I’ll address the elephant in the room first: vegan tres leches cake is a pretty ridiculous sounding name considering that the crucial component of standard tres leches cakes is a mixture of 3 different forms of dairy. But then again, I think it’s also ridiculous to ask me to name this Vegan Sponge Cake With A Sweetened Non-Dairy Beverage Mixture Poured Over The Top. So we’re going with vegan tres leches.

Overhead view of vegan tres leches cake while still in the baking dish, with holes poked in it before pouring the condensed syrup onto it. The cake is slightly browned at the edges.

Phew. Now that I’ve preemptively addressed the haters who will urge me to choose a different name for the recipe, I can tell you all about this glorious cake. Traditional tres leches was undoubtedly one of my favorite sweets before I went dairy-free. So I’ve eaten a fair number of these in my day, and I will honestly tell you that I think this vegan version is just as good, if not better.

It starts with a basic vegan vanilla sponge cake. I merged a couple of different recipes that I found online, and then reduced the sugar and liquid to arrive at my final version. That’s because after the cake cools, we poke a bunch of little holes in it and pour a mixture of vegan sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk over the top and let the cake soak up all of that goodness.

Sweetened condensed coconut-macadamia milk is poured over a baked vegan sponge cake with holes poked in it.

Overhead view of the baked vegan sponge cake after the dairy-free condensed milk syrup has been poured over and absorbed. The cake appears moist on the surface but still golden brown from baking.

You can also whip up the rest of the coconut cream as additional topping if you like. I just like my cake served with some fresh berries. (Or a tiny bit of rice whip, pictured). It’s already super sweet and moist even without frosting or cream on top. Up to you!

Close-up shot of the interior of a slice of vegan tres leches cake, topped with a raspberry and a strawberry. The inside appears moist.

SO MOIST. Sorry, I know a lot of people hate that word.

Slice of dairy-free tres leches cake on a gray plate, with coconut cream spread on top of the slice of cake, and one bite of the cake slice missing.

Enjoy this vegan tres leches cake for Cinco de Mayo, or anytime! Personally I’m gonna have to make yet another one, because this entire thing was gone in 36 hours. No clue where it went. I definitely did not skip all of my regular meals that day. Also, this is my official acknowledgement that the amount of sugary cake recipes in general lately has been too damn high. More fresh veggies coming to you very soon 🙂

If you make this vegan tres leches cake, let me know! Leave a comment, or tag me on Instagram with #yupitsvegan and @yupitsvegan. Happy baking!

Print Pin
4.96 from 46 votes

Vegan Tres Leches Cake

Decadent vegan tres leches cake, made up of a vanilla sponge cake soaked in sweet caramel syrup.
Course cake, Dessert
Cuisine dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword dairy-free tres leches, vegan tres leches cake
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 9 slices
Calories 221kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

For the sponge cake:

  • 1 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or other vinegar)
  • 170 g all-purpose flour (1 and 1/2 cups)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil (coconut oil is not recommended)
  • 2/3 cup cane sugar (or use coconut sugar, cake will have a darker color)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

For the soaking syrup:

  • 1 cup vegan sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 14- oz . can full-fat coconut milk , refrigerated overnight

Instructions

  • In a mixing bowl, stir together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and lightly grease an 8-by-8 or 7-by-11 inch baking dish.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • To the bowl with the soy milk, add the oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk well to combine. Stir in the dry mixture and mix until no lumps remain.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Wait until at least 20 minutes have passed before opening the oven door at all). The 7-by-11 cake size takes around 30 minutes to bake, and the 8-by-8 size takes around 35 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool for at least an hour. (You could potentially prepare the sweetened condensed milk while the cake bakes and cools). Using a chopstick, skewer, or a toothpick in a pinch, poke holes throughout the cake, spaced about 1/2 inch apart. The distance isn't very important, just make to poke lots of holes all over.
  • Retrieve the coconut milk from the refrigerator and gently scoop out the cream on top. Either turn this into coconut whip to top the cake if you like, or reserve it for another use (curry, etc.). Take the rest of the liquid from the can and mix it together with the sweetened condensed milk. Pour this milk mixture over the top of the cake. You'll need to do it in several stages, waiting in between for the cake to soak up the milk. When the cake is pretty much saturated with the milk, you're done - you may or may not need all of it.
  • This cake is best served cold, so if you have time, refrigerate it. However, it still tastes pretty darn good if you eat it right away 🙂 leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Notes

NON-DAIRY MILK: I heartily recommend using soy milk for this cake batter. The higher protein content in soy versus other options leads to better flavor, texture and browning. But you can substitute for it if you need to.
NUTRITION: Nutrition facts exclude sweetened condensed milk and any other toppings such as coconut cream.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 259mg | Potassium: 46mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Iron: 0.2mg

