This Vegan Ras Malai Tres Leches Cake is the ultimate make-ahead dessert! A light sponge soaked in cardamom and saffron-scented nut milk. It only gets better with time, so perfect for holidays, and any occasion that calls for cake. Gluten-free option + soy-free.
This Vegan Ras Malai Tres Leches Cake combines two of my all-time favorite desserts, Rasmalai and Three Milk Cake! A new Latin twist on one of the most delicious Indian sweets out there – traditional Bengali Ras Malai / Rasmalai.
Ras Malai meets Tres Leches
Tres Leches is a light and airy sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk: usually evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Bengali Ras Malai traditionally consists of small soft cheese curd balls or mini cakes immersed in saffron and cardamom-scented sweetened thickened milk. Can you already guess what we did here to combine the two? Yes, we bake a moist vegan sponge cake and soak it in a rich, homemade 3 milk mix seasoned with cardamom and saffron. The result is simply divine!
After the vegan tres leches cake has chilled, a simple coconut whipped cream and some chopped pistachios are added as finishing touches. If you want, add some vanilla or cinnamon to the coconut whip as you prepare it. It’s the cozy season after all. You can serve it topped with the whipped coconut cream or serve with a custard made of the 3 milk mixture!
Tres Leches Cake is always best served chilled and while the flavors make this perfect for Diwali, fall, and winter, I am thinking that this cake would also be the perfect summer cake.
This dreamy indulgent vegan tres leches is the ultimate make-ahead dessert because it only gets better with time, perfect for holidays, and any occasion that calls for cake.
More Diwali and holiday recipes:
- Vegan Ras Malai
- Almond Halwa, 2ways and Almond Ladoo GF
- Malai Burfi GF
- Basundi
- 7 Cup Burfi – GF, Nutfree
- Malai Ladoo
- Brown Rice Kheer
- Gajar Halwa, skillet, Instant pot
- Gulab Jamuns
- Easy Kaju Katli
Recipe Card
Vegan Rasmalai Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (250 ml) non-dairy milk such as almond, oat, or soy
- 2 tablespoons nondairy yogurt or apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- few drops almond extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup (156.25 g) flour I use all-purpose
- 1/4 cup (30 g) almond flour you can also use a mix of almond flour and raw pistachio flour - To make the raw pistachio flour just blend pistachios in a blender until powder and use. To omit almond, use 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the milk mixture:
- 2 tablespoons raw pistachios
- 2 tablespoons raw cashew
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the thin part of the full fat coconut milk from a can
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) oat milk or use soy milk
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 7-8 strands of saffron
- Seeds from 1 green cardamom pod
For the whipped coconut cream topping:
- thick coconut cream from a can of coconut milk (about 1/2 cup)
- 2-3 tablespoons of powdered sugar
Instructions
- Make the cake: In a bowl, add all the wet ingredients and mix well.
- In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Then combine the two until you get a cake batter. You don't want the cake batter to be too liquid but also don't want it to be too muffin-like. If it's too thick, add in 1 tablespoon or so more of non-dairy milk. If it's too thin, then add in 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour.
- Grease an 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch pan, then transfer the batter to the pan. I used a glass pan for this cake so that it doesn't brown too much.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and then bake the cake for 30 minutes. Check the 25-minute mark if the cake is done and continue to bake for another 5 if needed.
- Make the milk mixture: For the coconut milk, refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk for half an hour. You can do this before you start making the cake for it to chill by the time you need it.
- Then scoop the coconut cream part out of that coconut can and put that back in the fridge to make the whipped cream later.
- Out of the thin part of the coconut milk, use half a cup. Add coconut milk to a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients for the milk mixture to a blender and blend it for a minute then let this mixture sit for 5 minutes for the nuts to soak so that they can blend smoothly then blend again. Repeat once or twice until the texture is really smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
- Once the cake has baked, remove the cake from the oven.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes to cool then use a toothpick or a skewer to make holes all throughout the cake. Then pour a third of the milk mixture all over.
- You will need to pour the liquid over the cake in batches. So pour a third the milk mixture then let it soak for 15 mins, and then pour another portion of the remaining mixture and let it soak.
- If the cake doesn't soak up any more, you can reserve the remaining third/quarter of the mixture to serve on the side.
