🍁🥮 Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake features a tender pumpkin sponge cake with a rich three-milk mixture that soaks into it for the moistest cake ever! Topped with vanilla whipped cream and cinnamon, this cake is the pumpkin spice version of classic tres leches cake! It’s a showstopping fall cake or Thanksgiving dessert! Baking shortcut options are also provided to save time and energy.
Easy Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake Recipe
- A cozy fall twist on a classic. This tres leches cake with pumpkin showcases the same spongy soft cake that classic Tres Leches Cake is known for. But here the warming notes of pumpkin spice and cinnamon are perfect for pumpkin cravings and holiday tables. I also have a recipe for Tres Leches Cupcakes because I’m such a fan!
- Genuinely moist without being soggy. Tres leches literally translates to ‘three milks’ and this pumpkin sponge cake is sturdy enough to soak up all three milks while staying tender and rich, without heavy or turning overly soggy.
- Ideal, make-ahead, poke cake dessert. A tres leches cake is essentially a poke cake, meaning holes are poked into the baked cake before pouring a sweet, milky mixture over the top, and it needs 6 to 24 hours in the fridge for that to soak in properly. So you can safely make this cake the day before Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or any fall or winter entertaining you’re doing.
- Serves a larger group. You can get 12+ servings from this easy tres leches cake that’s made in a 9×13-inch baking pan. So it’s a great dessert for family dinners, holidays entertaining for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving, or any time you’re entertaining this fall.
- Simple ingredients yield bakery-style results. Everything you’ll need to make this pumpkin dessert recipe comes from common fridge and pantry ingredients.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches Cake
For the pumpkin cake there are a few notable omissions: no vegetable oil or oil of any kind; no butter; and no brown sugar. Trust me, this cake works perfectly without any of them and by default keeps the cake lighter and less sugary.
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Standard all-purpose flour gives the sponge the right structure to hold three milks without collapsing. For gluten-free, you can try using a cup-for-cup replacer intended for baking, but I haven’t personally tested it.
- Pumpkin pie spice. The blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves is what fall is all about.
- Eggs, separated. Whipping the whites separately is what gives this cake its signature soft, spongy texture. Don’t skip this step or beat the eggs in whole.
- Granulated sugar, divided. Part goes into the yolks and part into the whites so both mixtures whip up properly.
- Pumpkin purée. Use plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced and will throw the recipe off.
- Whole milk. Adds moisture to the batter itself, before the tres leches soak ever touches the cake.
- Vanilla extract. Use pure vanilla extract for the truest flavor throughout the cake, milk mixture, and whipped topping.
Don’t Want To Make a Scratch Cake?
Then don’t! If you’d rather skip making the spongy pumpkin cake from scratch to save time and energy, do what I did in my Pumpkin Caramel Poke Cake for the cake portion which takes advantage of using a boxed spice cake mix as a baking shortcut. And then carry on with the tres leches soak and whipped topping.
For the tres leches mixture:
- Evaporated milk. Evaporated milk is unsweetened and compared to sweetened condensed milk, it’s much ‘thinner’ so the two are not at all interchangeable.
- Sweetened condensed milk. Provides the signature sweetness and creamy thickness of a classic tres leches soak. I’ve only made this with full-fat/full-sugar sweetened condensed milk.
- Whole milk or half-and-half. Either works. Half-and-half gives more richness and decadence, while whole milk keeps it a little lighter but still not ‘lite’. I tend to use whole milk since I’m already using it in the cake batter.
- Vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. Keeps the flavor notes the same here as in the cake.
For the whipped topping:
Shortcut: Use Cool Whip or another favorite whipped topping to save time!
- Heavy whipping cream. Cold cream whips faster and holds peaks better, so keep it chilled until you’re ready to use it. Don’t substitute half-and-half here since it won’t whip.
- Confectioners’ sugar. Sweetens the whipped cream without any graininess. Sift if yours is lumpy.
- Vanilla extract. Rounds out the topping and ties it to the cake and soak mixture.
- Ground cinnamon, optional. A light dusting on top adds a warm finish and a pretty presentation.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make a Tres Leches Pumpkin Cake
- Dry ingredients: To a large bowl, add them along with the pumpkin pie spice, whisk to combine; set aside.
- Separate the eggs and beat the yolks: Beat the egg yolks with most of the sugar until pale and thick, which takes a few minutes. Don’t rush this step, because the air you build here is part of what gives the cake its light and spongy texture.
- Add: Mix in the pumpkin, whole milk, and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture with the dry ingredients.
- Whip the egg whites: In a separate clean bowl, whip the whites (at room temperature they’ll whip easier) with the remaining sugar until they hold stiff, glossy peaks that don’t droop when you lift the beater. Fold them into the pumpkin mixture gently then turn batter into a 9×13-inch prepared pan in a 350F oven.
- Bake and cool: Bake for about 25 minutes or until done and then let the cake cool fully. This may take hours depending on your kitchen and climate.
- Poke and soak: Using a skewer or tines of a fork, generously poke the top of the cake all over the whole surface.
- Tres leches: To a medium bowl, add the 3 milks, whisk to combine, and slowly pour over the cake.
- Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate for 6+ hours to overnight to let the milk soak in before serving.
