As the daughter of immigrants, I am forever caught between the country that I have called home my entire life and the culture/traditions my parents have passed down to me. To me, a Thanksgiving meal is not complete without a pumpkin pie and the Macy’s parade. However, my mom scoffs at the idea of a pie served on Thanksgiving that is made from pumpkin, her exact words are, “Pie de Calabaza?! Mija, eso no es comida!” So there is always a flan or arroz con leche next to my pumpkin pie.
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- layering the maple meringue on the cake
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- Maple Meringue
What is tres leches cake?
Tres leches translates to three milks. It is a Nicaraguan dessert that has become popular throughout all of Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. The cake is typically a buttery sponge cake that is soaked in a combination of evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. The cake is then topped with meringue or whipped cream.
How to store this pumpkin pie tres leches cake?
This cake must be stored in the refrigerator. You can store it in the fridge for upto 3 days in an airtight container.
How is this pumpkin pie tres leches different from traditional?
This tres leches cake contains pumpkin puree, ¼ cup of bourbon and pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. The meringue topping also contains maple syrup to compliment the cake's pumpkin pie flavors.
Pumpkin Pie Tres Leches Recipe
Ingredients
- Cake Batter:
- 2 Cups cake flour
- 2 Teaspoons baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon of baking soda
- ¾ Teaspoon salt
- 5 Large eggs separated
- 2 Cups sugar
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons of Bourbon
- 1 Can of Pumpkin Puree
- 2.5 Teaspoons of Ceylon Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon of Nutmeg
- A pinch of ginger
- A pinch of cloves
- ½ cup whole milk
- Milk Syrup:
- 1 14-ounce Can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ¼ Cups heavy cream
- 1 14-ounce Can evaporated milk
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon
- Meringue Frosting
- 4 Egg whites
- ½ Teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ Cup water
- 2 Tablespoons of real maple syrup
- 1 Cup light corn syrup
- 1 ½ Cups sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Beat the whites until very foamy and frothy and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and bourbon with an electric mixer.
- Continue mixing and slowly add the milk and pumpkin puree. Slowly add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Finally, use a spatula to gently fold in the beaten egg whites until mixed.
- Pour batter into a prepared 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 25 minutes.
- Use a skewer or knife to pierce holes throughout the cake.
- Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and bourbon in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the milk mixture over the cake a little at a time, until it soaks through. Keep doing this until most of the milk syrup is absorbed. Cover the now milk-drenched cake in and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before frosting.
- For the meringue frosting, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks and set aside. In a separate pan, mix the water, sugar and corn syrup.
- Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reads 230°F. Remove from heat.
- While beating the egg whites with an electric mixer, immediately pour the hot syrup into the egg whites slowly. Continue beating for about five minutes, while beating the eggs pour in the maple syrup.
- Let frosting cool in refrigerator. With a wet spatula, spread a thick layer of the frosting on the cake. At this point, you can serve the cake as is or you can lightly torch the top of your meringue with a handheld blowtorch.
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