This Vegan Tres Leches Cake is one of my favorites and consists of a light vanilla cake soaked in a triple dairy free milk mixture. Top with fluffy coconut whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon and sliced strawberries.
The traditional version of this cake is soaked in a mixture of 3 milks and topped with whipped cream, so creating a vegan version was quite the project!
This vegan tres leches cake ranks as one of the best desserts I’ve ever made! Similar to my vegan tiramisu, it took me quite a while to get it just right and worthy of sharing. Desserts that rely so heavily on dairy products can be hard to replicate.
Once you’ve tried a bite you’ll understand it was worth the effort.
What is tres leches?
Tres leches literally translates to “three milks” because a light sponge cake is soaked in a mixture of three dairy milks, usually sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk or cream. It is a wildly popular Mexican dessert and is topped with whipped cream.
This vegan version is far from authentic since I’m not using any dairy or eggs whatsoever. I think you will fall in love with this vegan tres leches cake!
It’s perfect for bringing to potlucks or any other celebration. I love that it’s not too sweet and tastes rather light while being a pretty rich cake.
A vegan tres leches cake consists of
- A simple vanilla cake
- Three milk mixture – Full fat coconut milk from a can, vegan sweetened condensed milk (my recipe or store bought), and oat milk (or your favorite plant milk).
- Coconut whipped cream – or aquafaba whipped cream or store bought coco whip.
- Sprinkle of cinnamon + sliced strawberries
How to make vegan tres leches
First, make the easy vanilla cake in a 9×13 inch pan. Poke holes all over the cake. Not just a few holes, but literally all over, and all the way down to the pan! This will help the milk mixture soak all the way through, creating a deliciously moist cake.
Mix your three milks together: full fat coconut milk, vegan sweetened condensed milk, and oat milk. Pour over the still warm cake with holes poked all over it. Chill for at least an hour.
Top with vegan whipped cream. I used So Delicious Coco Whip which I love.
Spread whipped topping evenly over the milk-soaked cake.
Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired and serve with sliced strawberries.
Make ahead option and storing
You can make this cake 1-2 days ahead of time, in fact it gets better with time! Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
The cake will keep, covered, for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
I would not freeze the cake that is already soaked in milk, but you could freeze the vanilla cake, then thaw and soak in the milk before serving.
What to serve with tres leches cake
Serve with any of the following popular vegan Mexican-inspired recipes:
- Jackfruit Tacos with Avocado Cream
- The Best Vegan Enchiladas
- Vegan Carne Asada
- Vegan Fish Tacos
- Best Vegan Queso
Want more crowd pleasing desserts?
- Vegan Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Best Ever Vegan Brownies
- Vegan Raspberry Bars
- 1 Bowl Vegan Apple Cake
- Vegan Peanut Butter Pie
Vegan Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the vanilla cake
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk or other plant milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup canola oil or other neutral flavored oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the milk mixture
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 11.25 ounces vegan sweetened condensed milk see Notes
- 1/2 cup oat milk or other plant milk
For the rest
- 1 Recipe coconut whipped cream OR store bought coco whip
- sprinkle of cinnamon
- sliced strawberries
Instructions
Make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13 inch cake pan.
- Combine the soy milk and vinegar in a measuring cup or bowl, stir and set aside for a few minute to curdle.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Now pour in the milk/vinegar, oil and vanilla. Whisk until combined and there are no large lumps left in the batter.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan, transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool for about 15 minutes. The cake should still be warm when you pour the milk over it; it will absorb better.
Prepare the milk mixture
- Scoop/pour the full fat coconut milk into a large microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute, until warm and there are no more hard white portions.
- Add the sweetened condensed coconut milk and oat milk to the bowl with the coconut milk and whisk well.
Pour the milk mixture on cake and chill
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake, all the way down to the bottom of the pan.
- Slowly pour the milk mixture over the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least an hour to let it soak up the milk.
Finish and serve
- Prepare whipped topping. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and smooth whipped cream all over the cake.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and decorate with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Store vegan tres leches cake in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, covered.
Notes
- Gluten free – Try a gluten free flour mix, such as King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Flour.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – You can use my recipe OR buy a can of sweetened condensed coconut milk.
- I used So Delicious Coco Whip for the whipped topping. You can make my coconut whipped cream or aquafaba based whipped topping instead if desired.
- Make ahead – This cake is the perfect cake to make 1-2 days ahead of time, in fact it probably tastes better if you do!
- Can you freeze the cake? Don’t freeze the cake with the milks soaked in, but you can freeze the vanilla cake, then thaw and pour milks over before serving.
Does the baking temperature need to be lowered when using a glass baking pan?
No, I would not lower the temperature for a glass pan.
Thank you for this recipe! I tried making a few recipes out there and it didn’t turn out as good! The only thing I’ll change next time, yes there’s definitely a next time with this one, I will diminish the sugar by 1/4 cup. I’ll use 1/2 instead of 3/4. Thank you and happy plant based/vegan baking!
