Butter Pecan Tres Leches Cake (Printable)

Tender milk-soaked layers topped with toasted buttered pecans and sweet whipped cream for a creamy, nutty dessert experience.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - ½ cup whole milk

→ Tres Leches Mixture

09 - 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
10 - 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
11 - 1 cup whole milk
12 - ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk

→ Butter Pecan Topping

13 - 1 cup pecans, chopped
14 - ¼ cup unsalted butter
15 - ½ cup brown sugar
16 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Whipped Topping

17 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream
18 - ¼ cup powdered sugar
19 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
05 - Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Begin and end with flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - While cake bakes, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and coconut milk in a bowl until smooth.
08 - Remove cake from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes across the entire surface. Slowly pour tres leches mixture over cake, ensuring it soaks into the holes. Allow cake to absorb milk for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
09 - Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pecans and brown sugar; cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes until pecans are toasted and mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Let cool slightly.
10 - In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
11 - Spread whipped cream evenly over the milk-soaked cake. Drizzle cooled butter pecan topping over whipped cream.
12 - Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cake soaks up three kinds of milk and stays impossibly moist for days in the fridge.
  • Toasted pecans in brown butter add a nutty, caramel crunch that balances all that creamy sweetness.
  • It feeds a crowd without much fuss, and you can make it the night before so you actually enjoy your own gathering.
02 -
  • Poke the holes deep and close together, or the milk will pool on top instead of soaking through.
  • Let the pecan topping cool before adding it to the whipped cream, or it will melt the cream and make everything slide off.
  • If you skip the overnight soak, the texture will still be good, but it will not have that melt-in-your-mouth quality that makes this cake unforgettable.
03 -
  • Use a fork, not a skewer, to poke the holes because it creates wider channels for the milk to flow into.
  • If the whipped cream starts to weep after a day, just stir it gently before serving and it will look fresh again.
  • Make the pecan topping while the cake bakes so everything is ready at once and you are not scrambling later.
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