Vegan Tres Leches Cake

Craving tres leches cake, but you’re vegan or dairy free? We gave this classic dessert a vegan makeover just for you! It’s rich and creamy, with a moist yellow cake and a pop of fresh strawberries on top. Serve yourself a slice or enjoy it straight out of the pan; it’s just that good.

Ingredients for the cake:

1 ¾ cups cake flour or all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup canned coconut milk (full fat, unsweetened)

2 tsp vanilla extract

⅓ cup neutral oil (ex: canola)

1 tbsp vinegar (apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar)

Ingredients for the cake soak:

¼ cup canned coconut milk (full fat, unsweetened)

1 can evaporated coconut milk (12.2 oz)

1.can sweetened condensed coconut milk (11.25 oz)

For decoration:

1 cup coconut cream

1 tbsp sugar

Strawberries

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Prepare a 9in x 13in baking dish with vegan butter or by spraying it with a vegan non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add your sugar, baking soda, salt and flour. Whisk together until well combined.

Before you go any further, make sure your canned coconut milk hasn’t separated. If it has, you can shake it vigorously until the cream re-combines or heat it on the stovetop. If you use the stovetop, make sure it’s cooled to room temperature before you add it to the dry ingredients. Additionally, you won’t use all of the coconut milk in the cake. After you’ve made the cake soak, you can put what’s left over in a sealed container to use for another recipe.

Add your coconut milk, vanilla, oil and vinegar to your dry ingredients. Make sure to add the vinegar last. Whisk together until just combined.

Pour it into your prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and it’s slightly golden on top and on the edges.

Set it out to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, add your evaporated coconut milk, coconut milk, and sweetened condensed coconut milk. Mix until well combined. Set aside until your cake has almost completely cooled.

When your cake is ready, pour the coconut mixture into the pan a little bit at a time. Wait a few minutes between pours to allow the cake to soak up a little bit. Once you get to the end of the mixture, your cake will look swamped in liquid. This is normal, and it will absorb nearly all of it once it’s had time to sit.

Set your cake in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 8 hours.

In the morning or shortly before serving, you can make the toppings.

Add your coconut cream to a bowl with your sugar. Whisk it on high with a hand mixer until the sugar is incorporated and the cream is fluffy. Spoon it onto your cake in an even layer.

Wash and dry your strawberries. Cut the tops off. Slice them lengthwise and put them on the cake, face up, in any pattern you’d like.

Serve in generous slices and enjoy.

Vegan Tres Leches Cake