Butter Pecan Tres Leches Cake (Printable Version)

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

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 0.25 teaspoon salt
04 - 0.5 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 0.5 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 - 0.5 cup unsweetened coconut milk, optional

→ Butter Pecan Topping

13 - 1 cup pecans, chopped
14 - 0.25 cup unsalted butter
15 - 0.5 cup brown sugar
16 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Whipped Topping

17 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream
18 - 0.25 cup powdered sugar
19 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# Steps to Follow:

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 the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 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 the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - While cake bakes, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and coconut milk if using until smooth.
08 - Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top surface of the cake.
09 - Slowly pour tres leches mixture over the cake, ensuring it soaks into the holes. Allow cake to absorb milk for at least 1 hour, or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
10 - Melt butter in a 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. 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.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The cake actually gets better after sitting overnight, making it the perfect stress-free dessert for entertaining.
  • The contrast between creamy soaked cake and crunchy buttered pecans creates this magical texture that even fancy bakeries struggle to replicate at home.
02 -
  • Poking holes in the cake while its still warm allows for maximum milk absorption, but let it cool about 10 minutes first or youll end up with a collapsed mess like my first attempt.
  • If the cake seems to be floating in milk right after pouring, dont panic like I did, it needs hours to fully absorb everything.
03 -
  • Reserve about a quarter cup of the butter pecan mixture to drizzle over individual slices just before serving for that restaurant-quality presentation.
  • If youre short on time, you can speed up the soaking process by warming the milk mixture slightly before pouring over the cake, though overnight soaking still yields best results.
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