- For the whipped coconut cream topping:
- Take the coconut cream out from the fridge and use a whipping attachment in your hand mixer or a stand mixer to whip it until getting light.
- Add the sugar, and continue to whip until it's light and fluffy. You can also add in a bit of vanilla to the whipped coconut cream or some cinnamon.
- Once whipped, spread this coconut cream over the cake which is by now soaked with milk. Then top it with crushed or chopped raw pistachios and serve.
- You can keep this cake chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
If you don't like the whipped coconut cream, you can take half of the milk mixture to make it into a custard. Heat half of the milk mixture over medium heat in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer and thickens a little bit then take off heat. Let it cool completely and serve that as the custard topping on top of the soaked cake. To make this gluten-free:
For the flour, use 3/4 cup of oat flour, 3/4 cup of almond flour, and 1/4 cup of potato starch and for the liquid in the recipe, use half a cup of milk and half a cup of club soda instead of 1 cup milk.
Nutrition
Ingredients:
- For the dry ingredients, I use All purpose flour mixed with some almond flour for moisture and richness (you can also use a mix of almond flour and raw pistachio flour) To make the raw pistachio flour, just blend pistachios in a blender until powder and use
- the cake is sweetened with cane sugar as we want to have a light color.
- our wet cake batter ingredients are non-dairy milk (almond, oat, or soy), oil, and some non-dairy yogurt or apple sauce
- baking powder and soda as well as vinegar helps the cake rise in the oven
- I add both vanilla extract and almond extract to lend more flavor to the cake
- the tres leches soaking syrup is made by blending raw pistachios and cashew
with coconut milk, oat milk, water, and sugar - saffron and cardamom add that authentic ras malai flavor to the soaking syrup
- coconut whip and chopped pistachios are my toppings of choice
Tips & Variations:
- For a budget version, skip the saffron
- If you want to make this refined sugar-free you can use coconut sugar or powdered jaggery, but it will result in a darker cake.
- Want to make this look even prettier? Sprinkle some dried culinary rose petals on top along with pistachios.
- You could also add a small amount of rose water to the soaking liquid if you’re a fan of rose-scented desserts.
- You definitely want to poke all the way through the cake before pouring over the milk; this allows for the milk to soak the whole cake.
- Alternate topping idea: If you don’t like the whipped coconut cream, you can take half of the milk mixture to make it into a custard. Heat half of the milk mixture over medium heat in a small saucepan until it starts to simmer and thickens a little bit then take off heat. Let it cool completely and serve that as the custard topping on top of the soaked cake.
- After the milk is poured, you can cover the cake pan and refrigerate for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
How to make Vegan Ras Malai Tres Leches Cake:
Make the cake: In a bowl, add all the wet ingredients and mix well.
In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
Combine the two until you get a cake batter.
You don’t want the cake batter to be too liquid but also don’t want it to be too muffin-like. If it’s too thick, add in 1 tablespoon or so more of non-dairy milk. If it’s too thin, then add in 1 or 2 tablespoons more flour.
Grease an 8×8 inch or 9×9 inch pan and then transfer the batter to the pan. I used a glass pan for this cake so that it doesn’t brown too much.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) and then bake the cake for 30 minutes.
Check the 25-minute mark if the cake is done and continue to bake for another 5 if needed.
Blend the milk mixture until smooth. I blend it for a minute then rest for 5 minutes then blend again. So this 2-3 times.
Once the cake is done, remove from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, then poke holes in the warm cake. pour some of the milk mixture all over then let it sit for 15 mins to soak. Then drizzle some more of the milk mixture.
Once whipped, spread this coconut cream over the cake which is by now soaked with milk.
Then top it with crushed or chopped raw pistachios and serve.
Make it gluten-free:
For the flour, use 3/4 cup of oat flour, 3/4 cup of almond flour, and 1/3 cup of potato starch and for the liquid in the recipe, use half a cup of milk and half a cup of club soda instead of 1 cup milk.
How to store Tres Leches Cake:
Tres Leches Cake should be refrigerated – both because of the soaking liquid and the whipped topping. You can keep this cake chilled in the fridge for up to 5 days. It actually gets better and better.
