This post is sponsored by our friends at Natural Delights Medjool Dates. I had the unique opportunity of joining them for the date harvest in Yuma, AZ, in September 2023, and I learned so much about Medjool dates! All opinions are my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make Masala and Chai possible. I’ve always wanted to make a Masala Chai Cake and can’t think of a better dessert to combine it with than a classic Mexican Tres Leches Cake. A Tres Leches Cake is a popular Mexican dessert made with a soft, fluffy white sponge cake that’s soaked in a sweet and creamy mixture of three milks - sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whole milk. This Indian milk cake is the ideal chai dessert to bring to dinner parties, birthdays, and holiday gatherings! Bring your Lactaid pills because this cake is sooo deliciously creamy.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
What better way to enjoy the flavors of a creamy Masala Chai than infused in a tres leches cake? The Indian black tea and chai spice is brewed in the three milks. The soft, spongey cake soaks in all the cozy masala chai flavors. It reminds me so much of dipping cake rusk in a hot cup of masala chai. The classic whipped cream topping is sometimes traditionally combined with dulce de leche (a caramelized milk) for extra sweetness. Similarly, we’re making a caramel out of Natural Delights Medjool dates and adding plenty of chai spice. Then, we’re mixing the chai date caramel into our whipped cream!
What is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres leches cake is a popular dessert from Mexico that is made with a light, fluffy sponge cake and soaked in a sweet mixture of three milks. It’s typically topped with whipped cream and strawberries. You can check out this authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe by Isabel Eats! Tres leches means “three milks” in Spanish, hence the name of the cake. The sweet, syrup-like milk mixture consists of milk in three forms - whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. The texture of the cake stays soft and spongey, similar to a chiffon cake, due to whipping the egg whites into a meringue and folding it into the batter. The cake can be found at Mexican restaurants and is usually served for special occasions like birthdays, weddings, Cinco de Mayo, holiday parties, and more.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
Masala Chai Tres Leches Cake
Milks - Whole milk is used in the cake batter to create a lighter texture as well as in the three-milk mixture. The three-milk mixture has whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. If that’s too much dairy, I also love using coconut milk, coconut cream, and sweetened condensed coconut milk. Eggs - For my eggless diet Indians, this may not be the recipe for you unless you’d like to try using whipped aquafaba instead. The egg yolks and egg whites are separated. The egg yolks are mixed with sugar until pale yellow and ribbony, and the egg whites are whipped until stiff peaks and then folded into the batter. The light and airy batter is what helps the three milks soak into the cake without making it soggy. Flour - Use sifted unbleached all-purpose flour or cake flour. Baking Powder - Our leavening agent to help the cake rise. Sugar - White granulated sugar is mixed in the egg yolks and helps the egg whites whip up to sweeten the cake batter. Chai Masala - Use a high quality, preferably homemade chai spice from freshly ground spices. I also really love Pur Spices. Black Tea - Search for Indian brands of black tea that use the CTC method. For tea bags, I love Tetley British Blend. Taj Mahal and Wagh Bakri are other great options. They can readily be found online or in South Asian grocery stores. Heavy Whipping Cream - A tres leches cake with a whipped cream topping is a must!
Chai Date Caramel
Coconut Milk - Instead of using even more dairy, coconut milk is mixed into the date paste to smooth it out into a delicious, thick caramel texture. Chai Masala - Use a high quality, preferably homemade chai spice from freshly ground spices. I also really love Pur Spices. Medjool Dates - Medjool dates are the best variety for a homemade, sugar-free chai date caramel that’s mixed into the whipped cream frosting. They’re large, soft, and naturally sweet compared to other varieties. There are many health benefits to adding them to your diet, such as added vitamins and minerals and high fiber (WebMD). They’re available pitted at the grocery store and online by brands like Natural Delights which makes this recipe quicker.
How to make Masala Chai Tres Leches Cake
The Tres Leches Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with oil or brush it with softened butter. Let’s start with making the cake batter. Step 3 - Now, we’re going to whip the egg whites with some sugar. We’re looking for a light and airy sponge cake that can absorb all the milk without getting soggy, and whipping the egg whites is the key to this. Start with the egg whites in a separate large bowl. Beat the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer or stand mixer on High until it gets frothy. Once it gets frothy, start adding in a ¼ cup of sugar little by little. Keep going until shiny stiff peaks form. At this point, the egg whites are done. Step 6 - Transfer the fluffy and airy cake batter into the greased baking dish that we prepared. Pop the baking dish into the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the top has browned. Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes.
The Chai Date Caramel Whipped Cream
Now, to make the delicious whipped cream. A plain whipped topping or one mixed with dulce de leche is pretty common to find in Tres Leches Cakes. Our little spin is making a chai caramel out of Medjool dates! First, soak the Medjool dates in warm water for 10 minutes so they get soft and plump. This makes it way easier to blend them. Drain the water from the dates. Toss them into a food processor. Pulse the dates until it starts to become a paste. Take the lid off and scrape the sides every now and then. Add a tablespoon of chai spice and a pinch of salt into the food processor. Slowly begin to pour 6 ounces of coconut milk into the top of the food processor. Keep running the processor on High speed. You’re looking for a thick and smooth caramel. Give the caramel a taste and adjust with more chai spice or a sprinkle of salt. Beat 1 cup of heavy cream and a ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks start to form. Add ½ - 1 cup of the chai date caramel, depending on sweetness preference, into the whipped cream and mix just until combined. Once the cake has rested in the refrigerator, spread the whipped topping all over the cake.
Serving Suggestions
Now that the whipped topping is on the cake, you’re ready to garnish and serve! I like to slather the whipped topping with a bit more of the chai date caramel and lightly mix it in with the back of a spoon. Garnish with chopped pistachios or sliced almonds. Rose petals would also be a gorgeous pop of color. Cut the tres leches chai cake into slices and serve on cake plates. I like to reserve some of the masala chai tres leches mixture and pour it into the cake plate for an extra bit of wetness.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Store the Tres Leches Cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’re taking the cake elsewhere and you have a few hours before you plan on serving it, I’d recommend soaking the cake with the tres leches at the beginning of the party and storing it in the refrigerator. Then top with the whipped cream a couple of hours later once you’re ready to serve it.
More Cake Recipes to try
Recipe
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