Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches
If this were to be one of those “you're stranded on an island and could only have one dessert for the rest of your life what would it be ?” situations it would have to be pumpkin spice tres leches. We start with making the very decadent pumpkin spice caramel made with piloncillo and pumpkin puree. Piloncillo is a raw form of sugar cane and makes the best base for caramel sauces that are nice and thick like this one.
What really makes Tres leches special is the milk syrup that is made up of oat milk, evaporated coconut milk and condensed coconut milk. Traditionally Tres leches is made similarly but it's made with heavy cream, condensed milk and evaporated milk which is why it's called Tres leches and that's enough dairy to send me into anaphylactic shock so I will be sticking to the coconut and oat milks.
Now of course along with caramel and milk syrup we have the base of the dessert - a very spongy pumpkin spice cake, And don't worry with lots of recipe testing and taste testing, this recipe is such perfection that you will not even notice that it’s plant based. I don't know why I don't make this more often but I think it should be a once a month meal prep / dessert prep ordeal. Now I am just thinking to myself what is my Christmas tres leches flavor going to be ? Let me know in the comments your ideas !
Another factor that makes tres leches so distinct is that this is a wet cake and if you're feeling frisky, you can put some rum in the milk syrup to really spice things up ! Its traditionally served with whip cream on top and of course I am going for a coconut based whip and drizzling with some more pumpkin spice caramel sauce and a touch of cinnamon on top for *aesthetics* and there we have it, my favorite dessert worthy of being my imaginary stranded island forever companion <3
Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches
Ingredients - Caramel Sauce
* Makes approx. 2 cups *1/2 - piloncillo ( pound brown cane sugar )
1/4 cup - vegan butter
1 tsp - pumpkin pie spice
4 tsp - nutmeg
1 tbsp - vanilla extract
¼ cup - pumpkin puree
¼ cup - oat milk
11.06 oz - 1 can condensed coconut milk
Ingredients - Pumpkin Spice Sponge Cake
* Serves approximately 9 *1 1/4 cup - oat milk
2 tsp - apple cider vinegar
1 3/4 cup - all purpose flour
2 tsp - baking powder
1/2 tsp - baking soda
1/2 cup - sugar ( I used Zulka Sugar )
1/4 cup - grapeseed oil
2 tsp - pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup - pumpkin puree
Ingredients - Milk Syrup
1 1/2 cup - oat milk
1 1/2 cup - condensed coconut milk
1 1/2 cup - evaporated coconut milk
Optional Garnishes
Vegan Whip Cream ( I used Truwhip band )
Tools you will need
Sauté Pan
Large Mixing Bowl
Whisk
7 1/2 x 10 Baking Dish
Large Measuring Pitcher
Instructions
Step 1 - Make the Caramel Sauce
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! Gather all the essential mise en place and start melting the vegan butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Add in the spices into the melted butter and give it a good stir and follow this by adding in the piloncillo, or brown sugar. Stir this brown sugar in on low heat until it has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, oat milk and condensed coconut milk. Turn off the heat and allow it to carry over cook and cool down. Once cooled, pour the caramel into a food safe container. I used a glass mason jar that worked perfectly and in total this recipe should yield about 2 cups of caramel sauce.
Step 2 - Bake the cake
Grease a baking dish and line it with parchment paper, I used a 8 x 13 and set that to the side. This is also a good moment to pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, measure out the all purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and spices. In the measuring glass, measure out the oat milk, apple cider vinegar, oil, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry along with the pumpkin puree and gently whisk to combine everything well. Once thoroughly combined, pour the batter into the greased and lined baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until done and then let it cool down on the counter or on top of the oven.
Step 3 - Make the Milk Syrup
In a large measuring cup or in a bowl, what ever works for you. Measure out the oat milk, condensed coconut milk, and evaporated coconut milk. Mix well and set to the side. When the cake has fully cooled, cut off the top layer or the “crust” and with a fork, poke the cake to create little holes or wells for the milk to go into. The cake is going to need to soak for 8 hours or over night so cover the dish with some cling wrap or plastic wrap and put in the fridge to get nice and spongy.
Step 4 - Serving & Plating
To plate I used these “plate bowls” that are perfect for serving something like this as it holds everything together really nicely. To plate the way I did in the photo, place a square of the soaked cake in the middle of the plate and spoon over the milk syrup over and around the cake, I used Truwhip, whip topping and spooned that on top of the cake. I reccomend not covering the entire cake in whip unless its all going to be eaten right away, otherwise I recommend topping each serving with whip. Finally a generous drizzle over everything with the pumpkin spice caramel along with a bit of ground cinnamon on top for garnish along with some granola which is totally optional. I added it for photo aesthetics along to contribute to the overall mouth feel but it isn’t necessarily traditional with Tres leches. Enjoy right away or save the cake for later in the fridge in a food safe container, covered with an air tight lid.
