Rasmalai Tres Leches cake is the ultimate dessert mashup of Indian Rasmalai and Mexican Tres Leches cake!! Cardamom scented creamy ricotta whipped cream slathered on a sponge cake that is soaked in saffron infused milk.
What is Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake?
It is a creative mashup of Rasmalai sweet and Tres leches cake - A cardamom scented sponge cake is soaked with the saffron and cardamom flavored three milks. It is then topped with a homemade ricotta whipped frosting.
This saffron milk cake has been consistently been one of our most popular recipes - It is truly the best Indian tres leches cake recipes that you will ever make!
If you love this cake, then you might fall in love with Tiramisu Tres Leches Cake <---- Another creative mashup of Italian Tiramisu and Mexican Tres Leches!
Few of our reader feed backs:
"This was the best cake i could ever make. I have recently started baking and your recipe is truly awesome. The way you explained every single step is so informative and easy to follow. As soon as the cake was ready to serve, it got vanished. All credit goes to you for creating this master piece 😘😘😘😘"
"Made this cake for eid for my in-laws and it went down so quick, thank you very much for this detailed explanation and directions. It tasted amazing, best cake I’ve made"
"I finally made the cake and it turned out delicious! Thank you for all your tips, detailed instructions and prompt replies to my queries!!"
How to make Rasmalai Cake?
This Rasmalai tres leches cake is not an easy, one bowl kinda cake - It takes two days to make.
First day ---> Bake cake. Soak cake with saffron milk. Make ricotta cream.
Second day ---> Make ricotta cardamom whipped cream. Finish cake.
Don't you worry. I have included a lot of pictures to guide you along the way. You are all set to make your new favorite cake for birthdays, holidays, parties, get togethers or anytime you wanna celebrate.
More details:
You will need a 9 by 13 inch pan. Or the same recipe in two 8 by 8 inch (round/square) pans to make two cakes.
FIRST DAY:
- It is easier to seperate eggs when they are cold. So remove eggs and seperate 'em and leave aside to come to room temperature (1-2 hours before making cake). Remember it is easier to seperate eggs when they are cold whereas room temperature eggs whip to full volume. (refer picture above - left)
- Whisk all dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks form (refer picture above - middle)
- With clean beaters, beat yolks and sugar until very think (refer picture above - right)
5. Add milk ( straight out of the refrigerator is ok ) (refer picture above - middle)
6. Beat for about 30 seconds, until well combined. (refer picture above - right)
7. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold whisked dry ingredients in two additions (refer picture below - left)
8. Gently fold in whipped egg whites in three additions, taking care not to loose all that air. Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13 inch pan. (refer picture below - right)
9. When is baking, heat 1 and ½ cups milk in stove top or microwave. Take off heat, when it comes to a boil. Stir in saffron and let milk cool to room temperature. Mix along with sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream.
10. When cake is cooled, poke holes all over cake with a tooth pick (refer picture above - right). Gently pour milk all over cake, cover pan with a foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate over night.
10. Make ricotta whipped cream - Boil milk, cream and salt. Stir in vinegar to curdle and strain in a cheesecloth (refer picture below - left). Refrigerate until second day.
SECOND DAY
11. Beat ricotta, heavy cream, sugar and cardamom powder until it gets thick. (refer picture below - right)
12. Remove soaked cake from refrigerator ( refer picture below - left) and spread ricotta cardamom whipped cream on top (refer picture below - right).
13. Store cake in refrigerator. Leftovers can be stored in the same pan for up to 3 days.
Tips and tricks in making the cardamom Tres Leches cake:
- Room temperature eggs - room temperature eggs whip to full volume when compared to cold eggs. But, eggs are easier to be separated when cold. So seperate cold eggs and leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours before making cake.
- Use freshly ground cardamom powder. It makes a huge difference! Grind about ¼ cup green cardamoms in a dry grinder, until finely ground. Excess cardamom powder can be stored in a zip lock bag and placed in the freezer for months.
