Eggless Tres Leches Cake Recipe

When I moved to Arizona in 2005, Tres Leches Cake quickly became my favorite dessert. I couldn’t get enough of this classic Mexican cake until I discovered how it was made. Traditional Tres Leches is basically a sponge cake soaked in 3 types of milk. Two of the three milks come from a can (yuck) and the remaining ingredients are wheat, sugar, eggs and more dairy. Since so many people must avoid the foundational ingredients in this cake, I set out to create a healthy replica that almost everyone can enjoy.

This detoxed version still keeps the spongy vanilla cake and rich, sweet, creamy “milk” without using any sugar-loaded or dairy-concentrated canned ingredients. We’ve replaced evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and whole milk with freshly muddled strawberries in yogurt, then used the Detox Desserts* Swap ingredients for the flour, sugar and egg replacements. The Sweet Swaps allowed me to create a sweet, creamy cake that’s balanced with macronutrients, contains about ⅓ the calories and only has 9g net carbs. This eggless tres leches recipe is gluten-free, sugar free, high fiber, and will fool your leche loving friends. No matter their cultural background, most Arizonians would agree that Tres Leches is the best cake. Which is why it’s absolutely necessary to have a guilt-free recipe that you can feel good about serving the people you love. Cheers!

Not only does using the DD Flour Swap make it easy to make this vegan recipe for tres leches cake gluten free, but it also helps promote healthy digestion. The psyllium husk contained in the Flour Swap and inulin contained in the Egg and Sugar Swaps both feed and increase the number of healthy gut bacteria. Plenty of good flora in your intestines can promote a healthy immune system along with the added digestive benefits we all love with a healthy dose of fiber. Don’t forget the whole psyllium husk binds waste and toxins in your intestines and helps clear them from the body. This easy recipe for gluten free tres leches cake is not only free from all the unhealthy ingredients found in traditional dessert but it’s actually gently detoxifying to the body…double win!

The plant soluble fiber from the psyllium husk and the digestive resistant fiber in the inulin work together to slow down digestion of this healthy cake. The slowed digestion helps provide more blood sugar stability throughout your day which can keep you feeling full and satisfied. This also keeps energy levels constant without the normal sugar crashes one would experience with a traditional, carb-loaded tres leches cake.

I’ve tested this eggless tres leches cake recipe with Whole-Grain and Grain-Free Flour Swap a few times. They are equally delish and both allow you to make your tres leches cake recipe gluten free and healthy! The Whole-Grain Swap cake has a few extra slowly digesting healthy carbs, but I love the hearty, earthy flavor it has. The Grain-Free Flour will provide the lowest carb (keto/paleo) version. The Grain-Free cake bakes amazingly well, but with a more dense and moist texture. I tested this recipe using both flours in equal parts (¾ cup Whole-Grain plus ¾ cup Grain-Free Flour to equal the full 1½ cup of Flour Swap the recipe calls for), which is my taste/texture preference. Plus, mixing the flours is a great way to create a lower carb version of a gluten-free tres leches cake and still allows for a small dose of healthy grains.

For most of my patients, I’m a big advocate for balanced macronutrient meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is an easy way to know what type of Flour Swap to choose to create a balanced macro meal. We’ll use dinner as an example. If your dinner consists of just protein and veggies, I recommend eating a Whole-Grain Swap cake for dessert to serve as your healthy carb for that meal. Conversely, if you already had a healthy carb with dinner (quinoa, sweet potato, beans, etc), I would recommend the Grain-Free Swap cake for dessert so you don’t overeat carbs at that meal. Easy, right?! Balanced macro meals are the best thing you can do to keep your metabolism firing optimally, create blood sugar stability and keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout your day (or night). If you’re a diabetic or need to stay in ketosis, always bake using the Grain-Free Flour Swap.

3. Use a large mixing bowl to mix all dry cake ingredients well. Add wet ingredients and blend with a wire whisk or spoon until a smooth cake batter is achieved and no lumps remain. 

5. Load the cake batter into your parchment lined baking pan and smooth the top. You will need to press the Grain-Free batter evenly into the cake pan because it is thick. 

6. Bake for about 32 minutes (about 37 minutes for Grain-Free) until the edges are golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack.

7. When the cake is cooled, lift it out of the baking pan with the parchment paper and use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake. 

8. Spread ½ of the strawberry infused leche layer evenly on the bottom of the baking pan. Flip the cooled cake over onto the leche layer so the holes absorb the creamy berries. Poke holes on the top of the cake, then pour the remaining strawberry leche layer on top and spread evenly.

10. Make the coconut whipped topping by scooping the chilled white, fatty portion of coconut cream into a large mixing bowl. Save the liquid portion for your morning smoothie. Add the Powdered Sugar Swap, pinch salt and a few drops of vanilla extract. Use an electric hand mixer on high speed to beat until firm peaks form and smooth consistency is reached. Place dollops of whipped cream on top of the cake.