When I am deciding what to bake, I mostly choose based on what sounds good at the time. Am I craving cookies? Cake? Something fruity? Or Gooey? Occasionally I’ll choose based on the need to use up ingredients. You know, that time when there’s a bunch of bananas that are a day away from not even making good banana bread or the cream that’s expiring in a could days.
Rarely do I get a request to make something specific. Not that long ago, a friend asked me to make tres leches cake. I made it awhile ago and shared some with the friend. It was such a big hit, they got a craving for it and asked if I would make another batch.
Since I hadn’t posted it on the blog before and people don’t ask me to make something all that often, I was happy to whip up another batch.
Also it’s fantastic, though it is a labor of love. This is a multistep cake that is best for a special occasion and sharing with friends and family. I mean, if you want to make it for yourself and slowly work through it over the course of a few days, by all means, do it!
It starts with a carob cake that can easily be made a chocolate cake for those of you who do not have an allergy. Then, cream, homemade caramel, and almond milk are combined and soaked into the cooled cake. This is the essence of tres leches. I switched things up by using caramel as one of the milks. I used almond milk because it’s what I have on hand, though the subtle nuttiness does add to the cake.
Often times tres leches is finished with whipped cream, but that doesn’t hold up well, particularly for sharing with my friends who wanted to enjoy the cake over several days. I swapped in cream cheese frosting. It works so well because the tartness rounds out the flavor of the cake and keeps it from getting too rich and heavy. Although I also added more caramel on top because caramel is one of my favorite foods.
It’s a lot of steps but this tres leches cake is most definitely worth the work. In fact, I’m craving a slice right now. I better get to the kitchen!
Coffee Caramel Tres Leches Cake
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 15 servings 1x
Description
A rich and decadent tres leches cake elevated with a caramel soak, vanilla bean cream cheese frosting, and a drizzle of caramel on top.
Ingredients
Cake
1 cup hot coffee
4 ounces carob or dark chocolate, chopped
½ cup olive oil
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 ¼ cups coconut sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla bean powder
2 cups paleo flour blend (2 cups almond flour, 1 ¼ cups tapioca starch, ¾ cup coconut flour)
1/3 cup carob or cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
Caramel
1 cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
¼ cup water
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved
¼ cup coconut butter
¾ teaspoon sea salt
Soak
½ cup homemade caramel
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
Frosting
1 ounce package cream cheese
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
¼ cup honey
Instructions
Make the caramel. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, syrup, and water. Place over medium heat and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cream as well as the espresso powder and vanilla bean seeds and pod and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 until thickened and deep amber in color. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut butter and salt. Pour into a bowl and cool.
Make the cake. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 325 degrees F convection. Oil a 9 by 13 pan.
In a large bowl, place oil and carob or chocolate. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until fully melted. Stir in the sugar and vanilla, followed by the eggs, one at a time. Stir in half the flour, then the milk. Mix in the remaining flour, baking powder and soda, and carob or cocoa powder. Finish the batter with the hot coffee. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
Make the soak. In a large bowl, stir together caramel, cream, and milk until combined. Poke holes in the cooled cake using a fork or knife. Spoon the soak over the cake slowly. Cover the cake with plastic and refrigerate overnight to allow the soak to absorb into the cake.
Make the frosting. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese using a hand mixer until lightened in texture. Slowly beat in the cream and honey. Add the vanilla and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, almost like really thick whipped cream. Dollop over the soaked cake and carefully spread into an even layer. Drizzle with extra caramel and serve.
Cake may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
Cake recipe adapted from I Heart Eating
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
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