A masala tres leches cake dusted with spice on a patterned board beside cups and cinnamon sticks

Cakes & Cupcakes

Masala Tres Leches Cake

Originally published · Modified

This is a take on the traditional tres leches (translated: three milk) cake, adding a bit of spice and warmth with the masala chai brew.

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A slice of masala tres leches cake on a blue plate with a fork, cups and the cake behind A whole masala tres leches cake dusted with spice on a patterned board with a gold knife and cinnamon, from above

One of my favourite things about travelling is all the different culinary experiences which you get to enjoy. Whilst there have been too many to count on my recent trip to India, a recurrent favourite for me is masala chai. We found an amazing tea shop in Ooty, and brought some home. I wanted to draw out the flavours a bit, so decided to enhance the brew with a few additional spices.

But I did not want to just drink the chai, that would be far too boring! Whilst doing some research for another holiday, Mexico (this was obviously before we were all locked down 🙁), I came across a recipe for a tres leches cake. I did not even know this was a thing before then!

A masala tres leches cake on its board with a gold knife and spices, from slightly above A cut masala tres leches cake showing its pale soaked crumb

Reading through the recipe, I thought it was going to be a soggy mess, but decided to try it anyway, and was glad that I did! It reminds me a bit of a malva pudding, but not quite as sweet. The cake does benefit from a bit of time, so you can make it a day ahead and keep it in the fridge.

I was very doubtful when trying out this tres leches cake as it has no butter or oil in it. It’s a sponge cake in the true sense, relying on the air in the whipped eggs to create a spongy texture. It may not seem like it, but the chai brew which gets poured over is absorbed into this cake to make it super moist. It is a bit of effort to make, but I think it’s worth it. I hope you enjoy 🙂

After further testing, I have adjusted this recipe so that the cake is better soaked through and stays super moist. I initially flipped my cake out of the dish, but it was not completely submerged in the syrup, so I recommend keeping it in the dish so it continues to soak.

Close-up of the corner of a masala tres leches cake with cinnamon sticks A cut masala tres leches cake with a slice pulled out, from above

The recipe

Masala Tres Leches Cake

adventureswithsugar.com/masala-chai-tres-leches-cake/

Method

Method: masala chai brew

  1. Make ahead: The milk is best infused a day before and left to steep for a better flavour.
  2. Crush the spices: Crush the green cardamom pods and the nutmeg.
  3. Combine the ingredients: Put all the ingredients into a pot, except for the evaporated and condensed milk.
  4. Simmer the milk: Let it simmer on low-medium heat until the milk begins to bubble. You do not want it to boil.
  5. Cool and steep overnight: Set aside and let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate with spices, overnight.
  6. Strain: The next day, strain the milk and discard the spices and teabags.
  7. Add the evaporated and condensed milk: Stir in the evaporated milk and condensed milk and set aside.

Method: tres leches cake

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare the dish: Preheat the oven to 180˚ Celsius. Grease and line, with baking paper, a 30cm × 20cm × 5cm dish.
  2. Sift the dry ingredients: Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  3. Whip the egg yolks and sugar: Add the vanilla, three quarters of the sugar (165g) and egg yolks to a bowl and whip until the mixture is pale, thickened and doubled in volume.
  4. Combine the butter and milk: Combine the melted butter and the milk.
  5. Fold in the wet and dry ingredients: Then, alternating, add the milk/butter and the sifted dry ingredients to the egg mixture and gently fold in.
  6. Make the meringue: In another bowl, with clean beater attachments, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add in the remaining sugar (55g) and continue to beat until you have a stiff glossy meringue.
  7. Fold in the meringue: A third at a time, fold this meringue into the batter. Be gentle as you do not want to knock out the air in the whipped egg whites.
  8. Bake: Spoon this batter into the prepared dish and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  9. Poke holes in the cake: Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes, then with the back of a skewer, poke many holes in the cake. You want to use the back so that the holes are big enough for the mixture to seep in.
  10. Pour over the chai brew: Pour the chai brew (which has now been mixed with the evaporated milk and condensed milk) over the entire cake so that it is easily absorbed.
  11. Soak in the fridge: This step is important! Don’t be impatient like me and cut into the cake too soon. You want the cake to sit in the fridge, cling-wrapped, for at least 4 hours to allow the chai mixture to really soak through.
Tips

Freshly ground spices produce a much stronger flavour profile than store-bought ones.

Recipe by adventureswithsugar.com

Comments (2)

  1. Emma

    This looks amazing! I absolutely love proper chai. Just want to double check - you say 100 milk - do you mean 100ml of milk?

    1. Suvar Baker

      Hi Emma :) Thank you it is incredible. Apologies for the typo, it is indeed 100ml milk :) I also read through the recipe again and noticed that I forgot the word "separated" for the eggs, in the list of ingredients. Hopefully it is easier to follow now. Let me know how it turns out!

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