The batter barely covered the bottom of the pan? Seems like i should have used a pan half the size. It also did not rise. Not sure how i can put that quantity of milk to soak when its so thin. I didnt have baking soda so maybe that made it not rise but the batter quantity didn’t seem enough.
That doesn’t seem right, this cake fits perfectly in a 9×13 inch pan and is in fact quite tall. I’m guessing you used a different sized pan or use incorrect ingredients amounts somehow.
Can I substitute the all purpose flour with spelt flour
I think so but I haven’t tested it.
Hi Nora. Looks so delicious. I will make for a Cinco de Mayo dinner party this weekend! Assuming that if I make this a day ahead, I should wait to top it with the coconut whip until before serving after overnight chilling in the fridge? Thanks Nora!
Hi Sarah, that sounds so fun! You can really do it either way. It’s fine to put the coconut whip on top the day before and store in the fridge, or you can wait until right before serving. Enjoy!
Hi , my cake came out a bit dense and didn’t absorb any of the liquid do you know what could’ve I made wrong ?
Be careful not to over mix the cake batter, that can make for a very dense cake. Also, over baking the cake will make it dense as well.
Light, fluffy and delicious! Super easy to make.
Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you have loving the cake!
hi! i was wanting to make this recipe but i dont have a 9×13 pan, do you have recipe measurements for a 8×8? thank you in advance!
You would need to cut the recipe in half, and that should work! Enjoy!
This is so delicious 🤤
So good! My kids couldn’t believe it was vegan!! I recommend using maybe 2/3 of the milk mixture if you are eating it the same day. I refrigerated for 3 hours and still had to pour off some of the milk. Really delicious!!
Delicious! I recommend only using half of the milk mixture. It’s great when it’s just a little sticky
Hi there! Do you have any suggestions for making this a chocolate cake?
Hi Kerri. It hasn’t been tested but you can try adding 1/3 cup of cocoa powder to the cake batter.
Turned out amazing! My non-vegan friend said “I like this more than any other tres leches cake I’ve had with dairy”! I used canned whipped cream because my attempt at making whipped cream with the silk whipping cream failed miserably but it still turned out amazing!
Hi Emma. Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback! I’m thrilled you and your friend loved the cake!
Hi Emma.
For the Silk whipping cream – freeze the bowl and beaters at least 15 mins before using. You will need to beat on a mid-speed for up to 5 mins to get the results!
I’m planning on doubling the recipe and making a big cake. Would you recommend using a bigger size dish (if so, what size?), or would it be better to bake in two separate dishes?
I think it would be easiest to use two 13×9-inch pans. Happy baking!
So easy and so super delicious! Decadent while also not feeling really heavy or dense. Fabulous next-day breakfast too 🙂
I’mm thrilled you loved the cake! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review and feedback!
This is now one of my fave go to cakes. Easy to make and everybody loves it.
Awesome you are loving the cake! Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I’m hoping to make this today, and plan on using your recipe for the sweetened condensed milk. Will a single recipe yield enough for this cake?
While I’m here, I want to thank you for all of the fabulous recipes on this site. The Baked Ziti and Cornbread, to name a couple, are served regularly in this vegan (me)/omnivore (husband) household.
Hi Karen! Yes, one recipe is perfect. I’m so glad to hear my recipes are enjoyed regularly in your home! Thank you. 🙂
Absolutely delicious- the cake itself without the milks is amazing! (It had a bit of a dome that I figured should be flattened… 😉 I grew up in Puerto Rico, enjoying many a tres leches and this is equally enjoyable, if not more so. I didn’t follow the actual three milks you suggested, mainly because I’m a lazy cook- but ultimately it just needs to be creamy enough, but not so much it won’t go into the cake, and super sweet- so I just mixed cashews with soy milk and added date syrup until it was just right (I also added a Tony’s bit of vanilla and a pinch of salt)- worked great! I also used oat flour for the cake because that’s what I had and used applesauce instead of oil because I’m WFPB, it turned out amazing- thanks so much!!!
Wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! Thank you so much for your terrific feedback and review!
I use this recipe and make a few tweaks to change flavors/ make mini cakes. I love it and everyone that eats it loves it. If I could give 10 stars I would!
Love the idea of mini cakes! Thanks for your awesome ideas, feedback and review!
Excellent recipe! Thank you!
This cake is amazing! I made it for a potluck and it was a huge hit. I didn’t have AP flour so I subbed cake flour (I did a little more flour than what it calls for – maybe like 2-3 tablespoons more). I used the listed homemade condensed milk recipe. I used the So Delicious coconut whip for the top and it tasted great. This cake is super light with the perfect amount of sweetness – so yummy! Thank you!
Thanks for your stellar feedback and review! I’m thrilled you loved the cake!