5 Creative Milk Swaps To Try In Tres Leches Cake

The pastel de tres leches, or, tres leches cake, is a staple in Latin American cuisine. Though nobody truly knows where it came from (both Mexico and Nicaragua lay claim to its invention) it's undeniable that this beautifully moist, surprisingly light, intoxicatingly sweet sponge is a winner. Soaking a sponge cake isn't exactly anything new – take the French Baba au Rhum, for example, or an English Christmas pudding. Mostly, though, soaked cake recipes involve alcohol (and, in the case of the latter, setting the cake on fire before serving.) Tres leches cake, though, is different. The name "tres leches" comes from, if it weren't obvious, the three milks that the sponge is traditionally soaked in once baked: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk (or heavy cream.) Using liquids so high in fat and sugar makes for an extraordinarily rich cake that somehow, paradoxically, gets lighter as a result of its soaking.

Though a soaked sponge cake isn't exactly groundbreaking, there's still plenty of room for innovation when it comes to tres leches cake. From dairy free options to adding a burst of fruity, floral flavor, getting creative when it comes to what exactly those "tres leches" are can open the door for some delicious new combinations, elevating this classic dessert into something fresh and unexpected. Condensed milk is a mainstay, though — the richness and intense, malty sweetness it adds are essential to the flavor profile of a great tres leches cake — it is also, however, a particularly versatile ingredient, and the perfect starting point for some creative concoctions. Here are some milk swaps worth trying.

Tres leches cake is already a Mexican staple — but to take things up a notch and add even more traditional Latin flavors, why not swap out the milk in your tres leches cake for horchata? This refreshing, super sweet drink differs slightly depending on where it's made — in Spain, it's made from soaked tiger nuts, whereas in the Americas it's more commonly made of jicaro, sesame, or melon seeds. In Mexico, though, you're most likely to find horchata de arroz — a delicious agua fresca made with cinnamon and white rice. The rice in this version of horchata lends both an unmatched smoothness and a complex, slightly nutty tasting flavor profile which pairs perfectly with cinnamon and the dark sweetness of condensed milk.

When it's used to make a tres leches cake, that nutty, spicy flavor profile blends beautifully with the vanilla flavor of the sponge to create a unique, playful twist on the classic soak that pays tribute to its heritage and tastes just fabulous. To take things even further, and make a true agua fresca inspired dessert, try swapping the evaporated milk out for coconut milk. Not only will it complement the already nutty undertones of the horchata, but it'll add yet more subtle complexity, and a surprisingly enlivening note. To finish, add some sweetened whipped cream, a dash of cinnamon (or some grated nutmeg) and a sprinkle of desiccated coconut. It's an undeniable winner.

Berries and cake are already a match made in heaven — indeed, the classic tres leches cake benefits immensely from a generous side serving of strawberries and raspberries, bringing a sweet tangy freshness to offset the rich sweetness of the cake. Together, they make for a refreshing, summery dessert that won't overwhelm, but will certainly satisfy. If you're a berry fiend, though, why not take things a step further and infuse your tres leches cake with strawberry milk? This one couldn't be more easy — you could always make your own strawberry infused milk by simply blending the two together with a healthy amount of sugar and passing through a sieve until smooth — but the store bought stuff will work just as well (and give an extra boost of sweetness).

Then, it's just a matter of swapping it in for the evaporated milk. You might want to use heavy cream here instead of whole milk to complete your trio (along with condensed milk) as the strawberry milk will have a little less in the way of thickness. The heavy cream will counteract that, and make sure you find the classic tres leches consistency you're looking for. You aren't just limited to strawberries, either: Raspberries or blackberries will add a lovely tanginess to the cake that'll pare back its sugariness slightly, making for a more balanced final result, while blueberries will pack a more powerful sweet and sour punch, with a subtly floral finish.

There's always room to get creative with a bit of international inspiration. You could, for example, travel to Mexico via Japan, and imbue your tres leches cake with a touch of Japanese tradition by swapping out whole milk for one infused with matcha tea. Matcha has already become a coffee shop mainstay around the world — so we know that it pairs well with both milky and sweet flavors — yet it seems to remain relatively underrepresented in the world of dessert. You should really be using it more, though: From a compound butter that'll add a layer of earthy complexity to your laminated pastries to putting a fresh spin on overnight oats, matcha is great when you want to add a genuinely interesting, complex, and less overtly sugary sweetness to your dishes. It's not just regular old green tea: It has a very distinctive, bold, almost vegetal flavor (admittedly, it's one that takes a little getting used to) that tastes, well, green.

You might not necessarily think that matcha would be compatible with the flavor profile of tres leches cake, but the milky sweetness of the sponge (and, of course, the milk) contrasts beautifully with the matcha's intensity and results in a truly unique tasting dessert that's as addictive as it is unexpectedly delicious. To amp things up even more, take some inspiration from a matcha latte and blend some strawberry into the milk for a springtime take on a summertime cake.

Earlier, we mentioned using coconut milk as one of your tres leches — but you can never have too much of a good thing (can you?) so why not go all out with a tropical inspired take (that also happens to be absolutely delicious) and use a trio of coconut milks to spruce up your next tres leches cake?

Coconut milk forms the base, with its light, refreshing, subtly nutty taste. Then comes richness, thickness, and an intense hit of coconut from coconut cream (coconut milk's slightly fattier cousin). This can be used as a direct replacement for the evaporated milk in a classic tres leches cake. Then, finally, top things off with sweetened condensed coconut milk. That such an ingredient exists is pretty miraculous (it's hard to imagine anything more delicious, if you ask us) and it makes for a wonderfully caramel-y flavor to really round things out. It'll also give your cake the malty, slightly buttery notes that are a crucial part of a traditional tres leches cake, but with a tropical twist that'll transport you from Mexico to the Caribbean in one bite. You should be able to find condensed coconut milk at a world foods store without too much difficulty. If you can't, you can easily make it at home by blending coconut cream (or even some real coconut, if you're feeling fancy) with regular sweetened condensed milk, and subbing it in without changing the classic tres leches recipe.

Speaking of all things lactose free, tres leches cake is not known for being a dessert that's particularly friendly to the average lactose intolerant person ... but if you do find yourself unable to indulge in the traditional recipe, fear not! There are plenty of swaps that'll leave you with a delicious tres leches cake that's just as good as the original, with no dairy to be found. Almonds are your friend here. Whether store bought or homemade (by blending soaked almonds with water and straining — yes, it's that easy), almond milk makes for a great replacement to whole milk when making a tres leches cake. It adds a pleasant nutty undertone that makes for a delicious spin on the normal tres leches flavor profile, complementing the sweetness of the sponge without sacrificing anything in the way of texture.

To round things out, you could go for the classic combination of evaporated and sweetened condensed milk — but to keep things dairy free, your best bet would be to use the coconut cream and sweetened condensed coconut milk we used earlier. Not only will they help you achieve the texture that you're after — soaked, not soggy, and surprisingly light — but they'll also play off the nuttiness of the almond milk to make for a flavor profile that you'll truly go nuts for (sorry). Of course, you could also replace the almond milk with cashew, or even oat milk — the key, really, is to keep experimenting until you find the flavor profile that works for you. Good luck!