- Fold egg whites without loosing much of the air - We need all those tine air bubbles intact to soak up the sweet saffron milk.
- Make a creamy ricotta - please follow instructions to the dot, to get a smooth, creamy ricotta.
Frequently asked questions:
NO. This ricotta is made with lots of cream and uses a very gently separation method to produce a fresh ricotta. Store bought ones will never come close.
Soft, spongy dumplings made out of fresh cooked paneer (aka ricotta) is boiled in a thin sugar syrup until doubled in volume. These dumplings are then soaked in sweet saffron infused milk for several hours. The dumplings are severed with the milk and garnished with chopped pistachios.
"Tres Leches" means three milks. A sponge cake is soaked with 3 types of milk ( authentic tres leches cake recipe includes sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk) and then topped with whipped cream. It is very popular in Mexico and Latin America.
This cake is unlike any other cake that you will eat. Dripping with sweet milk, it is so soft and moist.
Unfortunately, this rasmalai cake recipe is too soft to be made into layer cakes.
Though I haven’t used it personally, fresh lemon juice / white vinegar is a common replacement for cream of tarter. You will need ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice/vinegar for the ⅛ teaspoon cream of tarter.
Storage instructions:
The cake can refrigerated (wrap the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap) for up to 4 days.
Keeping track of all the cake recipes? Check out Carrot Walnut Cake
More Mexican recipes:
Spicy Chicken Ranch Quesadillas
Homemade Chicken Taco Seasoning
If you love this saffron tres leches cake, then you might also love these recipes:
Zucchini Cardamom Cupcakes with Lemon Glaze
Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Cardamom Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 and ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tarter
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
- ⅓ cup milk
Saffron milk
- 2 healthy pinches saffron threads
- 1 and ½ cups whole milk
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (about ½ of 14 ounce can)
Ricotta cream
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 and ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 and ¼ tablespoons white vinegar
Ricotta cardamom whipped cream
- 1 and ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons cardamom powder
Additional ingredient (optional)
- chopped raw pistachios
Instructions
FIRST DAY
Make cardamom cake
- Seperate eggs and place egg whites in a medium bowl and yolks in a large bowl and let come to room temperature, for about 1-2 hours. (Eggs straight of out of the refrigerator are easier to to seperate when compared to room temperature eggs)
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Whisk together all purpose flour, baking powder, cardamom powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Using a hand held electric beater, beat eggs whites and cream of tarter for about 2 minutes, until soft peaks form. Set bowl aside, Rinse and dry beaters thoroughly.
- Using the hand held electric beater, beat egg yolks for about 2 minutes, until thick. Add sugar in 3 batches and continue to beat for about 4 more minutes, until thick and falls back as ribbons when beater is lifted. Add milk and beat for a few seconds, until mixed well.
- Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in flour mixture in 2 additions. Then, fold in beaten egg whites in 3 additions. (be gentle while folding the whites we don't want to loose all that air).
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread batter into an even layer. Bake for about 20 minutes, until slightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes clean.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Make saffron milk
- When the cake is baking, make safron milk.
- Let milk come to a boil (either on a stove top or microwave). Take off heat and stir in saffron. Let cool to room temperature.
- Mix cooled saffron milk, heavy cream and sweetened condensed milk together until thoroughly combined.
Soak cake with saffron milk
- When cake has cooled completely, poke holes all over the cake with a toothpick (this will help in the milk seeping into the cake and make it ultra moist).
- Gently pour saffron milk, all over the cake making sure it is even (else, the cake some part of the cake might be dry when another part is dripping with too much milk). Cover pan with a foil or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 8 hours or overnight.
Make ricotta cream
- Combine milk, cream and salt in a non-stick sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off stove immediately. Stir in vinegar and let stand for exactly 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spread cheesecloth or thin kitchen towel on a strainer and place over a bowl. After 5 minutes, pour curdled milk into the cheesecloth lined strainer and let stand for 2 hours, until all whey is separated. Transfer ricotta into a covered container and store in the refrigerator overnight.
