This Matcha Coconut Tres Leches Cake features a matcha green tea sponge cake soaked with 3 different types of milk. It's a light, yet moist and flavourful cake that isn't too heavy.
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What is tres leches?
"Tres leches" literally translates to "3 milks" in Spanish.
It usually refers to a sponge or butter cake that is soaked in 3 types of milk:
- evaporated
- condensed milk
- heavy cream
Tres leches cakes are commonly found in Latin America.
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe is made in an 8" by 8" square pan, which is great for a small family.
It's really straightforward to make -- and you'll always end up with a moist cake.
Using ceremonial matcha locks in the vibrant colour in the sponge cake.
The cake is a chiffon-style cake similar to my Perfect Swiss Roll Cake recipe.
Ingredients you'll need
For the cake:
- all-purpose flour: regular flour will work well for this recipe; no need to use cake flour as this cake needs a little structure to hold up to all the milks
- baking powder: acts as a leavening agent and helps the cake to rise
- sea salt: balances out the sweetness
- eggs: separated, at room temperature
- cream of tartar: or lemon juice if you don't have cream of tartar; it will help stabilize the whipped egg whites
- granulated sugar: adds a little sweetness to the cake
- whole milk: you can use any milk or non-dairy alternative
- vanilla extract: use a high quality vanilla extract for the best flavour; if you have coconut extract on hand, you can use a that too
- matcha: use a high quality matcha for the best flavour and colour retention
For the milk cake soak:
- condensed milk: is a thickened, sweet milk that comes in a can
- coconut milk: I prefer using canned coconut milk, which can solidify at room temperature -- if that's the case, gently warm it up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, until it is liquid
- whole milk: you can use any milk or a non-dairy alternative
How to make it
Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, add in the egg whites and gradually whip until foamy.
Add in cream of tartar or lemon juice and continue to increase the speed until more bubbles form.
Gradually add in the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and matcha. Sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder and sea salt.
Use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients, until just combined.
Fold in ⅓rd of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk-flour batter to lighten.
Continue to fold in the rest of the whipped egg whites into the flour batter, until incorporated.
Transfer the cake batter to a square 8" by 8" baking tray.
Lightly tap to release any trapped air bubbles.
Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, until the surface of the cake is dry to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed.
Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes before poking with a skewer.
Make the milk cake soak:
In a measuring cup, combine the condensed milk, coconut milk and whole milk. Give it a stir to incorporate evenly.
After the cake has cooled a little, poke the cake with a sharp skewer. (Poking the cake creates lots of holes for the cake to absorb the milk).
Slowly pour the milk liquid over the surface of the cake.
At first, it will look like it's a lot of liquid, but most of it will soak in.
Cover the cake and place it into the fridge overnight to let it fully absorb.
How to serve
Slice the Matcha Tres Leches Cake and top with whipped cream (optional) and fruit.
How to store
Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
The cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips & troubleshooting
You can easily double the recipe and use a larger 9" by 13" pan.
Other recipes you may like
Be sure to check out these recipes:
Be sure to let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!
Matcha Coconut Tres Leches Cake
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Matcha cake:
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch sea salt
- 3 eggs separated
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar or lemon juice
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 100 ml whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or coconut extract
- 9 g matcha
Cake soak:
- 150 ml coconut milk
- 85 ml whole milk
- 100 ml condensed milk
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/177°C.
- In a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, add in the egg whites and gradually whip until foamy.
- Add in cream of tartar or lemon juice and continue to increase the speed until more bubbles form.
- Gradually add in the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, and matcha. Sift in the all-purpose flour, baking powder and sea salt.
- Use a spatula to fold in the dry ingredients, until just combined.
- Fold in ⅓rd of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk-flour batter to lighten.
- Continue to fold in the rest of the whipped egg whites into the flour batter, until incorporated.
- Transfer the cake batter to a square 8" by 8" baking tray.
- Lightly tap to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Bake at 350°F/177°C for 20-25 minutes, until the surface of the cake is dry to the touch and springs back when lightly pressed.
- Let the cake cool for 10-15 minutes before poking with a skewer.
Make the milk cake soak:
- In a measuring cup, combine the condensed milk, coconut milk and whole milk. Give it a stir to incorporate evenly.
- After the cake has cooled a little, poke the cake with a sharp skewer. (Poking the cake creates lots of holes for the cake to absorb the milk).
- Slowly pour the milk liquid over the surface of the cake.
- At first, it will look like it's a lot of liquid, but most of it will soak in.
- Cover the cake and place it into the fridge overnight to let it fully absorb.
Serve:
- Slice into 9 servings.
- Serve chilled (or at room temperature) with whipped cream and fresh fruit.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
2pots2cook
Loooooove your twist ! So beautiful !
Michelle
Thanks so much Davorka! 🙂
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love the stunning green color of your matcha sponge cake. Your choice of red raspberries also created the perfect cake topper!
Michelle
Yes, raspberries or strawberries would be great with this cake! Thanks Heidi 🙂
Raymund
Wow you certainly know how to make use of matcha! Even a non matcha lover would like this cake
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
I love a good Tres leches (and different twists), but this is definitely the most unique variation I've ever seen. So beautiful and creative!
Healthy World Cuisine
Super moist and delicious. You are so creative with matcha. Can't wait to give this recipe a go.
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Such a unique twist on tres leches cake Michelle! That texture looks fantastic and I love the pop of red with the fresh raspberries.
Viri
Hi!
It looks amazing, but, can I use vegan milk instead the whole milk? (For lactose intolerance)
I am dying to try it.
Michelle
Yes you can use non-dairy milk.
deeanna pham
Hi there, in the directions it says to add cream of tartar or lemon juice but doesn't state it in the ingredients list. How much would you need to add in?
Michelle
Hi there, thanks for catching that -- add 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar/lemon juice.
Jenny
Is that one cup of flour? I have a hard time converting grams into cups and ml into ounces.
Michelle
It's 1/2 C + 2 Tbsp of flour.
Diana
Hi! Can i use whole wheat all purpose flour?
Michelle
Hi Diana, for this recipe I don't recommend using whole wheat all-purpose flour as it can make the cake dense.
Shirin
I made this cake for a family dinner and it tasted so good! The coconut milk gave it a nice twist. One thing I’m trying to understand is why it turned into a heavy rustic cake rather than light and airy as shown in the picture. Even after 24 hours, it’s still very dense. I doubled the recipe using same size pan as I didn’t have a bigger one. However it was done in just 20 minutes.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the ingredients as the mixture (before baking) was quite dense, even though I followed the steps to the letter.
Thank you!
Michelle
Hi there, did you make any substitutions to the cake recipe? I haven't tried doubling the cake recipe in the same size pan -- however, I would suspect that the doubled amount of milk for the same surface area could contribute to the cake being more dense. The cake batter before baking should not be dense at all; if so, then perhaps it may have been overmixed.