Adapted from: AllRecipes and The Witchy Kitchen

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: baking, berries, Mexican-inspired

« Vegan Sweetened Condensed Milk
Simple Cashew Sesame Snap Pea Salad »

Comments

  1. Kim says

    November 22, 2022 at 22:51

    5 stars
    This was amazing!! I’m a volunteer baker for underserved youth (forgoodnesscakes.org) and we often get tons of Tres Leches, but this time we had a request for vegan! I knew it could be done if I found the right recipe and you killed it!! My test run was so yummy, and yes the milks were so thick that they didn’t completely soak in, but with the mixture being so sweet it was actually nice to have parts of the cake without the soak – and the cake was so moist on it’s own. THANK YOU for this!! It was perfection.

    Reply
  2. Lucas says

    September 13, 2022 at 00:15

    5 stars
    This is AMAZING!!!!! I grew up eating tres leches in Miami and this is exactly how it tastes! Thank you for this. I am very happy right now

    Reply
  3. Imuri says

    June 20, 2022 at 18:10

    5 stars
    I’ve made this cake at least 7 times already. It is an absolute hit with my family and friends and I have incorporated it into birthday traditions. Amazing recipe.

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    April 22, 2022 at 10:38

    5 stars
    Tres leches has been a family favorite so I was excited to find this vegan version – which did not disappoint. Cake was spot on and this is truly a recipe I will be making often for family celebrations. Thank you so much for taking the time to create and share this . 🌸

    Reply
  5. Taylor says

    March 10, 2022 at 01:17

    5 stars
    This recipe is delicious, I’ve made it multiple times now with whatever milk I have on hand, and it’s been great each time. Easy, too.

    Reply
    • Mary Chaparro says

      April 23, 2022 at 23:32

      Do you use the suggested 1 TABLESPOON of vanilla? Thought it might have been a misprint.

      Reply
      • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

        April 25, 2022 at 11:16

        It’s not a misprint

  6. Renu says

    March 3, 2022 at 03:36

    The sauce and coconut cream on top was so good!

    Only thing is the cake turned out too dense, and I was surprised to see it not cakey and light like I expected. Any ideas why ?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      March 3, 2022 at 08:37

      A few things – This cake is always going to be on the denser side since it literally has coconut cream poured over it haha and it’s designed to be able to absorb that mixture. Overmixing could possibly make it more dense.

      If you are looking for the perfect light and fluffy vegan cake then check out the bakery-style white cake on my site. It takes a lot more effort with a vegan cake to make it light, but if you want a standard white cake that’s the one you need. It will not work in this recipe as the cake base however.

      Reply
    • ContentEar96 says

      March 7, 2022 at 02:16

      It needs to be a strong cake so it doesn’t get soggy and collapse with the liquid that it’s soaked in. 🙂 The non vegan version will be very dence as well because it uses more egg than a typical cake. Make sure it cools all the way before pouring the liquid or it won’t hold its structure and become even more sense.

      Reply
  7. Casey says

    February 17, 2022 at 21:15

    Hello, I was wondering if this tastes like coconut at all?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      February 18, 2022 at 11:52

      Yes it does taste like coconut.

      Reply
  8. Robin says

    November 22, 2021 at 08:19

    wondering if gluten free flour would work in this recipe?

    Reply
  9. Taylor says

    November 17, 2021 at 18:52

    5 stars
    This recipe is super delicious! I ended up with more soaking syrup than I needed, so I used the extra in my coffee to make a sort of Thai coffee. Delicious all around and pretty simple to make.

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      November 17, 2021 at 19:06

      That’s a great idea to use up the extra syrup, thank you!

      Reply
  10. Lisa says

    November 16, 2021 at 12:13

    Can you use coconut flour?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      November 16, 2021 at 14:04

      Definitely not, coconut flour does not behave remotely similar to normal flour

      Reply
  11. Chloe Peterson says

    July 17, 2021 at 21:36

    5 stars
    This is a bloody brilliant recipe! We used coconut sugar and didn’t have the almond flavoring but it was insanely delicious. This is going to be a new go to bake for sure.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
Learn More

Advertisement

Popular Recipes

Garlic Sesame Noodles - Vegan, Gluten-free, High-Protein!
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip | Yup, it's Vegan
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese | Yup, it's Vegan
Smashed Avocado Vegan Quesadillas | Yup, it's Vegan

More Popular Recipes

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Advertisement and Privacy Policy

Advertisement

Trending Now

Ultimate Hearty Vegetable Stew | Yup, it's Vegan
15-Minute Miso Soup with Greens | Yup, it's Vegan
Marbled Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread | Yup, it's Vegan
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Learn More

Never miss a recipe! Join my newsletter.



Design by

Copyright © 2013–2023

5.4K shares