SECOND DAY
Make ricotta cardamom whipped cream
- Place ricotta in a large bowl and beat with a hand held electric beater for about 2 minutes on high to make it creamy (the beater might struggle a little since the ricotta is thick, but just keep it moving around).
- Add heavy cream, sugar and cardamom powder and continue to beat until thick frosting consistency.
Finish rasmalai tres leches cake
- Spread ricotta cardamom whipped cream on top of the cake and spread evenly. You can leave as is or swirl around with a clean spoon (to make it like the pictures) or use your favorite method of decorating.
- Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top, if required.
- Cover pan with a plastic wrap or foil and store in refrgearator.
- Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake needs to be always stored in the refrigeartor.
Notes
- Room temperature eggs - room temperature eggs whip to full volume when compared to cold eggs. But, eggs are easier to be separated when cold. So seperate cold eggs and leave at room temperature for 1-2 hours before making cake.
- Use freshly ground cardamom powder. It makes a huge difference! Grind about ¼ cup green cardamoms in a dry grinder, until finely ground. Excess cardamom powder can be stored in a zip lock bag and placed in the freezer for months.
- Try to fold egg whites without loosing much of the air. We need all those tine air bubbles intact to soak up the sweet saffron milk.
- Make a creamy ricotta - please follow instructions to the dot, to get a smooth, creamy ricotta.
- Can you substitute store bought ricotta instead ? NO. This ricotta is made with lots of cream and uses a very gently separation method to produce a fresh ricotta. Store bought ones will never come close.
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Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
This recipe sounds amazing Maria!! Love the flavor of saffron incorporated in this tres Leches cake.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I've never baked with saffron (am I crazy)? I really want to try this cake!
Sweta
This cake was a huge hit at our family Raksha Bandhan party! The instructions are perfect. I did cut back on the sugar by about 25% over all, but it was still delicious. Everyone said it tasted exactly like actual ras malai. I will probably be making this again!
Lola
Love this recipe! I would suggest not buttering the cake pan and letting the cake cool upside down. Buttering the cake pan makes it shrink as it’s a sponge cake, and hanging it upside down to cool will make sure it doesn’t deflate.
Maria Doss
Thank you Lola, I think not buttering the cake pan is a wonderful idea, since that is a proven method for all sponge cakes. However, cooling the cake upside might run the risk of cake collapsing down since we are working with a large pan.
Sincerely appreciate your feedback, I have updated the recipe 🙂
Urmila Sumeet Kumar
Dear Maria this was the best cake i could ever make. I have recently started baking and your recipe is truly awesome. The way you explained every single step is so informative and easy to follow. As soon as the cake was ready to serve, it got vanished. All credit goes to you for creating this master piece 😘😘😘😘
Maria Doss
That sounds wonderful hun, glad you loved it:)
Shiful
Made this cake for eid for my in-laws and it went down so quick, thank you very much for this detailed explanation and directions. It tasted amazing, best cake I've made.
Maria Doss
That sounds great Shiful!! Wishing you a very happy Eid:)
Mahima
Dear Maria,
I baked this cake for my hubby's birthday yesterday and we felt it is the best cake we have had. Awesome recipe and your detailed steps made it so easy - prepared it in two days as you suggested. Thanks a lot!!
Yus
Can I make the ricotta Cream and then turn it into frosting on the same day? Or does it have to sit in the fridge overnight?
Maria Doss
Hi Yus, The ricotta is refrigerated for two reasons :
1. It thickens further
2. It gets it very cold which in turns results in a much better ricotta whipped cream
Hope it helps:)
Yus
I followed the exact directions for the ricotta cream, but after I strained it, it remained all liquidy. It didn’t turn into ricotta at all. I don’t know where I went wrong?!
Maria Doss
Looks like it didn't curdle
Maria Doss
In step-1 of making ricotta cream, the whey and ricotta should have separated.