Priya
Made this cake yesterday. The flavor was amazing and the cake was super tasty, but I had an issue with the texture of the cake. The cake looked fine when I took it out of the oven, but it was barely able to soak up any of the milk mixture, no matter how many holes I poked in the cake. Most of the mixture just sat in a big puddle on top of the cake, and it ended up making the cake texture very dense and hard to cut through. Ate it again today after keeping it in the fridge overnight and it is still the same.
It’s still super tasty, but I’m wondering what I could have done incorrectly as I would like to make it again the right way. I followed the recipe exactly and didn’t make any substitutions. My baking soda was new. Could it be that the milk mixture wasn’t thin enough? It was very liquidy but definitely a little thicker than milk texture. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!
Richa
Hmm it’s either 1. The mixture was too thick, 2. The cake didn’t rise enough. Did the cake rise ? If it did t then it would gummy and hence not soak the liquid. Cake stays gummy because of either old baking powder or too much moisture in the batter ie it needs more flour.
Priya
Thank you for the tips! I was able to make a much better version the next time. The few things I changed:
1. I think my cake batter was too liquidy the first time. I was more careful with measuring ingredients and the batter looked much better the second time, and the cake was more moist and fluffy.
2. I ran the mixture through the blender for longer and for more times to get it as liquidy as possible.
I found that my cake was still only able to absorb about 1/3 of the liquid mixture, not 2/3 as the recipe states, but it still came out really good.
Vegan Richa Support
awesome!! so glad you were able to make it work for you!
Enzarela
My family absolutely loved this. I’ve been on a quest to find great vegan Indian desserts as my father is vegan and can’t partake in lots of Indian sweets unfortunately.
I used a metal pan and baked for ~35 minutes because I did not want it to get too soggy when soaking later. Saved some of the milk mixture and folded that into the coconut cream to give it a wonderful red hue from the saffron.
Richa, you totally made my week! I’ve recommend this recipe to everyone
Vegan Richa Support
thank you! 🙂
Sylwia
Hi Richa, I would like to double the ingredients and bake the cake in an 8×12 inch pan- how long would you suggest to bake the cake for?
Richa
Check additional 10 mins later.
Debra Olafson
I made this recipe for a birthday and it was so delicious even the non-vegans loved it. Highly recommend and definitely serve with the extra sauce.
Vegan Richa Support
yay! happy belated!
KT
Wow ! What a gift you are to the world ! This is an awesome recipe. Cake has a light and spongy texture. Perfect for soaking up the flavorful milk . I made individual Bundt cup cakes which turned out really well for a milestone celebration loved ones. Thankyou very much for your creative recipes
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you for the kind comment, KT!
Anna
Absolutely amazing!! I made this cake for New Year’s, and it was unreal—so good. The cake baked and rose perfectly even at high altitude. Making it a day in advance is key so the liquid gets fully absorbed. I will make this again and again!
Vegan Richa Support
Wonderful to hear!
Mansi Bhandari
This is such an amazing recipe. I first made it during a Diwali get together for friends. I also bake vegan professionally, and typically don’t do these kinds of cakes, but was recently asked by someone who had eaten it to make one for them again. And I have you to thank for it.
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you for the kind comment, Mansi!
Marielle
I decided to make this for a potluck I went to with 6 friends. This cake turned out to be so delicious that everyone raved about it as they ate, calling in the “piece de résistance”. It is rich in texture but subtle in flavour. I highly recommend you make this for a special occasion as no one will be disappointed. Love, love, love this cake!!!
Vegan Richa Support
So thrilled to hear! Thank you for your kind comment, Marielle.
Ethaar
Made this cake this week and thought it was absolutely delicious-very light, fluffly and not too sweet. I used about 3 tbsp of ground cardamom as I love the flavour. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe and I will for sure be making this again in the very near future 😀. X
Vegan Richa Support
So happy to hear, Ethaar!
Mitti Bhattacharya
Love this idea. Any nut-free variation of this recipe would be most welcome.
Vegan Richa Support
You can use oat flour, your choice of plant-based milk, and omit the almond extract for the cake itself. For the milk mixture you can increase the amount of oat milk and use the thick part of the coconut cream. But note that the flavor and texture will be different than the original recipe.
Purvie
Made this for Diwali and it was AMAZING Richa!! I felt like it was a little extra wet/doughy eating it the first day in a couple areas. However, the second day it was perfect, evenly soaked, and not too wet! We did use Bob’s gluten free all purpose 1:1 flour instead, so that might have made the difference in texture, but it turned out great!
