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A delicious apple cinnamon tres leches cake soaked in three types of milk and topped with cinnamon whipped cream. It’s a fun twist on the traditional Mexican tres leches cake and is a perfect fall and winter treat!
This post is sponsored by Pete & Gerry’s Eggs. All opinions expressed here are my own.
This apple cinnamon tres leches cake is fluffy, decadent, and incredibly comforting! Made from an easy cake batter that uses applesauce to infuse the delicious apple flavors throughout, it’s the perfect cake to enjoy on a chilly fall day and is a great dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
I’ve made my fair share of tres leches cakes in the past, including the classic tres leches cake, a pumpkin tres leches, and even a chocolate tres leches. And this apple version is my favorite to date!
Ingredients
- For the cake: You’ll need unsweetened applesauce, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, Pete & Gerry’s Eggs, and a few other basic cake ingredients. Pete & Gerry’s have been my go-to eggs for years, and I recommend them to everyone I know. They follow the strictest Certified Humane standards, are a Certified B Corporation, and they support family farming across the country by partnering with over 180 small family farms in over 14 states!
- For the three-milk mixture: You’ll need whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. This is poured on top of the cooked cake, which soaks it all in, creating a decadent and delicious bite!
- For the whipped cream: You’ll need heavy whipping cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon. It’s light, fluffy, and the perfect topping!
How to Make Apple Tres Leches Cake
Make the cake by mixing together all the dry ingredients in a bowl and all the wet ingredients in another bowl. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet, and whisk until just combined. Bake it in a greased 9×13-inch baking dish for 23-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Next, poke holes all over the cake with a skewer or the tines of a fork. Pour the three-milk mixture all over the top, cover, and refrigerate it for 2 hours to let the cake fully cool. Don’t worry if it seems like there’s too much liquid in the pan – the cake will fully absorb the liquid.
Top the cake with the cinnamon whipped cream, and garnish the top with a dusting of more ground cinnamon. It may seem like a lot of cinnamon, but I promise it compliments the sweetness of the three-milk mixture so well!
Tips
- Let the cake cool completely in the fridge for the full 2 hours. This will also allow the cake to fully absorb all of the three-milk mixture.
- Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce. The milk soak and the whipped cream already add plenty of sweetness.
Recommended Tools
- Stand mixer. One of my favorite baking tools. So helpful and can be used for so many different things!
- Measuring cups. A good set of glass measuring cups is essential in any kitchen!
- Mixing bowls. These glass mixing bowls are the ones I use all the time when I cook anything. They’re also freezer and microwave-safe!
Storing and Making Ahead
Apple cinnamon tres leches cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you want to make it ahead of time for a party or celebration, I recommend leaving the whipped topping off until right before serving so it’s as light and fluffy as possible.
Apple Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- cooking spray, olive oil, or butter, for greasing
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
- 3 large Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs
- ½ cup whole milk, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk (about 9 ounces)
For the whipped topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray, olive oil, or butter and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, ¼ cup milk, and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and bake for 23-28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the three milk mixture.
- In a medium bowl, add the remaining ¼ cup of milk, the sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Whisk together to combine.
- Gently run a knife or spatula along the sides of the cake pan to unstick the sides. Using a skewer or a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
- Slowly pour the three milk mixture all over the top and sides of the cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the cake fully cool and absorb the liquid.
- While the cake is chilling, make the whipped cream topping. Add the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon to a large bowl. Beat on high speed using a handheld or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Spread the whipped cream over the top of the cake and sprinkle a dusting of cinnamon on top if desired.
Notes
- Let the cake cool completely in the fridge for the full 2 hours. This will also allow the cake to fully absorb the three-milk mixture
- Make sure to use unsweetened applesauce. The milk soak and the whipped cream already add plenty of sweetness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I plan to try it with apples. It sounds awesome