- Whipped cream and serving: Make the whipped cream before serving, spread it across the top, and finish with a dusting of cinnamon and serve.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
🍁🥮 A tender pumpkin sponge cake with a rich three-milk mixture that soaks into it for the moistest cake ever! Topped with vanilla whipped cream and cinnamon, this cake is the pumpkin spice version of classic tres leches cake! And excellent entertaining cake all fall or make it for Thanksgiving dessert! Baking shortcut options are also provided to save time and energy.
Video
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or to taste
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Tres Leches Mixture
- 12 ounces 1 can evaporated milk
- 14 ounces 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup whole milk, half-and-half may be used for a richer option
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pinch of salt
Whipped Topping
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream, must be cold (do not substitute with another type of dairy)
- 3-4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted if lumpy
- ½ to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon, optional for dusting
Instructions
- Cake Shortcut: Make a spice cake with pumpkin puree like I do in this Pumpkin Poke Cake, using the same measurements. Bake it, cool it, poke it, and then carry on with making and adding the Tres Leches Mixture and Whipped Topping as outlined below.
- Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- Pumpkin Cake: To a large bowl, add the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking, soda, salt, whisk to combine; set aside.Flavoring Tip – Add the pumpkin pie spice to taste, and many times I'll add additional ground cinnamon and ground ginger because I like those flavors the most but it's up to you and personal taste preferences.
- Separate the Eggs: Use 3 bowls to separate the 5 eggs. One bowl to crack into, one for yolks, one for whites, so that one bad egg or bad cracking doesn't ruin the whole batch. Tips – Crack eggs when they're cold and straight from the fridge because the yolks are less likely to break. Not a single drop of yolk can get into the whites, or they won't whip properly. Make sure your mixing bowls are EXTREMELY clean. Any residual grease, natural oils, etc. are bad for whipping eggs. Eggs whip best when they're room temp so if you want to wait a bit between cracking and whipping, you can.
- Beat Yolks: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the 5 egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until pale and thick; about 3-4 minutes.Tips – This takes a few minutes, and it matters because the air you build here is part of what gives the sponge its light texture. Don't rush it.
- Add the pumpkin purée, milk, vanilla, and beat to incorporate, about 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl, and stir by hand or beat on low just until combined; don't overmix or cake will be tougher. Set aside.
- Beat Egg Whites: To a separate separate medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, about 5-10 minutes depending on your mixer and speed.Tips – Soft peaks aren't enough. The whites need to hold their shape firmly before they go into the batter. Stiff, glossy peaks that don't droop when you lift the beaters are what you're looking for. Room temp egg whites whip easier than cold but by now they're likely at room temp. Make sure your bowl is fastidiously clean because any residual grease or natural oil will prevent stiff peaks from forming; as will any drop of egg yolk.
- Sugar: Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat it into the stiff peaks.
- Fold Carefully and Gently: Gently fold the egg whites into the pumpkin batter and do not overmix.
- You don't want to deflate those glorious egg whites that you've taken the time to whisk to stiff peaks because this is what's going to keep your cake light and spongy.
- Bake: Turn out the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is fully set and the top is springy to the touch. Rotate pan once midway through baking for even browning. Start checking at about 20 minutes.
- Cool: You must cool the cake fully. Depending on your climate and kitchen temp, this may take 1 hour or 6 hours. Hard to say, but it needs to be fully cooled because a warm cake absorbs the milk mixture too fast on the surface and not evenly throughout. Whereas a fully cooled cake soaks gradually and evenly all the way through.
- Poke: Poke the cooled cake all over with a skewer (wooden or metal) or the tines of a fork. Make a lot of little holes, I'd say about 100; poke down nearly to the base of the cake but don't go to the very bottom.
- Tres Leches Mixture: To a medium bowl or 4-cup glass measuring cup, add all the ingredients.
- Whisk well to combine.
- Pour: Slowly pour the three milk mixture over the cake, letting it absorb gradually as you're pouring. Don't rush.
- Soak and Set: Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, which is why this is such a great make-ahead dessert. You can make it up to 48 hours before you plan to serve it. Tips – Overnight is optimal because the tres leches mixture distributes fully, the texture sets, and the spices meld into something that tastes completely different from a cake that's only had a few hours resting.
- Whipped Topping Shortcut: Use at least 1 tub or thawed Cool Whip or a similar type of whipped topping (store brand) and if you like a lot Cool Whip like m, you may need to use about half of a second tub. You can use lite or fat free if preferred.
- Whipped Cream: To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or large mixing bowl and handheld electric mixer, add the cold heavy cream and beat for about 5 minutes, or until it thickens. Gently fold in the sugar to taste, vanilla, and beat to incorporate.
- Spread: Evenly spread the whipped cream or whipped topping over the surface of your chilled cake lightly with a spatula or offset spatula.
- Cinnamon Dusting, optional for serving: If desired, evenly sprinkle ground cinnamon over the top.
- Serving: Slice and serve your cake making sure to spoon any unabsorbed tres leches mixture from the bottom of the cake pan to the pieces of cake.
Notes
Storage: This cake must be stored airtight in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 4-5 days. It actually gets better over the first couple of days as the soak continues to distribute and the flavors deepen.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 336cal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 99mg, Sodium: 262mg, Potassium: 273mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 2483IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 214mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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