Peanut Butter Tres Leches Recipe

4.50 from 32 votes
A wooden tray holds a neatly arranged grid of frosted vanilla cake squares. The cake has a dense, moist texture and is topped with a smooth layer of light brown frosting. The background is plain and white, placing full emphasis on the cake.

If you familiar with the classic tres leches cake, you probably know how delicious this cake is. But if you change this cake a bit and add peanut butter to it, the cake become even richer and tastier.

A wooden tray holds a neatly arranged grid of frosted vanilla cake squares. The cake has a dense, moist texture and is topped with a smooth layer of light brown frosting. The background is plain and white, placing full emphasis on the cake.

Peanut Butter Tres Leches Recipe

4.50 from 32 votes
Prep Time 1 hour
WORK TIME 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY Medium
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 20 yields

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • 1 cup 125g Flour
  • 2 teaspoons Baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • + 1 tablespoon 100g Natural peanut butter
  • ¾ cup 150g Sugar
  • 4 Eggs separated
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • cup 80ml Milk

For the milk mixture:

  • 7 oz 200g Sweetened condensed milk
  • ¾ cup 180ml Evaporated milk
  • cup 80ml Whole milk

For the frosting:

  • cups 300ml Heavy whipping cream
  • 4 tablespoons Icing sugar
  • 2-3 tablespoons Peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • DIRECTIONS
    1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C), line a 9x13” (cm) pan with parchment paper, lightly grease it and set aside.
    2. In a large bowl place 1/2 cup (100g) sugar and egg yolks. Beat until the mixture is pale in color and doubled in volume. Add peanut butter and beat until combined. Add milk, vanilla extract and mix until combined.
    3. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined (don’t over mix). Set aside.
    4. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy, gradually add 1/4 cup sugar (50g) and beat to stiff peaks.
    5. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into the batter, then pour the batter into egg whites and gently fold. Pour into prepared pan.
    6. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Release the cake from the pan and let to cool on a wire rack. While cake cools, make the tres leches syrup.
    7. Make the syrup: to a bowl add 3 milks, whisk until combined.
    8. Place the cake back into the pan, then using a fork or a toothpick poke/pierce holes in the cake. Slowly pour the tres leches syrup over the top of the cake letting it soak in as you go. Set the cake aside for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
    9. Make the frosting: in a large bowl place peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Add heavy cream and whip to stiff peaks. Release the cake from the pan and spread the cream over the top of the cake.
    10. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
    11. Trim the edges (optional), then cut into squares. Serve!

    What is Peanut Butter Tres Leches?

    Peanut Butter Tres Leches is a creative take on the classic Tres Leches cake. This variation merges the traditional ingredients of Tres Leches (evaporated milk, condensed milk, and full fat) with the rich, nutty flavor of peanut butter. Some versions of this treat might involve adding peanut butter to the cake batter itself, while others might incorporate it into the milk mixture that is poured over the cake. Topping it off with a peanut butter frosting or simply a drizzle on top gives it an irresistible twist. It's a perfect combination of the classic and the contemporary, making it a must-try for all dessert lovers.
    peanut butter tres leches

    Sponge Cake for Tres Leches

    The sponge cake is a crucial element of Tres Leches cake. The texture of this cake is light, fluffy and spongy, making it perfect for absorbing the rich and decadent three milk mixture. To make the sponge cake for Tres Leches, you will need ingredients like flour, baking powder, salt, natural peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk. The flour, baking powder and salt are mixed together to form the dry ingredients while natural peanut butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and milk are combined to create the wet ingredients. The batter is then made by carefully mixing the dry and wet ingredients together. To make the cake extra light and fluffy, the egg whites are separated from yolks and whipped into a meringue. The meringue is then gently folded into the batter. The batter is poured into a greased and floured cake pan and baked until golden brown. The end result is a delicate and spongy sponge cake that soaks up the three-milk mixture like a dream, making it moist, rich and delicious.
    sponge cake tres leches

    Peanut Butter Frosting

    The peanut butter frosting is the perfect complement to the Peanut Butter Tres Leches cake, it adds a rich and creamy texture with a delicious nutty taste. To make the frosting, you will need heavy whipping cream, icing sugar, peanut butter and vanilla extract. The heavy whipping cream is whipped until it forms stiff peaks, then the icing sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract are added and mixed until everything is well combined. The frosting should be smooth and creamy, with a strong peanut butter flavor. The frosting can be spread over the cake and refrigerated until set. The peanut butter frosting gives the perfect balance of sweetness and nuttiness, making the Peanut Butter Tres Leches Cake more irresistible.
     peanut butter tres leches cake

    Why is This Called Tres Leches?

    The name "Tres Leches" or "Three Milks" Cake is a reference to the three types of milk used in the recipe. The delicious sponge cake is soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk and full fat milk, giving it its distinct flavor and texture. The combination of these three milks is what makes this cake so irresistible and special.

    What is Evaporated Milk and What We Can Use Instead?

    Evaporated milk is regular milk that has had about 60% of its water content removed through evaporation. It is thicker than regular milk and has a slightly sweet taste. It is often used in baking and cooking as a substitute for regular milk to give a dish a creamier texture.
    If you don't have evaporated milk on hand, you can use regular milk, or heavy cream or half&half which will give a similar texture and flavor. You can also make your own evaporated milk by simmering regular milk until it has reduced by half.
    soaked sponge cake

    Classic Tres Leches Cake

    In this recipe I made peanut butter tres leches, which is not the classic recipe, but more like my take to the classic tres leches cake. If you're not a peanut butter person, or you just want to try the real version of the famous dessert, you don't have to worry, because I also made a recipe for the authentic version of the cake.
    Classic Tres Leches Cake
    Get the recipe here: Tres Leches Cake

    Other Peanut Butter Dessert Recipes

    If you are a peanut butter lover, you'll probably would be glad to know the we have a lot of peanut butter dessert recipes here on "The Cooking Foodie".
    Here is a list of some of our favorite peanut butter dessert recipes.

    Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

    Chocolate peanut butter cake
    Get the full recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

    3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

     3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
    Get the full recipe: 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

    Peanut Butter Pie

    Peanut butter pie
    Get the full recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

    Snickers Cupcakes

    snickers caupcakes
    Get the full recipe: Snickers Cupcakes
    If that was not enough, here are more Peanut Butter Recipes

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4.50 from 32 votes (32 ratings without comment)

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