Highly recommend making it a day before you plan to eat, it’s even better!
Richa
Awesome! Glad to hear that the gf blend worked out. I think gf blends can be heavier so it makes sense that they would take longer to soak through.
Praveen
Hi I tried this today for Diwali but my cake came out flat and a little burnt on the edges after 25 minutes I was so sad
I’m going to reattempt it tomorrow so you have any advice ?
Richa
Cake ending up flat can happe because of 1. The baking powder is old and dead 2. There was too much liquid for the flour.
Did you change anything in the recipe? What flour did you use?
Burnt on the edges is probably because the oven is heating unevenly or my more than the temp listed. and also if the cake don’t rise at all, it will brown more. Once you figure out the first issue, check the cake at 19-20 min mark if it’s done.
Kari E.
This is seriously good. My whole family loved it. The only change I made was to substitute one egg’s worth of egg-replacer since I had neither vegan yogurt or applesauce. It worked perfectly. The cake was a lovely texture, and that saffron and cardamom sauce is gorgeous. I will definitely be making this one again.
Shaah
Hi. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. Do you use sweetened coconut milk liquid part in milk mixture and sweetened thick part of coconut milk to whip? As we get 2 choice for can coconut milk sweetened and unsweetened.
Thank you
Richa
It’s pure coconut milk canned , pure coconut milk is unsweetened. No other additives
Shaah
Thank you 😊
do you use sweetened almond milk or oat milk with vanilla flavor or unsweetened milk?
Vegan Richa Support
unsweetened, and no vanilla
Siddhi
Hi I don’t have almond flour- can I use all purpose flour all the way? If so how much should I use this? Same proportion?
Also, is the coconut milk necessary? Can I use regular milk if I’m okay with dairy? Thanks
Richa
Yea same amount of all purpose flour.
Andrea
Made this cake and it was so much easier than expected. Also absolutely fluffy and delicious. Highly recommend it! We added cardamom and cinnamon. 💕
Richa
Awesome!!
Carlotta
Hello,
This cake is fantastic! The texture is incredible and it tastes delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it twice in one week already! I made it without the coconut cream part and it was delicious too, will try with one day though! I found it even nicer with some leftover of the milk poured on top just before eating, so the second time I made more on purpose. I used a bit more cardamom, no saffron, and a mix of cashews and almonds. Can’t wait to try it with pistachio!
Richa
Yes most times I just serve with more of the milk mixture!
Sandra
Can I use ground cardamom instead of cardamom seeds? How much would you suggest?
Richa
Start with 1/2 teaspoon then add more as needed
Crystal
For the gluten-free option, do you think that tapioca starch would work in place of the potato starch, in equal parts? Thanks!
Richa
Yes
Bina
Delicious cake! Love the recipe! Thank you so much Richa for posting all the wonderful Vegan recipes. I am using lot of your recipes.
Vegan Richa Support
thanks for popping in!
Vanessa
I’m so excited to make this in the gluten free version! Can you clarify if the gluten free flour mixture (3/4c oat flour, 3/4c almond flour, and 1/4c potato starch) replaces both the 1 1/4c all-purpose flour AND the 1/4c almond flour? Or should I make that mixture and add an additional 1/4c almond flour? Thank you!
Vegan Richa Support
yes it replaces both
Nikki
My cake came out nice and airy, but way thinner than yours. So odd! I really love the taste so when I make it next time I’ll make some more batter.
I used 50/50 almond and pistachio flour for the cake, for the milk mixture I added about a teaspoon of rose water. Omitted the saffron and forgot the cardamom. Yum!
Richa
Did you make the Glutenfree version?
Avi
I am hoping to modify this recipe for someone who has an almond and cashew allergy (but can eat pistachios and coconut). How might using only pistachio flour in the cake and only pistachios in the milk (no cashew) impact the recipe? Thanks!
Richa
Use pistachios in the cake. In the milk mixture, use more of the oat and Coconut milk. Too much pistachio will make it too green
Priya
So excited to try this! If I don’t want to use coconut milk, can I use any other plant based milk for where you use the “thin part of coconut milk”?
I have access to plant based whipping cream so don’t need the thick coconut but for that part of the cake. Thanks!
Richa
Yes use almond or oat milk or whatever you have
Elise
Hi what size pan do you suggest I use if I want to double this recipe?
