Matcha Tres Leches

Light and fluffy matcha sponge cake soaked in a three-milk mixture and topped with a silky layer of matcha whipped cream

What is a tres leches?

A classic tres leches cake aka pan tres leches is a Latin American cake made from a light and fluffy sponge cake soaked in three different types of milk; evaporated milk, condensed milk, and whole milk.

The resulting cake is incredibly moist while also being light and fluffy.

This is an Asian spin on this classic using matcha powder. The slightly bitter and grassy flavor works so well with the milky cake. The resulting dessert kind of reminds me of a matcha latte!

Ingredients

Matcha Cake

• Egg yolks: The egg yolks give the cake a rich flavor and tender texture.
• Granulated sugar: Sugar plays two uses. It gives the cake sweetness, while also creating a meringue with the egg whites.
• Vegetable oil: Vegetable oil gives the cake a tender texture as well as a moist crumb.

• Matcha powder: I like to use high-quality culinary-grade matcha powder for this cake! This will give it the nicest matcha flavor and green color.
• All-purpose flour: Flour gives the cake structure! If you want an even softer cake you can also use cake flour.
• Baking powder: Baking powder helps to give your cake an extra boost, helping it bake up taller and with a more even rise.

• Egg whites: Egg whites are whipped with sugar to form a meringue. The air whipped into the meringue helps it rise to that light and fluffy sponge cake. Make sure you use large eggs as you need all the egg whites for the cake to rise.

3 Milk Soak

• Condensed milk: Condensed milk gives the milk soak sweetness. If you don't want the cake to be too sweet you can reduce this to your taste
• Evaporated milk: Evaporated milk gives the cake a sweet creaminess

• Fresh whole milk: Fresh milk makes up the rest of the soak, giving it a fresh, milky flavor
• Matcha powder: This just adds a little extra matcha oomph to the cake.

Whipped Cream

• Heavy cream: Aka thickened cream. I find that heavy cream whips up the best for frosting cakes. Whipping cream or regular cream works great too.
• Granulated sugar: The sugar here sweetens the cream, you can add more or less according to your taste.
• Matcha powder: We don't need much matcha powder in the whipped cream as there will be a lot more dusted on top.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this last?

This cake will last up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Make sure to keep the cake chilled and take it out just before serving. As the cake is made with cream and milk it spoils easily when let out and will start to melt if out for too long.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes, you can definitely make this in advance!

As the cake needs time to soak up the milk mixture you should make the cake and soak it the day before. Then when you are ready to serve whip up the cream, frost, and enjoy!

Why is my cake so dense?

There are a couple of reasons why the cake is dense:

• Egg whites weren't whipped to stiff peaks
• The baking powder wasn't active/too old
• The cake was underbaked

Why isn't my cake soaking up all the milk?

If you find there is still a lot of liquid surrounding your cake and it's not fully absorbing here are a couple of reasons:

• Not enough holes were made on the surface of the cake, make some more holes with a fork
• The baked cake was too dense/underbaked meaning it's harder for the cake to absorb the mixture
• The cake hadn't been soaking for long enough, give it some more time

How do I get a smooth whipped cream frosting?

There are a couple of ways to get a smooth cream frosting:

• Don't over-whip the cream as this can make the frosting grainy
• Spread the frosting over the cake, then run an offset spatula under hot water, wipe it dry and use it to smoothen the top of the cake

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Matcha Tres Leches Cake

Print Recipe

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5 from 1 review

Light and fluffy matcha sponge cake soaked in a three-milk mixture and topped with a silky layer of matcha whipped cream 

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 slices 1x
• Category: Cake
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Ingredients

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Matcha Sponge Cake

• 5 Egg yolks
• 25g Granulated sugar (2 tbsp)
• 60g Vegetable oil (¼ cup)
• 80ml Milk (⅓ cup)
• 98g All-purpose flour (¾ cup 1 tbsp)
• 18g Matcha powder (3 tbsp)
• 1 ½ tsp Baking powder
• 5 Egg whites
• 65g Granulated sugar (II) (⅓ cup)

3 Milk Soak

• 120ml Sweetened condensed milk (½ cup)
• 120ml Evaporated milk (½ cup)
• 120ml Fresh whole milk (½ cup)
• 2 tsp Matcha powder

Whipped Cream Topping

• 480ml Heavy cream (2 cups)
• 65g Granulated sugar (⅓ cup)
• 1 tbsp Matcha powder
• Matcha powder, to serve

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Instructions

Matcha Sponge Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F
2. Line a 8 x 8 inch /20 x 20cm square cake tin with baking paper
3. Whisk together the egg yolks, milk, sugar (I) and vegetable oil in a medium bowl until smooth
4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and matcha powder, and whisk until just combined, set aside
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer whisk the egg whites until soft peaks
6. Add the sugar (II) and whisk on medium-high until stiff peaks
7. Add ⅓ of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined
8. Transfer the egg yolk mixture to the remaining meringue and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined
9. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean
10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack
11. Peel the baking paper off the cake
12. Reline the cake tin with baking paper and place the cake back into the tin
13. Poke holes all over the cake with a fork or skewer

See Also This Recipe:  Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake

3 Milk Soak

1. Combine the condensed milk and matcha powder in a large jug and mix until completely smooth
2. Add the evaporated milk, and whole milk and whisk until well combined
3. Slowly drizzle the milk mixture over the cake, then cover it with plastic wrap
4. Put the cake in the refrigerator to soak for at least 1 hour or overnight

Whipped Cream Topping

1. Combine the cream and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large bowl with an electric mixer
2. Sift in the matcha powder
3. Whisk the cream on high speed until it reaches stiff peaks
4. Remove the cake from the tin and top it with the whipped cream, smoothening off the top and sides
5. Trim the edges, cut into 6 slices, dust with matcha powder and serve!

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