This pumpkin pie tres leches recipe is for everyone that brines their Thanksgiving turkey in Cuban mojo. For the children and grandchildren of immigrants who’s Thanksgiving meals include side dishes from their parent’s homeland like pupusas, frijoles negros, yuca or gallo pinto. As a second generation immigrant myself, traditionally American celebrations always call for a marriage of both American food and food from my parent’s country of origin.

As the daughter of immigrants, I am forever caught between the country that I have called home my entire life and the culture/traditions my parents have passed down to me. To me, a Thanksgiving meal is not complete without a pumpkin pie and the Macy’s parade.

However, my mom scoffs at the idea of a pie served on Thanksgiving that is made from pumpkin, her exact words are, “Pie de Calabaza?! Mija, eso no es comida!” So there is always a flan or arroz con leche next to my pumpkin pie. Being born in the US to immigrant parents, I’m caught between two cultures. I’ve assimilated to life in the US and I always find myself incorporating aspects of my heritage into everyday life. Whether it’s the way we drive or literal translations to Hispanic idioms, our culture is engrained in everything we do.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the food we eat. We (second and third generation immigrants) take traditionally American foods or holidays and give them an immigrant twist by mixing in our roots. This year, I’m making a pumpkin pie tres leches with torched maple meringue. This will be my attempt to win over my mother and show her calabaza ain’t so bad. The fact that there’s a quarter cup of bourbon in the recipe, also helps soften the blow.

what is tres leches cake?

Tres leches translates to three milks. It is a Nicaraguan dessert that has become popular throughout all of Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. The cake is typically a buttery sponge cake that is soaked in a combination of evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. The cake is then topped with meringue or whipped cream.

This cake must be stored in the refrigerator. You can store it in the fridge for upto 3 days in an airtight container.

How is this pumpkin pie tres leches different from traditional?

This tres leches cake contains pumpkin puree, ¼ cup of bourbon and pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. The meringue topping also contains maple syrup to compliment the cake's pumpkin pie flavors.

Ingredients

Cake flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Salt
Large eggs
Sugar
Vanilla extract
Bourbon
Pumpkin Puree
Ceylon Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Cloves
Whole milk
Milk Syrup:
Sweetened condensed milk
Heavy cream
Evaporated milk
Bourbon

Instructions to make this pumpkin tres leches

Bake your tres leches cake

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Beat the whites until very foamy and frothy and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract and bourbon with an electric mixer.
Continue mixing and slowly add the milk and pumpkin puree. Slowly add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves until all the dry ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth. Finally, use a spatula to gently fold in the beaten egg whites until mixed.
Pour batter into a prepared 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 25 minutes.
Use a skewer or knife to pierce holes throughout the cake.

Make your three milks mixture

Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream and bourbon in a mixing bowl.

Pour the milk mixture over the cake a little at a time, until it soaks through. Keep doing this until most of the milk syrup is absorbed. Cover the now milk-drenched cake in and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before frosting.

Make your meringue frosting

For the meringue frosting, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks and set aside. In a separate pan, mix the water, sugar and corn syrup.
Cook over a high heat, stirring constantly until a candy thermometer reads 230°F. Remove from heat.
While beating the egg whites with an electric mixer, immediately pour the hot syrup into the egg whites slowly. Continue beating for about five minutes, while beating the eggs pour in the maple syrup.

Let frosting cool in refrigerator. With a wet spatula, spread a thick layer of the frosting on the cake.

At this point, you can serve the cake as is or you can lightly torch the top of your meringue with a handheld blowtorch.

Variations/substitutions

What can I substitute for evaporated milk in tres leches cake?

You can substitute evaporated milk for heavy cream or whole milk if desired. In a pinch you can use 2% milk.

Can you substitute milk for heavy cream in tres leches cake?

You may substitute heavy cream for milk if desired.

Want to make your tres leches cake dairy free?

You can opt for coconut milk, coconut condensed and coconut evaporated milk

Don't want to top your cake with meringue?

You can opt for whipped cream instead of a meringue topping.

how to store this pumpkin pie tres leches cake?

This cake must be stored in the refrigerator. You can store it in the fridge for upto 3 days in an airtight container.

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