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Prepare yourself for this unique dessert: ube tres leches! This creamy fusion tres leches cake recipe takes the classic Latin American favorite known for its light fluffy texture with three kinds of milk and infuses it with the vibrant distinctive flavor of ube.
If that doesn't convince you to try this at home, then let its delightful purple color draw you in!
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What is Tres Leches?
The Spanish name for the popular Latin American cake literally translates to "three milks." This light and airy sponge cake gets its name from the three types of milk - condensed, evaporated, and heavy - soaked into itself which results in a luxuriously creamy and milky flavor profile.
Why You'll Love Ube Tres Leches
It's really about the marriage of the best of two worlds. This milky purple cake recipe combines the tres leches cake we all know and love with the earthy distinctive flavor of the Filipino purple yam. The ube extract in this tres leches cake adds a sweet nuttiness to the cake, while the ube halaya (jam) injects a bit of that purple yam texture into the cake.
Let me be clear here. I love a traditionally authentic tres leches cake and I will devour a slice upon sight. But this one is just a fun twist to make if you feel like switching things up!
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients for a classic tres leches cake are listed below, with the addition of a few items to really make that ube flavor pop.
- Ube Extract
- Ube Halaya
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Whole Milk
- Condensed Milk
- Evaporated Milk
- Heavy Cream
- Coconut Milk
Substitutes
- Coconut Milk: This recipe calls for replacing the heavy cream in the tres leches with coconut milk. But if you don't have it, you can replace all the coconut milk listed in the recipe with heavy cream.
- Evaporated Milk: If you don't have evaporated milk you can combine half heavy cream and half whole milk to replace the evaporated milk for this recipe.
- Ube Halaya: You can leave out the ube halaya (jam) in this recipe but may have to add more ube extract to your taste, and you'd lose the purple yam texture.
Recipe Tips
- Use Room Temperature Eggs: They may be a bit more difficult to separate. But they will whip up quicker than cold eggs right out of the fridge. Before you start whipping, let the eggs sit at room temperature for about twenty to thirty minutes.
- Set Up Your Workspace: You will use three bowls right away! So prepare your work area in order to use the three bowls right after another.
- Poke Many Small Holes: Two key words for creating holes for maximum milk absorption - many and small. But also poke through to the bottom of the cake as much as you can!
How to Make Ube Tres Leches Cake
I just want to be honest with you when it comes to tres leches cakes. They are a work of love, and the recipe does need a lot of your attention. This is by no means a quick and easy recipe. But it's a worthwhile endeavor!
The list below is a rough preview of the steps:
- Mix dry ingredients and separate egg yolks from egg whites.
- Mix egg yolks with sugar in one bowl until creamy and add the ube extract plus jam.
- Beat egg whites with sugar in another bowl until you get stiff peaks.
- Fold in egg yolk mixture into flour mixture.
- Fold in egg whites into the flour mixture.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and bake.
- Bring the cake to room temperature after baking and poke holes.
- Make the milk mixture and pour it into the cake.
- Cover the cake and it sit in the fridge for about 8 hours.
How to Serve
Trust the process and let the cake sit in the fridge for at least eight hours or overnight before serving! The ingredients will meld beautifully together to make a rich creamy and unique-tasting dessert. Before serving, make the ube whipped cream and spread it across the cake.
Some people like to let the whipped cream sit on top of the cake for a few hours so that it solidifies even more. I like the whipped cream fresh - it's up to your preference!
Frequently Asked Questions
Let the cake cool to room temperature and poke a lot of holes into it! It's important that you make many holes so that the cake can absorb the milk. Letting the cake sit for a several hours in the fridge will also give time for the cake to soak more liquid because of the fridge's dry environment.
The cake could last in the fridge for up to a week as long as it is covered.
Yes, you can freeze this cake. But I found that freezing only the cake with its absorbed milk makes for the closest semblance to a fresh tres leches cake. So I recommend freezing it without its whipped cream topping. When you are ready to eat it, thaw the cake to room temperature, and make a fresh whipped topping for it.
Ube Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Disclosure
The equipment and ingredients sections contain affiliate links to products I love to use as well as items that I personally believe make this recipe the best version of itself.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 eggs yolks and whites separated
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup granulated sugar for egg yolks
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for egg whites
- 1 tablespoon ube extract
- ¼ cup ube halaya
Milk Mixture
- 1½ cups evaporated milk one can
- 1 cup condensed milk
- ⅓ cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon ube extract
Whipped Ube Topping
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ube extract
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350℉/180℃. Prepare a 9x13 in (23x33 cm) baking dish by buttering the inside. Place the separated egg yolks and egg whites in their own medium to large bowls, set aside. In a third bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the measured sugar for the egg yolks to the egg yolk bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Whisk in the ube halaya, ube extract, and milk until smooth (little lumps may show). Set aside.Fold in the egg yolk and ube mixture to the dry ingredients.
- Begin to beat the egg whites in their bowl while slowly adding the measured sugar for the egg whites. Continue to beat until you get stiff peaks. Repeat the same folding technique with the egg whites.
- Pour the cake batter into the baking dish and bake for about 30 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it rest at room temperature for about an hour.
Make the Milk Mix
- Meanwhile, make the milk mixture by adding the three types of milk (evaporated, condensed & coconut milk) to a large bowl with the ube extract. Stir well.
- Poke small even holes throughout the cake making sure the fork touches the bottom of the pan. Gently pour in the milk mixture. Let the cake sit for 20 mins on the counter as it soaks the liquid. Cover and place the cake in the fridge to rest for 8 hours.
Make the Ube Whipped Topping
- Make the whipped topping by combining the heavy whipping cream, coconut milk, sugar, and ube extract to a large bowl. Beat until you get medium to stiff peaks.Spread on top of the refrigerated cake. You can serve immediately or let it rest uncovered 2 more hours in the fridge for the whipped cream to set.
Nutrition
Have You Tried This Recipe?
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Patricia says
First time trying it. It seems like the cake could be just a little sweeter. Like maybe adding 1/4 sugar to it? Would that alter it too much? Otherwise it was a hit!
Joanne says
Thank you for the feedback Patricia! I haven't tried it with the added sugar - I do think it would just make the cake even sweeter. Let me know how it turns out with the additional sugar if you try it out. Happy baking!
Tofu says
Haven’t tried this yet but it looks so darn good!! Time for me to go on a hunt for some ube
Sandra says
I made this cake as a birthday cake for myself. Because I'm the only person who loves ube and I'm diabetic, I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8" pan. It took a zero out scale to get half of an egg white and half of an egg yolk. When I make the cake again I'll leave the cake portion as in the recipe and only half the milk mix and the whipped topping.
I'm Filipina in the Midwest. The coconut milk transported me back to the barangay with my family and my Aunt's coconut tree
Joanne says
Happy belated birthday, Sandra! I'm touched you made this as your birthday cake 🤗 I try to stay true to the ube flavors from my childhood too. I learned in the process that the nostalgic ube flavor all Filipinos know well always had a bit of coconut milk mixed in.