Tiramisu Tres Leches Cake

a hand removing one slice of tres leches cake from a baking pan.

Tiramisu Tres Leches Cake combines the rich flavors of Italian tiramisu with indulgent Mexican tres leches cake, resulting in a heavenly dessert that’s a fan favorite. It's tiramisu but with cake!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword coffee tres leches cake, tiramisu tres leches cake

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 25

Resting time 8

Total Time 9

Servings Servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Maria Doss

Equipment

Electric beater

Ingredients

For the cake

4 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cream of tarter
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup milk whole milk preferably

For the coffee milk

2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 ½ cups milk whole milk preferably
¾ cup heavy cream
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (½ of a 14 ounce can)
2 tablespoons white rum (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the mascarpone cream

1 ½ cups heavy cream
⅓ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces mascarpone (one container) at room temperature
cocoa powder for dusting on top

Instructions

Bake cake

Separate eggs. Separate the eggs while they’re still cold, placing the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a larger bowl. Cover both bowls and let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before you start preparing the cake.
^{4 eggs}
Prep. Pre heat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter and set aside.
Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
^{1 cup flour, 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt}
Beat egg whites. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar for about 2 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
^{⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar}
Make batter. Using the same beater (no need to wash), beat the 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 the beater is lifted. Add ½ cup milk and beat for a few seconds, until mixed well.
^{¾ cup + 2 tablespoon sugar}
Finish batter. Switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold the flour mixture into the batter in 2 additions. Next, carefully fold in the beaten egg whites until just combined, taking care not to deflate them. This keeps the cake light, airy, and fluffy.
Bake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Bake for 20–23 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
👉 Don't worry if the cake shrinks slightly as it cools—that's completely normal.

Prepare the coffee milk while the cake is cooling

Make coffee milk. Warm the milk on the stovetop or in the microwave until hot, but don't let it boil. Stir in the instant coffee until dissolved, then let the mixture cool to room temperature. Once cooled, whisk in the heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and rum (if using) until well combined.
^{1 ½ cups milk, 2 tablespoon instant coffee, ¾ cup heavy cream, ½ can condensed milk, 2 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoon rum (optional)}

Soak the cake

Poke holes. Once the cake has cooled completely, use a toothpick or skewer to poke holes all over the surface. This helps the coffee milk soak deep into the cake, making every bite incredibly moist and flavorful.
Soak cake. Slowly pour the coffee milk evenly over the cake, giving it time to soak in as you go. This helps every part of the cake absorb the milk evenly, so you don't end up with dry or overly soaked spots. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

Finish cake

Make mascarpone cream. Add 1 ½ cups whipping cream, ⅓ cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla into a mixing bowl and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Add mascarpone cheese and beat to combine.
^{8 ounces mascarpone}
Finish. Spread the mascarpone cream evenly over the chilled cake and smooth the top. Generously dust with cocoa powder using a fine-mesh strainer for an even finish. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving so the frosting has time to set.

Notes

Allow to soak overnight. This tiramisu tres lecehs cake really needs the full time to soak all of the milk. Make sure it really has atleast 8 hours to soak for the best tasting cake!

Separate the eggs while they’re still cold, but let them sit at room temperature for at least an hour. This will help them whip up to their full volume.

Rum is optional.

Nutrition