There might be two possible reasons for not separating -
1. The cream wasn't hot enough
2. There was not enough acidity
However, it is very easy to fix the problem. You turn on the stove again and keep it on low heat, the cream will begin to curdle. If it still doesn't in a few minutes, then add 1 or 2 more teaspoon vinegar.
Hope it helps:)
Yus
Yes. I put it back on the stove and brought it to a boil again and added more vinegar. I needed more than what was stated here for some reason. But in the end it worked out just fine. Since I needed the cake done tonight, I quickly freezed the ricotta cream for an hour and then whipped it into frosting. Really loved how the frosting turned out! Thank you!
Maria Doss
So glad it worked out 🙂
Amanda
Hello! I really want to make this cake for my boyfriend's birthday this week, Rasmalai is his favorite! What kind of vinegar do you recommend?
Maria Doss
Hi Amanda, It is plain white vinegar.
Anuja
Hi Maria, This recipe is exactly what I was looking for! Could you please tell me what brand of heavy cream to buy for this recipe? Have recently moved to India and am struggling to find heavy cream especially to frost cakes etc
TIA
Maria Doss
Hi Anuja, Have you tried Amul whipping cream?
Anuja
Thank you Maria for getting back. I am only able to find the low fat (25%) Amul fresh cream, not the whipping cream. Would that work for this recipe?
Is there a source you recommend for Amul whipping cream (am in Bengaluru)? Planning to make this cake this weekend for a special birthday so thank you for all your tips!
Maria Doss
Hi Anuja, Since I live in the US and use products from here, I am not able assist you with experience.
However, I found this video which might be of help to you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjMLzgYxWe4
Also while making the cake, I think you can use the 25% fresh cream in place of heavy whipping cream without running into any issues. The Final ricotta whipped cream on top might not be as firm, but will still work.
Hope it helps and enjoy your party:)
Sherm
Hi, I am going to try making this starting today for Saturday but I don’t have cream of tater, is there a substitute I can use?
Maria Doss
Hi Sherm, Though I haven't used it personally, fresh lemon juice / white vinegar is a common replacement for cream of tarter. You will need 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice/vinegar for the 1/8 teaspoon cream of tarter.
Hope it helps:)
Anuja
Hi Maria, I finally made the cake and it turned out delicious! Thank you for all your tips, detailed instructions and prompt replies to my queries!!
Maria Doss
That's wonderful, glad you liked it:)
Priya
Thanks for the detailed recipe Maria. Can I leave the cake after frosting in the fridge uncovered? If yes, then for how long? My cake reached all the way to the top of my pan, so will be hard to cover it with frosting on, without damaging the frosting.
Maria Doss
That should not be a problem for up to a day. Just make sure that there is else open (or partially sealed) in the fridge that the cake might pick up smell from (like onion, yogurt, idli batter,...). Hope it helps:)
Priya
Thanks for your reply. I could keep the decorated cake in the fridge uncovered for about 4 hours and it didn’t effect the texture of taste of the cake (I was careful about no smelly open things, and put a bowl of baking soda in the fridge for a good measure). This recipe came out so wonderfully!! Not overwhelmingly sweet at all. All the guests raved about it. I didn’t have cream to combine with saffron milk, so skipped it. I used 6oz condensed milk instead of 7 oz. Also cut down sugar to 1/2 cup in whipped cream. I used heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream as that’s what I had. The cake needed about 26 minutes in my oven for the center to be cooked. I have made tres leches cake before, but now this is going to be my go to version. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Priya
Thanks for your reply. I could keep the decorated cake in the fridge uncovered for about 4 hours and it didn’t effect the texture of taste of the cake (I was careful about no smelly open things, and put a bowl of baking soda in the fridge for a good measure). This recipe came out so wonderfully!! Not overwhelmingly sweet at all. All the guests raved about it. I didn’t have cream to combine with saffron milk, so skipped it. I used 6oz condensed milk instead of 7 oz. Also cut down sugar to 1/2 cup in whipped cream. I used heavy whipping cream instead of heavy cream as that’s what I had. The cake needed about 26 minutes in my oven for the center to be cooked. I have made tres leches cake before, but now this is going to be my go to version. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Maria Doss
Hi Priya, Glad that you loved the cake and thank you so much for the detailed feed back 🙂
Mona
Hello, can this be made into a layered cake if I use dowels? Or do you think this would be too soft to layer?
