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Pumpkin Cuatro Leches Cake

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  • Prep 20 min
  • Total 1 hr 55 min
  • Ingredients 18
  • Servings 8
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Why do I call this cake recipe “cuatro leches” instead of its traditional name, “tres leches?” Because my pumpkin cake is saturated with the delicioso and sweet flavor of three milks – condensed, evaporated and fresh – and covered with a dense layer of homemade whipped cream, adding a fourth milk to the recipe. Other traditional tres leches cakes use meringue to decorate or garnish the top, but I don’t cook with eggs. The eggs in the cake batter have been replaced with chia seeds. These tiny seeds are a source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and calcium. They’re also considered one of today’s super foods. If you can’t find them in your local supermarket, visit a favorite health store and you’re sure to find them there.
by Qué Rica Vida Comunidad
Updated Sep 28, 2015
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Ingredients

To prepare the cake:

  • 1 cup Gold Medal™ whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons chia seeds
  • 2/3 cup milk (I use 2%)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (melted), plus extra butter to grease the cake pan
  • 1/3 cup fresh pumpkin, steamed and mashed
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh, ground nutmeg

To prepare the 3 leches:

  • 6 oz 2% milk
  • 6 oz condensed milk
  • 6 oz evaporated milk

To prepare the whipped cream:

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 3 tablespoons condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for garnish

Directions

  •  
    1
    To prepare the cake: Preheat your toaster oven to 350 °F.
  •  
    2
    Grease the cake pan (I use a rectangle, 8” x 6” x 2” pan or a round, 8” pan) with a little bit of butter. Set aside.
  •  
    3
    In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and chia seeds. Use a whisk to remove any lumps in the flour and sugar.
  •  
    4
    In another bowl mix the milk, melted butter and mashed pumpkin. Use a whisk to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
  •  
    5
    Slowly add the dry ingredients, uniformly whisking together both mixes.
  •  
    6
    Season with the salt, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  •  
    7
    Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. It might seem like a small amount of batter in comparison with the size of the pan, but remember that later we will be adding 18 oz of milk to the cake.
  •  
    8
    Bake for 20 minutes or until the cake has expanded and is golden brown. Turn off the heat but leave the cake in the oven for approximately 40 additional minutes so it continues cooking with the heat of the oven, for a total of 1 hour.
  •  
    9
    Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a metal cooling rack or in a place where air can fully circulate around the pan.
  •  
    10
    Once cool, perforate the cake with a toothpick or fork, creating small holes through which the cake will absorb the 3 leches (milks). It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look pretty because we’re going to cover the top layer with whipped cream before serving.
  •  
    11
    To prepare the 3 leches: Mix the 3 leches (in equal portions) in a large cup or small pitcher.
  •  
    12
    Pour about half of the milk mix over the cake. You may have to add less to prevent the milk from spilling over. Wait a few hours, and the cake will have absorbed the milk so you can add any remaining milk to the pan.
  •  
    13
    If the temperature of your home is cool, you can leave the pan on top of the warm oven until the cake completely absorbs the milk. Otherwise, cover the pan and store in the refrigerator overnight.
  •  
    14
    To prepare the whipped cream: The next day, in a large bowl, whip the cream with an electric hand mixer, starting on low and slowly increasing the speed. When bubbles begin to appear in the cream, add the 3 tablespoons of condensed milk and vanilla. Continue whipping the cream until it’s medium-thick in consistency, or when soft peaks have formed.
  •  
    15
    With an offset spatula, pour and spread the whipped cream over the cake, which should have already absorbed all the leches. Garnish with ground cinnamon.

Expert Tips

  • tip 1
    To double this recipe, use a 9” x 13” baking pan. You may need to use your oven (versus toaster oven) to prepare this many servings. Increase the baking time to 30 minutes, and leave the cake in the warm oven for approximately 1 hour. To prepare the 3 leches, combine 1 can each of condensed, evaporated and fresh milk; the perfect amount to saturate the cake.

Nutrition Information

No nutrition information available for this recipe

More About This Recipe

  • Why do I call this cake recipe “cuatro leches” instead of its traditional name, “tres leches?” Because my pumpkin cake is saturated with the delicioso and sweet flavor of three milks – condensed, evaporated and fresh – and covered with a dense layer of homemade whipped cream, adding a fourth milk to the recipe. Other traditional tres leches cakes use meringue to decorate or garnish the top, but I don’t cook with eggs. The eggs in the cake batter have been replaced with chia seeds. These tiny seeds are a source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and calcium. They’re also considered one of today’s super foods. If you can’t find them in your local supermarket, visit a favorite health store and you’re sure to find them there.
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