Butter Pecan Tres Leches Cake (Printer-Friendly)

Milk-soaked cake layers with toasted buttered pecans and whipped cream topping.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - ½ cup whole milk

→ Tres Leches Mixture

09 - 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
10 - 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
11 - 1 cup whole milk
12 - ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk, optional

→ Butter Pecan Topping

13 - 1 cup pecans, chopped
14 - ¼ cup unsalted butter
15 - ½ cup packed brown sugar
16 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Whipped Topping

17 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream
18 - ¼ cup powdered sugar
19 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to Cook:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3-5 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
05 - Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Begin and end with flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
07 - While cake bakes, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and coconut milk if using in a bowl until smooth.
08 - Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
09 - Slowly pour tres leches mixture over cake, ensuring it soaks into holes. Allow cake to absorb milk for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight in refrigerator.
10 - Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pecans and brown sugar; cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes until pecans are toasted and mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let cool slightly.
11 - In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
12 - Once cake has absorbed milk mixture, spread whipped cream evenly over surface.
13 - Drizzle cooled butter pecan topping over whipped cream.
14 - Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cake becomes almost custard-like after soaking, melting on your tongue in the most indulgent way.
  • Toasted butter pecan topping adds a caramelized crunch that cuts through all that creamy sweetness.
  • It improves overnight, so you can make it a day ahead and actually enjoy your own party.
  • Every bite feels like a celebration without being fussy or difficult to pull off.
02 -
  • Pour the milk mixture slowly and evenly, I once dumped it all in one corner and ended up with a lopsided soak.
  • Don't skip the overnight rest, the cake needs time to drink in every bit of that milky sweetness.
  • Let the butter pecan topping cool slightly before adding it to the whipped cream or it will melt and deflate.
  • Use a fork with wide tines to poke the holes, it creates better channels for the milk to travel through.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour if you have a kitchen scale, it prevents dense, heavy cake from too much flour.
  • Toast the pecans low and slow in the skillet, high heat burns the sugar before the nuts get properly toasted.
  • Whip the cream just before serving so it stays fluffy and doesn't weep or separate.
  • If the milk mixture doesn't all absorb, don't worry, just give it more time in the fridge and it will soak in.
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