Maria Doss
Hi Mona, this tres leches is definitely very soft to be made into a layer cake. So, I wouldn't recommend that:)
ashok
Guys, Thanks For sharing this Great Recipe. My Family Loved it. I am definitely sharing this recipe and this website with my friend. Hope they also love it. Thank you again for sharing such a great recipe.
Yasmin
Thanks a lot Maria, it’s exactly what I was looking for. Since Rasmalai is a total disaster for me all the time I tried, this substitutes it so well. Thanks a lot. This recipe is going miles 😀
Monica
Hi Maria -
I made this cake earlier this year, and it was AMAZING! I want to make this for my in-laws, however she only has a 9 inch spring form. do you think I could alter this recipe to work? Maybe 1/2 the recipe?
Maria Doss
Hi Monica, Half the recipe will work in a 9-inch springform pan, however when you have to soak the cake with three milks, you run the risk of milk seeping out through the edges. So, I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND NOT USING A SPRINGFORM PAN !! Any 8 or 9 inch glass or metal pan without removable bottom is suggested. Hope it helps, happy holidays:)
Ruchi
Thank you so much for the recipe; I was looking for something like this!! I made the sponge, milk and ricotta today as per recipe and everything came out good. I am confident that tomorrow when I top-up the soaked sponge with ricotta whipped cream, it will come out perfectly fine. The only thing i messed-up with that I ended up baking in 2 pans for layering the cake. Also, I didn’t utilize all of the saffron milk. Is there a way to make it a layered cake or can you suggest how can i make it a layered cake please?
Maria Doss
Hi Ruchi,
Unfortunately, this cake is extremely soft to be made into a layer cake. So, we highly recommend not doing so!
However, since you have already gravitated towards that direction, we can try one of four options:
1. If you have lined your pan with parchment paper, then try picking up the cake gently with the help of parchment paper and transfer to a larger RIMMED plate (or something similar, that will look good for presentation purposes). Spread ricotta cream and top with the other cake.
2. If you haven't used parchment paper, then try removing the cake using a flat rubber spatula (by pushing the spatula gently around the perimeter of the cake and moving inwards on the bottom) and assemble as mentioned above.
3. If both the above methods does not work, then you could scoop out the cake in large spoonfuls and arrange in a large casserole dish, in a single layer. Using a piping bag, spread ricotta cream all over the cake and top with whipped cream (this will be more like a single layer trifle).
4. The easiest method - make two single layer cakes!
Please use a larger rimmed plate/tray if adopting method 1 or 2, since milk will continue accumulating in the bottom.
Hope it helps, Maria
Ruchi
Thank you so much for a quick response Maria! I will go with option 1. I did not have parchment paper lining although I soaked both sponges in individual dishes with plastic wrap underneath. I will try to lift and flip one of the layers. If it breaks then will follow option 4.
snigdha
The cake recipe is mind-blowing!! Maria, do you think I could use the ricotta cream as a mousse recipe with some ras malai flavours in it?
Maria Doss
Hi Snigdha, I love the way you think:) The mousse is a wonderful idea, but it wouldn't be smooth and creamy, due the texture in ricotta. You could try blending the ricotta in a mixer/blender to make it very smooth, beat the cream and then finally beat in the blended ricotta. I would definitely not skip the pistachios for their lovely crunch and texture contrast. Hope it helps, Maria
Asma
I make this all the time! Please tell me what a cupcake version would be!
