A delicious moist, spongy cake that is spike with some alcohol this Kahlua Tres Leches Cake Recipe is a delicious, fun and easy cake that everyone enjoys.
I love myself a good Tres Leches Cake. I always have and I always will, it was one of the first cakes that my mom and I made together back in the days of me learning how to bake.
This was one of her favorite cakes, over the years I’ve adopted different versions of it and made my own but keep coming up with different recipes to give it a little spin.
So welcome the Kahlua Tres Leches Cake Recipe! I love this version because it adds a little booze to it that tastes like coffee, not overpowering but just the right amount.
I’m a coffee person by nature and Kahlua is one of my favorite alcohols to bake with so I figured why not add it to one of my favorite cakes!
Boy let me tell you, it is a world of difference in this cake, if you think the traditional Tres Leches Cake Recipe is good, wait until you try this version!
We just can’t get enough. Now this is really an adults only version so I absolutely would not recommend it if there are kids involved as the Kahlua is not baked off in the recipe it self.
As you know Tres Leches Cake is a 3 milk cake, well we just added a little booze in replacement of that, so the cake itself soaks it all up, not a lot but there is some in there and you can absolutely tell.
Which I really find the beauty in it, some of my other favorite Tres Leches Cakes we have on our site is the Traditional version and our Coconut Tres Leches Cake.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With easy pantry staples this recipe comes together quickly.
- With the egg whites folded into the cake itself it gives it a nice texture.
- You can use any kind of coffee liquor that you like, Kahlua is just our favorite.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
All purpose flour
Baking powder
Cinnamon
Salt
Eggs,
Granulated sugar
Vanilla extract
Milk
Evaporated milk
Sweetened condensed milk
Heavy cream
Kahlua
HOW TO MAKE KAHLUA TRES LECHES CAKE RECIPE, STEP BY STEP:
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9 inch by 13 inch pan with non stick spray.
- Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl whip the egg yolks with ⅓ cup sugar, milk and vanilla till creamy. Gently mix into the flour.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites till frothy, then slowly add ⅔ cup sugar and beat till soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into the cake little by little. Careful not to over mix and deflate the eggs.
- Pour cake into cake pan and smooth cake evenly in the pan.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean it is done.
- Remove the cake and flip it over on a platter or leave in the pan. Let cool for 30 minutes. When the cake is cooled, poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick or a fork.
Sauce:
- In a bowl combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and the Kahlua.
- When the cake has cooled, pour the milk around the cake. You can reserve 1 cup for serving.
Topping:
- Whip the milk till it starts to slightly thicken, gradually add the sugar as it is whipping.
- When the topping is ready, spread over the cake and top with cinnamon, grated chocolate and chocolate covered coffee beans if desired.
Ok please do not let this Tres Leches Cake intimidate you, it really is such an easy cake. But I’ve been making it for years so I might just say that because I’m used to it.
Let’s just consider this cake a glorified poke cake! The only real thing that you do differently than your normal cake recipe is beat egg whites and fold them into the batter.
WHAT IS TRES LECHES CAKE?
A Tres Leches Cake, also known as pan tres leches, is a sponge cake. In some recipes, a butter cake soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream.
This version does not contain butter, so is more of a sponge cake, which helps it soak up the three milks that is used in the cake itself.
In this cake we add a little more liquid which is the Kahlua, which is not traditional but a spin of our own that we like. Normally it is just the three milks that is used.
But there is so many different versions of this Tres Leches Cake Recipe floating around that you can pretty much make any flavor that you like.
IS TRES LECHES CAKE SUPPOSED TO BE SOGGY?
In the correct terms yes, its actually supposed to be a very moist cake as the sponge cake itself soaks up all the milk as it cake which then it absorbs it and becomes full of moisture.
Do not worry if the cake does not soak up all the milk, this is normal and there usually is some that resides at the bottom, which we like to spoon on top of our plate to set the cake on and dunk it in.
CAN I USE COOL WHIP?
You can yes, we like to make our own whipped topping for this cake as it tastes better in my personal opinion but if you don’t feel like doing that extra step you can use cool whip.
Make sure that you use enough cool whip to cover the whole cake completely otherwise it won’t hold all the milky goodness in and crate a nice creamy topping for your Tres Leches Cake Recipe.
DO I HAVE TO USE KAHLUA?
No, you do not have to use Kahlua this recipe is based on using that liquor but you can use any liquor that you like, sometimes we like to use rumchata as well.
Kahlua is highly recommended in this version because like I said that is the way that we created this cake.
HOW TO STORE:
Tres Leches Cake needs to be properly stored in the refrigerator as it contains milk products. You can store in the cake pan or an airtight container where it will keep for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze this, but just the cake base itself, not with the milks poured into it. To do this bake your cake and cool according to directions.
Cover your cake pan with plastic wrap and then foil and place in your freezer and it should stay good for up to 2 months.
Let defrost on the countertop or in the refrigerator and then pour your milks and decorate.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can leave in pan or take out before pouring the milk over the top, this is a personal decision, we take it out because we like to frost all sides.
- We top ours with chocolate covered coffee beans, this is completely optional.
- You can switch up your liquors if you like, mentioned above we have used rumchata before.
- Milk left in the pan or under the cake is normal.
- Top with cinnamon and shaved chocolate if desired.
- You can freeze this cake, see my tips above on how to do that.
If you want a fun, tasty and moist cake recipe then you have to give this Kahlua Tres Leches Cake a try, it will become one of your new favorites!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
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Kahlua Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 eggs separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
Sauce:
- 12 oz evaporated milk
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup Kahlua
Topping:
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350° and spray a 9 inch by 13 inch pan with non stick spray.
- Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl whip the egg yolks with ⅓ cup sugar, milk and vanilla till creamy. Gently mix into the flour.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites till frothy, then slowly add ⅔ cup sugar and beat till soft peaks form.
- Fold egg whites into the cake little by little. Careful not to over mix and deflate the eggs.
- Pour cake batter into cake pan and smooth cake evenly in the pan.
- Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. When a toothpick comes out clean it is done.
- Remove the cake and flip it over on a platter or leave in the pan. Let cool for 30 minutes. When the cake is cooled, poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick or a fork.
Sauce:
- In a bowl combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and the Kahlua.
- When the cake has cooled, pour the milk around the cake. You can reserve 1 cup for serving.
Topping:
- Whip the milk till it starts to slightly thicken, gradually add the sugar as it is whipping.
- When the topping is ready, spread over the cake and top with cinnamon, grated chocolate and chocolate covered coffee beans if desired.
Notes
- You can leave in pan or take out before pouring the milk over the top, this is a personal decision, we take it out because we like to frost all sides.
- We top ours with chocolate covered coffee beans, this is completely optional.
- You can switch up your liquors if you like, mentioned above we have used rumchata before.
- Milk left in the pan or under the cake is normal.
- Top with cinnamon and shaved chocolate if desired.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Shelly Yoder
We LOVE this recipe! I shared it with my boss from Texas-and it’s her family’s favorite now.
It has the important step of cooling upside down to keep the sponge from collapsing and the milk sauce is perfect. When there is a celebration this is the cake I make.