Gingerbread Tres Leches Cake

4.35 (3)
⏱ 70 mins 🍽 Serves 12 🌶 mexican ✅ Easy 🏷 Dessert

This festive dessert puts a Mexican twist on a classic sponge. A light ginger and cinnamon cake is baked, then thoroughly soaked with a sweet trio of milks. After chilling to set the texture, it's finished with a cloud of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. The recipe serves 12 and takes about 70 minutes of active preparation, plus additional chilling time for the flavours to meld beautifully.

Gingerbread Tres Leches Cake

Ingredients

  • flavourless oil for the tin
  • 4 eggs separated
  • 200g muscovado sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 11/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon plus a pinch
  • 100ml milk
  • 410g can evaporated milk
  • 200ml sweetened condensed milk plus 2 tbsp
  • 300ml double cream

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a deep 23cm springform tin and line its base. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt for about 3 mins until foamy. Gradually whisk in 150g of the sugar until the mixture is thick and glossy.
  2. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the leftover sugar and vanilla for 2 mins until pale. Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, spices and milk using a spatula.
  3. Stir a spoonful of the egg whites into the batter to loosen it, then carefully fold in the rest with a metal spoon. Transfer to the tin, level the top, and bake for 40-45 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Meanwhile, mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk and 50ml of the double cream.
  4. Let the cake cool in its tin for 10-15 mins. Turn it out onto a lipped serving plate and peel off the parchment. Allow it to cool for a further 10 mins.
  5. Use a skewer to poke holes all over the warm cake. Slowly pour about a quarter of the milk mixture over it, letting it absorb before adding more. Repeat until all the milk is used. save any excess to serve later. This may take a couple of hours. Once cool, refrigerate the cake. After all milk is absorbed, chill for another 2 hrs or overnight.
  6. Whip the remaining cream with the 2 tbsp condensed milk to soft peaks. Spread it over the chilled cake and finish with a pinch of cinnamon. Store chilled for up to two days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories376 kcal
Fat19 g
Saturates11 g
Carbs43 g
Sugars30 g
Fibre1 g
Protein7 g
Sodium120 mg

Recipe details

Skill levelEasy
CategoryDessert
Cuisinemexican
DietVegetarian