Pumpkin Spice Latte Tres Leches Cake

If you crave pumpkin spice lattes as much as I do every fall, this layered tres leches cake might just ruin you for other desserts! Sponge cake layers flavoured with warm spices and pumpkin puree with espresso-spiked tres leches soak, and clouds of whipped cream—what’s not to love?

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Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Spice Latte Tres Leches Cake

• Two layers of light & fluffy sponge cake flavoured with cozy pumpkin spice, espresso powder, and pumpkin puree.*
• Learn an easy technique for making a two-layer tres leches cake.
• Perfect make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving or any fall get-together.
• Topped with stabilized whipped cream that will keep well for days.

*Yes, I know a pumpkin spice latte doesn’t have any actual pumpkin in it. But I really liked the moisture, flavour, and colour the pumpkin added to the cake, so I included it in this recipe!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• All-purpose flour adds structure to the sponge cake. Use unbleached if you can
• Baking powder helps leaven the sponge cake, making it light and fluffy
• Salt balances and enhances
• Pumpkin spice gets used in the sponge, the whipped cream, and sprinkled on top. Use a store-bought spice blend, or make your own with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves.
• Espresso powder adds that all-important coffee note to the sponge, without adding any moisture.
• Eggs are separated into yolks and whites, to leaven the sponge and add richness. Use large eggs, and separate them while cold to prevent breaking the yolk, but let them come to room temperature before whipping—they’ll hold more air, so your sponge cake comes out nice and fluffy.
• Sugar sweetens and gives structure to the cake.
• Pumpkin puree adds flavour, moisture, and a beautiful orange hue to the sponge cake. I recommend using canned pumpkin puree, but you could also make your own.
• Vanilla extract rounds everything out with its delicious complex flavours.
• Milk is leche numero uno in the tres leches soak. Use whole or 2% milk.
• Evaporated milk is the second milk in the soaking mixture, and you’ll use a whole can.
• Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness to the tres leches soak, and you’ll also use a whole can.
• Espresso is added to the soak to give the cake more latte vibes. You can use some strong-brewed coffee instead.
• Heavy cream is made into stabilized whipped cream for between the layers and to top and decorate the cake
• Gelatin stabilizes the whipped cream so it doesn’t weep, and will hold up to a few days of storage.

How to Make PSL Tres Leches Cake

Make the Pumpkin Spice Blend

1. If you’re making your own pumpkin spice blend, whisk together the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves until combined.If you’re up for a project, you could try making some smoked cinnamon out of cinnamon sticks to really amp up the flavour.

Make the Sponge Cake

1. Spray two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray (or grease lightly with butter), and line the bottoms with parchment paper circles. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
2. Add the egg yolks and smaller portion of sugar to a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat on medium-high speed until it thickens and turns light yellow, and it falls off the whisk in ribbons.
3. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract, and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just until combined. Scrape the bowl down about halfway through to make sure everything gets combined and there aren’t any pockets of dry ingredients remaining. Transfer to a separate bowl, and thoroughly wash the beaters or whisk and bowl.
4. Add the egg whites to the mixer bowl, and mix on medium speed until they get foamy. Gradually sprinkle in the larger portion of sugar about a tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip to soft peaks. You know you’ve reached soft peaks if when you dip the whisk into the meringue and lift it right-side up it has a soft curl on the end.
5. Add about one third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and fold to combine. You don’t have to be super gentle with this portion of meringue—the idea is just to lighten the egg yolk mixture so you can add the rest of the whites without losing too much air. Incorporate the remaining meringue in two more additions, folding gently until combined without any visible streaks remaining.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. You can either eyeball this, or use a scale to weigh out 330–350 grams of batter for each pan. This way you can be sure the cakes are close to the same size and will finish baking at the same time.
7. Bake until the cakes spring back when poked gently, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (about 23–27 minutes). Leave to cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack, peel the parchment circles off the bottoms, and turn right-side up. Leave to cool completely.
8. Add the tres leches soak ingredients to a large spouted container that holds at least 5 cups.

Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream

You’ll need one batch of the whipped cream the day you assemble the cake, for the middle layer. After the cake soaks in the fridge overnight and you’re ready to decorate it, make a double batch of the whipped cream to cover the sides and top of the cake and to pipe swirls on top.

1. Add the cold water to a small bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the surface. Set aside to bloom (or absorb) for 5–10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Whip on medium-high speed until it reaches soft peaks.
3. Meanwhile, microwave the bloomed gelatin just until it melts without getting very hot, about 10–15 seconds. With the mixer running stream the gelatin into the whipped cream, then whip to medium peaks.

Assemble the Cake

1. Line one of the cake pans you baked the cake in with two plastic wrap slings arranged in an X. Place a cake layer into the pan. Keep in mind that whatever is on the bottom of the cake pan now, will become the top of the cake after it gets flipped out, so choose the flattest side of the nicest layer.
2. Poke holes all over the cake using a toothpick, and pour on one cup of the tres leches soaking liquid. It will look like there’s way too much liquid that will never soak in, but don’t worry—most of it will after the cake rests in the fridge!
3. Spread the single batch of stabilized whipped cream over the first layer.
4. Place the other cake layer on top, making sure the flat side of the cake layer faces up. Poke holes over it and pour another cup of the soaking liquid over top. Transfer the remaining soaking liquid to a freezer-safe container, and freeze to use the next time you make this cake. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight, to allow the soak to fully absorb into the cake.

Decorate the Cake

1. Make a double batch of the stabilized whipped cream, and transfer about half of it to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and place a plate or cake board over the cake. Carefully flip it over. Don’t worry if some soaking liquid leaks out, this is meant to be a very soaked cake! Just wipe up any puddles around the cake with some paper towel before moving on.
2. Cover the top and sides with the whipped cream that’s not in the piping bag. You can swirl the top by using a spoon or icing spatula. Pipe a ring of swirls on top of the cake, or decorate it in any way you like. Sprinkle some pumpkin spice on top, and enjoy!

Troubleshooting the Sponge Cake

Cake didn’t rise much

• Possible cause: The egg whites weren’t whipped enough, deflated too much when folding the batter, or your baking powder is expired.
• Fix: Whip the whites to soft or medium peaks. Don’t go as far as stiff peaks! Add about a third of the meringue to the yolk mixture first to lighten it up, so it’s easier to add the rest of the meringue. Fold it in gently with a spatula and stop as soon as you don’t see any streaks of egg white. Make sure you’re using baking powder before its expiry date.

Cake deflated after baking

• Possible cause: Your batter was overmixed, or the cake was underbaked.
• Fix: Gently fold in the meringue just until combined and no visible streaks remain. Bake until the top springs back lightly and a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t rely on time alone, because every oven is different!

Cake has a rubbery or dense texture

• Possible cause: Egg yolk mixture was mixed too long after adding flour, the batter was overmixed while folding in the meringue, or there was much moisture in the pumpkin puree.
• Fix: Mix the flour into the yolk mixture on low speed just until it’s combined, to avoid developing too much gluten. Lightly fold the meringue to avoid deflating the batter. And if your pumpkin puree seems very wet, you can blot some moisture out with paper towels before measuring out the amount needed for the recipe.

Cake stuck to the pan

• Possible cause: The pan wasn’t greased or lined with parchment, or the cake was removed from the pan too soon.
• Fix: Spray baking spray in the pan and line the bottom with a parchment circle. As the cake cools, it should shrink away slightly from the edges, but you can also run a knife around the edges before turning out to prevent sticking. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning out.

Making this Recipe Ahead

• You can store the baked sponge cake layers for up to 3 days in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer. Let them cool uncovered completely to room temperature. Then wrap and store in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw frozen layers in the fridge overnight before assembling.
• The pumpkin spice latte tres leches soak can be stored in the fridge for up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• The assembled cake shouldn’t soak in the fridge for more than 24 hours. After turning the cake out of the pan and decorating, it should keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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