Publised on 29/04/2024. Last Updated on 24/08/2024 by Richard
The softest vegan tres leches cake. Perfect for a vegan Cinco de Mayo, soaked in vegan condensed milk and topped with vegan whipped cream.
If you’ve ever craved a slice of vegan tres leches cake that truly knocks your socks off, then buckle up, because I’ve got just the recipe for you! This isn’t just any vegan tres leches cake; it’s a ticket to a fluffy, moist wonderland, perfected for a Vegan Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Last year, at a friend’s birthday gathering, I tasted a version that set the bar sky-high. It was so good a had to go to the bathroom for a little cry afterwards. Ever since, I’ve been on a mission to create a recipe that not only matches but surpasses that gold standard (I wan't my cake to make the WHOLE WORLD cry!) and honestly, no brag, but I think I nailed this one folks. Believe me when I say, you're gonna wanna make this vegan tres leches cake on the daily.
So when you've polished off your plate of vegan tacos, this is the recipe to follow up with!
Jump to:
🍰 What is Vegan Tres Leches Cake?
Originally from Latin America, tres leches cake is famed for its light, moist texture, usually achieved by soaking it in three kinds of milk: condensed, evaporated and whole. My vegan tres leches cake twists the traditional by swapping out dairy for next-level vegan alternatives.
I know how beloved this cake is to many people, so as always, I made it my mission to keep the original soul of this recipe, despite making it plant-based. I really hope you're happy with it! Instead of dairy, this recipe uses vegan condensed milk (ideally coconut), vegan evaporated milk (ideally coconut again), and plant milk. These come together to create a cake that’s indulgent yet totally light and fluffy, making it perfect for all occasions, from vegan birthdays to vegan Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
📝 Vegan Tres Leches Cake Ingredients
Ready to whip up this delightful cake? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Plant milk (unsweetened and unflavoured)
- Vegan yoghurt (again, unsweetened and unflavoured)
- Vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- Vanilla extract
- White wine vinegar
- Cake flour (see the section on cake flour below for more info)
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda (aka bicarbonate of soda)
- Salt
For the Soak and Toppings
- Vegan evaporated milk (I use evaporated coconut milk from Nature's Charm brand)
- Vegan sweetened condensed milk (I use condensed coconut milk from Nature's Charm brand)
- Plant milk
- Vanilla extract
- Vegan whipping cream (you can use my recipe or your favourite store bought variety)
- Caster sugar (aka superfine sugar)
- Cinnamon
- Optional: sliced strawberries for serving
🔀 Ingredient Substitutions and Swaps
If you find yourself missing an ingredient or two, don’t fret!
- For the plant-based milks, soy or oat milk work best but any will do. Just avoid any low fat varieties and any flavoured or sweetened plant milks.
- No vegan yoghurt on hand? Silken tofu blended with a teaspoon of lemon juice creates a perfect alternative.
- Out of white wine vinegar? Apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar will do the trick just as well. Just make sure you don't use any vinegar with an overly strong flavour or colour.
🍰 Why Use Cake Flour?
So, why the big fuss about cake flour? Cake flour is like royalty of flours when it comes to cake baking, with a finer texture and lower protein content than all-purpose flour. It’s a game changer for achieving a tender crumb (essential in a tres leches cake) that’ll have everyone swooning.
This isn’t just beneficial for our vegan tres leches cake; it’s a pro tip for all your cakes, like my vegan birthday cake or my vegan pound cake. If you’re in the UK and struggling to find cake flour, try your local Asian supermarket. Look for something like the Purple Orchid brand Special Bun Flour—it’s a perfect substitute as it mimics the exact low gluten content and fine texture of cake flour.
🤲 How to Make Vegan Tres Leches Cake
Let’s get baking! If you're in a hurry, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page in the recipe card. For everyone looking for a simple breakdown of the process, follow these simple steps:
Prepare the Cake: Mix the plant milk, vegan yoghurt, oil, and vanilla extract. In another bowl, mix the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir till smooth. Pour into a prepped baking tin and bake.
Soak: Blend the vegan milks with vanilla and pour over the cooled cake. Let it soak up all that goodness. This can take a few hours, so be patient!
Whipped Cream Layer: Whip up your vegan cream with sugar and vanilla until it forms stiff peaks. If using my vegan whipped cream recipe, you can do this in advance and set aside.
Assemble: Once soaked, top your cake with the whipped cream, dust with cinnamon, and if you’re feeling fancy, add some sliced strawberries.
🤷♀️ Tres Leches Cake FAQs
A: Yes, Tres Leches Cake can be made in advance and is actually recommended to allow the cake to fully absorb the milks. It's best to let the cake soak for at least 3 to 24 hours before serving. Simply cover and store the soaking sponge in the refrigerator, but remove around 30 minutes before serving for the ideal cake texture.
A: The cake should be moist but not excessively soggy. It should have absorbed the milk mixture enough to be very moist but should still hold its shape when cut. The goal is a moist, creamy texture without it falling apart.
