December 13 2019 recipe and photo by Clara Gonzalez![Clara Gonzalez]()
, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE![Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE]()
in Recipes, Dessert
, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
in Recipes, Dessert Keto tres leches cake
Tres leches cake is one of the most popular desserts in Latin America. This keto version of the classic sponge cake soaked in a delicious cream-based sauce and topped with whipped cream is even quicker and easier to make than the original! Perfect for special occasions.
USMetric
servingservings
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 3 eggeggs
- 1 cup (4 oz.) 240 ml (110 g) almond flour
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp 1 tsp baking powder
- ยฝ tsp ยฝ tsp cream of tartar or lemon juice
- ยฝ cup (32โ3 oz.) 120 ml (110 g) erythritol
- unsalted butter to grease the baking dish
Sauce
- ยฝ cup 120 ml heavy whipping cream
- ยฝ cup 120 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 2ยฝ tbsp 2ยฝ tbsp powdered erythritol
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch 1 pinch salt
- ยผ tsp ยผ tsp xanthan gum
Cream
- ยฝ cup 120 ml heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp 1 tsp cream cheese at room temperature
- 2 tsp 2 tsp powdered erythritol
To serve
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ground cinnamon
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Instructions
Cake
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients to the cake. Mix until well-combined.
- Grease a 6" x 9" (16 x 21 cm) glass baking dish or a microwave-proof dish at least 2.5" (6.5 cm) deep.
- Pour the batter into the dish, smoothing the top to make sure you have an even layer of mixture.
- Microwave on medium-high (around 600 W) for 3.5 minutes (cook times will vary depending upon the microwave wattage; it could require more time!). Remove from the microwave. Check that the cake is cooked in the center. If necessary, return to the microwave for 20 seconds. Continue this process until the cake center is cooked. Allow to cool at room temperature and do not remove the cake from the dish.
Sauce
- While the cake is cooking in the microwave, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and stir until the erythritol dissolves. Set aside.
Assembly
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, use a fork to poke evenly spaced holes over the top of the cake. Pour the sauce over the entire surface of the cake. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight, allowing the cake to absorb the sauce.
Whipped Cream
- Combine the ingredients for the whipped cream and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture forms peaks (around 2 minutes). Take care not to beat more than necessary or it will turn into butter!
- Cover the cake with the whipped cream. Dust with ground cinnamon just before serving.
Tips
You can use the oven instead of the microwave if you prefer. In that case, preheat the oven to 350ยบF (175ยฐC). Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of the cake is cooked.
Why use the tiny amount of cream cheese in the whipped cream? It's because if you are not going to serve the dish straight away, the cream cheese helps to keep the whipped cream smooth and fluffy for longer.
65 comments
I'm going to try this myself, looks yummy.
We recommend using weight rather than volume for dry goods as it can vary too much if your almond flour is packed dense or left looser.
Well... it is called "tres leches", so the whole point of it is a milk-soaked sponge. This one might not be the best recipe to try to make dairy free. That said, you could probably sub out coconut milk and/or coconut cream for the heavy cream and see what happens.
You can use the oven instead of the microwave if you prefer. In that case, preheat the oven to 350ยบF (175ยฐC). Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the center of the cake is cooked.
We are now used to eating without sugar, so halved the erythritol, and subbed the almond milk with creamed coconut. Baked in the oven rather than microwave.
Turned out perfectly.
I wish I could post a photo.
Thank you.
You could replace the sweetener, although I'm not sure it would have the same ratios.
You could try omitting the xanthan gum, but it acts as a thickener, so the consistency may not be the same.
However, you may be able to cook the sauce down to thicken it a little.
Awww!! Sweet :) Thanks for sharing your tip!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
You may be able to find one online. Here's one example.
https://www.amazon.com/Sheet-Pan-Aluminum-6-1-2x9-1/dp/B007P1U7MS
make that much of a difference?
Will it gets thicker when I add the sauce and let it absorb?
Thanks!
An 8x8 dish would have a volume of 64, while a 9x6 is 72 so if anything it would be just a little thicker.
That does look odd! I will ask the recipe team to please check the amount of almond flour needed for this recipe.
Thank you for the correction :)
Hear so many negative health risks to erythritol it puts me off using it.
In some recipes, the volume of the dry granulated sweetener is required. You can read our guide to sweeteners to see links to studies about erythritol and why we recommend it over other options.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto/sweeteners
Erythritol feeds the bad bacteria in our microbiome, most studies state that erythritol is fine because most of it has left the digestive system before it gets to the small intestine.
This is fine for people who have a healthy microbiome (the vast majority do not), but for the majority of us, the biome moves to the small intestine where the erythritol feeds it, so for people who suffer from bloating and digestive issues and/or SIBO, taking erythritol in any form is not a wise move.
We are only as healthy as our gut, that's why most are not healthy, including myself.
Your article doesn't mention this.
Under the erythritol section in our sweetener guide, one of the Cons listed is that "It can cause bloating, gas and diarrhea in some people." If you have issues with it personally, it would certainly be best to avoid using it.
You may try substituting 2 tbsp of oat fiber for the 1 tbsp coconut flour. The recipe has not been tested with this change.
Hi, Jordan! It works with the almond flour to make the cake.
Unfortunately psyllium is not a good sub for oat fiber as they behave very differently in baked goods. You could try using almond flour but the recipe team developed this with some almond flour and some coconut flour so it may not be a guaranteed good result. Here's our guide to low carb baking ingredients to help learn about what ingredients do what in baked goods and what may work as a substitute.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes/baking