Thank you
Maria Doss
Hi Asma, You should be able make these into cupcakes, but make sure that you line pan with foil cupcake liners, since paper liners will get soggy. Maria
Marina
Hi Maria! I would love to make this for my coworkers to celebrate Eid next week. Do you think this recipe will work if I make them into cupcakes? Cupcakes are easer to keep Covid safe at our office. Thanks!
Maria Doss
Hi Marina, Individual cupcakes are indeed perfect for these times. I recommend using foil cupcake liners (paper liners don't hold up) and reducing the amount of soaking liquid so that the cupcakes don't get very soggy. Wish you a very happy Eid, Maria
monica
@Marina,
hi! how did they come out? I am making the cake today and debating a cupcake version instead as well!
Merisa
Hi, how long can you store this in the fridge for after completion?
Thanks
Maria Doss
Hi Merisa, It will be good for 4 to 5 days, Maria
Nimisha
Hi Maria, thank you for the lovely recipe. I am making this for my friend’s 10th anniversary. Can I pipe using the Ricotta whipped cream?
Maria Doss
Hi Nimisha, You could absolutely pipe it! Wishing your friend a very happy anniversary, Maria
Kay
Hi Maria, I would like to make this for a party on a Saturday but have a busy few days just prior to it. I read that the cake can be made 4 days ahead; how far ahead can the ricotta be made?
Can the ricotta cream also be whipped ahead or is it better to save that step for the last day?
Maria Doss
Hi Kay,
Cake, Ricotta, Saffron Milk --- All can be made 3 to 4 days in advance
Ricotta cream ---- Can be made 2 to 3 days in advance
Soaking cake with saffron milk ----Can be made 2 days in advance
Make ricotta whipped cream and top soaked cake ---- Can be 1 to 2 days in advance
Hope it helps - Enjoy, Maria
Kay
@Maria Doss,
Hi Maria,
Thanks so much for the advance prep guidelines. I made it for a Diwali party that I hosted and cooked a bunch of other items for, but this cake was hands down voted by all as the star of the show!
Just a comment that I used a 9x5¨ rectangular baking dish and the cake came up only half way. I also had to double the quantity of Whole milk for the ricotta since 3 cups appeared to be very little and I’m glad I did as this yielded sufficient amount for the cream.
Alisha
Hi Maria,
The first time I baked your cake, I absolutely loved it! It was such a big hit with my family. I’m planning to make it again for a friend’s Diwali party this year, and I was wondering if you can use it for two 9 inch circle baking pans? The batter amount itself should remain the same but, do you recommend I increase or decrease the amount of frosting as I’m doing two tiers?
Maria Doss
Hi Alisha, Glad that you liked the cake. You can certainly divide the batter between two 9-inch pans, however we do not recommend making this into a layered tier cake, since it is very soft and will not hold up, Maria
Apoorva Mittal
Thanks for the lovely recipe, it's my favorite for Diwali season!
I'm making it in round 8/9 inch pans this time, how would the baking time change? I was thinking of splitting the same batter into two pans...
Karishma
If I can only use non freshly ground cardamom, should I use more for a stronger flavor?
Maria Doss
Hi Karishma, It totally depends on how old the cardamom powder used is. I would use a touch more but not too much (since, it could over power the cake), Maria
Meghana
Hi!
I made this cake, but it feels like it didn’t rise and is pretty flat? Is that typical?
Maria Doss
Hi Meghana, This type of cake will rise (comparatively less when compared to traditional cakes) and then shrink a touch as it cools. This method helps to soak up the milk mixture later. Hope it helps - Wishing you wonderful holidays, Maria
Annie
hi Maria,
Could you tell how much Ricotta we will get after we separate the whey? Even an approximate amount should help. thanks.
Maria Doss
Hi Annie, I would guess approximately 1 and 1/2 cups ricotta - Maria
Amruta
I have made this cake four times now, following the recipe to the T and it has come out beautifully every single time. I have gotten so many compliments on it, I have lost count. The cake comes out fluffy, delicious and teaming with rasmalai flavor. Thank you for this recipe!
Maria Doss
Happy to hear hun - Maria