Richa
9 by 13
DN
What a fantastic recipe! We made this for 20+ people and almost everyone went back for seconds, thirds and even fourth servings!
The way we enjoyed it best was with the milk mixture soaked about half way through the cake (leaving a bit of a bite with the rest of the cake) and we left a bowl full of the milk mixture out for people to drizzle over the cake when they ate it. Absolutely delicious!
Richa
Awesome!! That’s a great way of serving! My non loves it with a lot of liquid while my dad likes it more cake like so def good to leave some milk on the side!
Sandy
Hi! If I want to make it gluten free but can’t use potato starch, what can I sub it with?
Vegan Richa Support
you could try arrowroot or tapioca – but it doen’st work as well as potato
Shesdeliciouslyvegan
I made this 3 times in two days for thanksgiving weekend, i made it liquidy. This is a bombshell recipe. Yumm!! Cannot recommend enough. Making it again for guests today.
Vegan Richa Support
seriously? ❤️❤️
SR
This recipe looks wonderful and I’m planning to try it out for Diwali. If I wanted to make this in a 9×13 pan, could I just double the recipe?
Vegan Richa Support
double is too much – do 2/3 instead
Bea
This cake is extraordinary. It solves the problem of lusting after a vegan version of the creaminess and gorgeous flavour blend of pistachio, cashew and saffron with (plant) milk.
The sponge comes out light and delicious. Everyone who tried it loved it, and I’m making it again next weekend.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe x
Richa
Awesome! It was a big hit witb my parents who were visiting, when was testing the recipe!
Nav
I made this today for guests coming tomorrow. Have just poured the milk mixture and in the fridge now, will make the coconut cream tomorrow. So far honestly it looks and smells incredible!
Richa
Yay!
Emily
Made this today! And can’t wait to serve it tomorrow. I sneaked a taste and oh goodness it’s so luscious and festive! I used vanilla instead of saffron, reduced cardamom and used all cashew for the milk. It’s dreamy!
Richa
Awesome!!
Shraddha
Instead of club soda can we use soda and water. If so how much soda?
Thank you
Richa
What are you referring to as soda. If it’s an aerated drink then it is club soda. If you are referring to baking soda, then no that can’t be a substitute
Courtney Orrange
How do you recommend making this GF, dairy free AND almond free? The almond flour is what I am looking to adjust, while keeping it GF. Possible??
Richa
You can use a store bough gf blend of choice and follow the instructions I mention for the gf cake. The cake will be most likely be fluffy but dryish(since most blends use rice flour that dries up the baked result) . But since we are soaking it so much, the dry part shouldn’t be a problem.
You can also use just all oat flour and potato starch. Add 2 tbsp smooth cashew butter or almond butter to the wet along with the the milk and mix . Then add the club soda and bake .
Karyn Seglin
Can this be made gluten free?
Vegan Richa Support
yes, it’s in the Notes section: To make this gluten-free:For the flour, use 3/4 cup of oat flour, 3/4 cup of almond flour, and 1/4 cup of potato starch and for the liquid in the recipe, use half a cup of milk and half a cup of club soda instead of 1 cup milk.
Camille
This looks incredible! What do you suggest if I’m allergic to pistachios? (all other nuts are fine)
Richa
Omit them and use cashews instead
JJ
Ha I have the same question except I’m allergic to cashews only. Just use all pistachios?
Richa
Use more of the oat milk. Too much pistachios will turn the milk green.
Tricia
This looks fabulous! Allergic to pistachios- what would you recommend as a substitute?
Would coconut or date or maple sugar work for this?
Richa
Use cashews.
Yes you can use coconut sugar or other sugars. The color will change
Dotti
In place of the oil is there a substitute?
Richa
Omit it and use 2 tbsp applesauce
Maria hamid
Hello. If I didn’t need this to be vegan. Can I substitute whole milk for all the dairy ingredients.
Siddhi
Same question!
TD
Thanks so much for this amazing recipe, it’s an absolute hit with everyone. I used self raising flour instead of all purpose flour and skipped the baking powder and salt and I was happy with the results. Would love if you could please share more eggfree recipes too, it’s so hard to find good eggfree cake/cheesecake recipes.
Vegan Richa Support
Thank you for that suggestion! Will do our best