Get ready and watch the video for The Best Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake right HERE.
Growing up in Brazil, eating pumpkin desserts never extended beyond the pumpkin coconut jam. But life happens in epochs, with bright diving lines between them. One of the biggest lines in my life was immigration to this country in my early 20s. Suddenly my taste buds changed. For a long sad period, pumpkin was not part of my eating life. I find that perplexing today, well into my 40s, when I could have a pumpkin omelet for breakfast, a pumpkin soup for lunch, and roasted pumpkin for dinner. Over American soil, I began to lust for all things pumpkin. I must confess that I became a pumpkin evangelist. Here on this website, you can find an array of sweet and savory pumpkin recipes (scroll down to see the list)
I hadn’t thought of making another Tres Leches since I recently posted a wonderful recipe for the classic Tres Leches Cake. But around Thanksgiving, I arranged to host and cook the turkey, gravy, and one dessert. All other recipe preparations would be shared with the rest of the guests.
Fashionable or not, The Best Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake is perfect for a crowd but also foolproof enough to assemble ahead of time. With the success of my classic Tres Leches Cake, we could use a sequel. Being that Thanksgiving is such a gastronomical festival around fall, I had to find a way to turn this classic dessert into a pumpkin dessert. Eureka! The Best Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake.
It was a hit! Incredibly satisfying, in a creamy, refreshing, and fall-y kind of way, thanks to the pumpkin and spices flavoring the cake.
As I love to sing and dance in my kitchen (a happy hobby), I turned to John Mayer‘s song Last Train Home, which is perfect for this recipe. Besides having a delicious beat and a delicious voice, the lyrics are beautiful.
I hope you’ll bring this recipe to your kitchen, or if you just want to watch the video, that’s fine too. If you decide to make this recipe, you can email me anytime.
The Best Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
Watch video HERE
Serves 10 to 12 people
For the Cake:
7 eggs
¾ cup (145g) sugar
One 15 oz (425g) pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (150g) all-purpose flour
To Soak the Cake:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporate milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup (200ml) coconut milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Whipped Cream
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (16g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder to sift
- Prepare the Cake: Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish (glass or porcelain). Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
- Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (bowl should not touch the water) and heat just until lukewarm to the touch, whisking constantly with a long whisk to prevent curdling. Bring the bowl to the mixer and attach the whisk beater. Start beating on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed. Beat on high until mixture has thickened, whitened, and tripled in volume, about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin puree to the eggs in three parts, folding carefully after each addition.
- In a bowl whisk the cinnamon and nutmeg into the flour. Mix the flour into the eggs folding from the bottom upward with a rubber spatula. The eggs will naturally deflate a little, but they will still be fluffy. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the cake is lightly golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 30 minutes.
- Soak the Cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the three milk and cream together. Add the vanilla, cinnamon and whisk again. Pierce the cake all over with a toothpick or skewer. Carefully and slowly pour the liquid, one ladle at a time over the cake. Add another ladle only when the previous one has been completely absorbed. This process will take about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, until the liquid is completely absorbed. The cake will keep refrigerated for 2 days.
- Prepare the Whipped Cream: In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it starts to thicken. Sift the sugar over and continue to whip until it reaches soft peaks. Pour on top of the cake and use a spoon to make swirl moves. Dust with cinnamon powder.
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
Pumpkin Lasagna for Pumpkin Season
Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips
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Leticia