A: It is not recommended to freeze Tres Leches Cake. Freezing can alter the texture of the milk-soaked sponge, potentially making it grainy or icy. For best results, enjoy the cake fresh within a few days of making it, keeping it refrigerated.
A: Oh sure! Try my vegan peach cobbler for a nice easy summer classic. Try my vegan birthday cake for, yknow, birthdays. And try my vegan tiramisu for ANY DAY of the week!
And there you have it, your guide to making the ultimate vegan tres leches cake for your next vegan Cinco de Mayo celebrations! Why not take a snap of your masterpiece and tag @schoolnightvegan on social media? I’d love to see your creations!
For more Mexican inspired treats, why not whip up my vegan fajitas or my vegan taco bowl! Or for a completely inauthentic, VERY Tex-Mex vibe, maybe you'll love my vegan seven layer dip with a bag of chips!
Vegan Tres Leches Cake
Equipment
- 20x20cm (8x8 inch) square cake/brownie tin
- Medium Bowl
- Large bowl
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 140 ml plant milk unsweetened and unflavoured, at room temperature
- 75 g vegan yoghurt unsweetened and unflavoured, at room temperature
- 50 ml vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar or sub for any plain neutral vinegar like rice vinegar
- 180 g cake flour see notes in blog post above
- 125 g caster sugar aka superfine sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda aka baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the Soak
- 180 ml vegan evaporated milk I use evaporated coconut milk from Nature's Charm
- 90 ml vegan sweetened condensed milk I use condensed coconut milk from Nature's Charm
- 30 ml plant milk unsweetened and unflavoured, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Vegan Whipped Cream Layer
- 270 ml vegan whipping cream use my recipe or store bought
- 2 tablespoon caster sugar aka superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- Sliced strawberries optional
Instructions
To Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Grease and line a 20x20cm (8x8 inch) square cake/brownie tin.
- Place the plant milk, vegan yoghurt, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and white wine vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.140 ml plant milk, 75 g vegan yoghurt, 50 ml vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ¼ teaspoon white wine vinegar
- In a large bowl, sieve then whisk together the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.180 g cake flour, 125 g caster sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just smooth. Don’t over mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool for 10 mins in the tin on a wire cooling rack before carefully flipping and leaving to cool fully.
- While the cake cools, prepare the soak.
To Make the Soak
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the soak ingredients. If the condensed milk doesn’t whisk smooth, heat the mixture in the microwave for 20 seconds or until gently warmed then whisk again.180 ml vegan evaporated milk, 90 ml vegan sweetened condensed milk, 30 ml plant milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Return the cooled cake to the cake tin and prick all over with a fork. Pour the soak over the entire cake, then cover and leave to soak for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.
- To Make the Whipped Cream Layer
- Place the vegan whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Alternatively, whip the vegan cream in a medium bowl using an electric hand whisk. Add the caster sugar and vanilla extract then whip again until stiff peaks form.270 ml vegan whipping cream, 2 tablespoon caster sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Once the cake has absorbed all the soak, top with the whipped cream layer and spread flat.
To Serve
- Dust the top of the cake with the cinnamon then slice into 9 squares.1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Serve with sliced fresh strawberries.Sliced strawberries
Yuri
What a delicious cake! This was the last piece of missing from my vegan puzzle and finally found it. I had not been able to replicate an authentic tres leches cake but you did it! The only swap I made was the evaporate milk and plant milk. The first time I made it, the mixture was too thick and didn’t absorb (which has been my problem historically). For the soak I used 150ml of soy milk, 90ml of oat condensed milk and 60ml of coconut evaporated milk. For some reason natures charm evaporated coconut milk was very thick this time and I was able to find an oat based condensed milk (also by natures charm). For the whip I used Trader Joe’s vegan heavy whip. I also added a bit of the soak in the bottom of the pan before putting the cake back in once it was fully cooled. Thanks again, I can’t wait to share it with my Mexican family!
Lily
Quite possibly the best cake I have ever eaten. Not to out myself but I spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about this cake, it's literally that good. Flawless recipe, thank you Richard for both making and ruining my life with this cake <3
Lindsay S
Perfection. There's no other word for this cake, it's just perfect. 5 stars is not enough. For quick reference on the whipping cream: 145 g soy milk, 125 g deodorized coconut oil
Sara
Help! Can’t find cake flour or the equivalent in the UK?
On a deep dive it says replacing part of the flour with cornstarch, is this going to work?
CMC
I made this exactly as written with SNVs whipped cream and it was amazing (and well received by vegans and non vegans). The whip was so light and fluffy, the soak was just the right amount, and the cake was perfectly spongy. I’m making this again to have more people try. Despite needing to wait overnight, this is a super easy and doable recipe (even for non bakers like me). Thank you so much for this!!!
Clara Robinson
ABSOLUTELY UNREAL! Will be making this every week from now on haha
Carli from Canada
How are your recipes this consistently good?? Such a fan!!!