EASY NO BAKE TRES LECHES CAKE

Name: No Bake Tres Leches Cake With Cardamom
Prep time: 20 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 300g sweetened condensed milk (roughly 3/4th of a 14 oz can); 400g evaporated milk (1 14 oz can); 60g heavy cream (1/4 cup) - use milk if you want the cake to be lighter; 1/4 tsp cardamom powder (start with just 1/8 tsp, taste and adjust from there)*; 35-40 ladyfingers (about 1.5 packs with 24 ladyfingers each); 1.5 cup heavy cream for decoration; Optional: freeze dried strawberries and pistachios for decoration

A no-bake tres leches cake infused with cardamom that captures Rus Malai flavors in just 5 core ingredients and 30 minutes of active time. Ladyfingers are soaked in a three-milk mixture, then chilled—no baking required.

🌍Mexican 🏷️Easy no bake tres leches cake

Total

Servings

8

Difficulty

Medium

Est. Cost

$16–$26

Recipe Source

View original recipe

From Bakewithzoha · by Zoha

Ingredients

300g sweetened condensed milk (roughly 3/4th of a 14 oz can)

400g evaporated milk (1 14 oz can)

60g heavy cream (1/4 cup) - use milk if you want the cake to be lighter

1/4 tsp cardamom powder (start with just 1/8 tsp, taste and adjust from there)*

35-40 ladyfingers (about 1.5 packs with 24 ladyfingers each)

1.5 cup heavy cream for decoration

Optional: freeze dried strawberries and pistachios for decorationoptional

7 Ingredients

Delivery in as fast as one hour.^*

Powered by Instacart

Prices vary by store

^*Service fees apply. Instacart^® and the Instacart logo are registered trademarks of Maplebear Inc. d/b/a Instacart.

Instructions

1
Prepare three milk mixture by whisking evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream in a bowl. Add a very small amount of cardamom powder (if using), and taste. Adjust the flavor per your liking from there
2
In a clean dish (I used a 7x11" dish), stack ladyfingers tightly to create one layer. Fill any gaps by trimming ladyfingers.
3
Using a 1/4 cup measure, start drenching the ladyfingers. Make sure you get every one of them. You will use half of the milk mixture here. Don't worry if it looks like a lot, the ladyfingers will soak up the milk
4
Wait 10-20 minutes for the ladyfingers to soak up most of the milk mixture
5
Repeat with the second layer of ladyfingers
6
Place the dish in the fridge for ~2 hours
7
In the meanwhile, whip up heavy cream to stiff peaks
8
Spread half of the heavy cream on top of the ladyfingers, using an offset spatula to even it out
9
In the other half, add any food color of your liking (or don't). Transfer to a piping bag, and pipe to decorate. You can use any style of piping you like!
10
Decorate with crushed freeze dried strawberries and chopped pistachios
11
Serve and enjoy!

Was this recipe helpful?

Tips & Notes

Pro tips

Measure cardamom carefully by starting at 1/8 teaspoon and tasting the milk mixture before adding more; it intensifies as the cake sits.
Dip ladyfingers briefly (1-2 seconds per side) in the milk mixture rather than soaking them, so they absorb liquid without falling apart.
Whip the 1.5 cup heavy cream for decoration just before serving to maintain stiffness; over-whipping causes graininess.
Reserve the most perfect ladyfingers for the top layer to ensure an attractive presentation once decorated.

Substitutions

Heavy cream for decoration → whipped coconut cream (note: use full-fat canned coconut milk for best texture)
Sweetened condensed milk → dulce de leche (note: use same amount but reduce any extra sugar)
Ladyfingers → sliced sponge cake (note: cut thinner to absorb milk mixture evenly)