Tres Leches Toffee Cake

Tres Leches Cake receives a sweet new makeover with the buttery addition of homemade toffee sauce.

Tres Leches Cake has been on my list of desserts to try for quite some time. I mean, who WOULDN’T be into trying an ultra rich and moist cake soaked with THREE different milks. And when I say milk, it’s definitely not the healthy ones. I’m talkin’ evaporated, whole, and sweetened condensed milk. It’s a rather genius idea for keeping a cake from drying out. I wonder if that was the inspiration for its creation…

Anywho, being the non-traditionalist that I am when it comes to desserts, I decided to change things up a bit by incorporating one of my favorite flavors into the mix…

TOFFEE. HOMEMADE toffee.

Yes, if you didn’t think Tres Leches Cake could get any richer, then you obviously haven’t been around my blog long enough. This cake is infused with not only the richness of whole, evaporated, and sweetened condensed milk, but also the warm sweetness of toffee.

While dulce de leche, AKA caramel, would’ve been a more obvious choice, I felt that toffee just doesn’t get the attention it deserves—always being overshadowed by caramel. While they’re pretty similar to each other, the main difference lies in the type of sugar you use. Caramel uses white sugar and toffee uses brown sugar which gives it a more molasses sweetness. Another thing I discovered was how much easier this toffee sauce was to make compared to caramel. This recipe doesn’t require any candy thermometer and comes together in a snap.

Not to mention, the sauce itself is abso-fricken-lutely heavenly.

It truly deserves its own post. So smooth, buttery, and rich, it tastes exactly like those little Werthers Originals hard candies. You know, the ones that your grandma always kept in her pockets along with the sugar packets and individual Kleenex packs. They were like the Rolls Royce of hard candies because they were more luxurious and tasted ten times better than those yellow butterscotch discs.

The lightly sweetened whipped cream makes the perfect crown for such a rich and decadent cake as this. The fluffiness of the whipped cream combined with the lusciously creamy toffee-infused cake is like pure ecstasy. Just a little sprinkle of Heath toffee bits is added to finish this showstopper off, followed by a mesmerizingly sweet stream of homemade toffee sauce.

Click here for the toffee sauce recipe.

Tres Leches Toffee Cake

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• Author: Jillian Hatsumi
• Yield: 10–12 servings 1x

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Description

Tres Leches Cake receives a sweet new makeover with the buttery addition of homemade toffee sauce.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Cake:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Toffee Sauce:

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Tres Leches Mixture:

• 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup toffee sauce (from the batch above)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup toffee bits

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Instructions

Make the Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and continue whipping to stiff, glossy peaks. Transfer to a separate bowl.
3. Return bowl to mixer. Add the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat until thick and pale yellow. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and optional almond extract. Remove bowl and fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30–32 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Make the Toffee Sauce:

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to combine.
2. Stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. No candy thermometer needed.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla and salt. Let cool. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Reserve 1/3 cup for the tres leches mixture and set the rest aside for drizzling.

Make the Tres Leches Mixture:

1. Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, 1/3 cup toffee sauce, and vanilla until combined. Use a skewer to poke holes all over the top of the cooled cake. Slowly pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake, making sure to saturate the edges. Use all of the liquid. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Make the Whipped Cream:

1. Pour the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a well-chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high until stiff peaks form.

Assemble:

1. Remove sides of the springform pan and place the cake on a serving plate. Pipe or spread the whipped cream as desired. Sprinkle the toffee bits evenly on top. Finish with a generous drizzle of the remaining toffee sauce. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

The toffee sauce uses brown sugar rather than white, which gives it a deeper molasses sweetness. No candy thermometer needed — just cook until smooth and slightly thickened, 2–3 minutes. Make the sauce ahead; it keeps refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

• Category: Baking, Dessert

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