Eggnog Tres Leches Cake

December 3, 2024Brianna

If there’s one thing we can all agree on during the holidays, it’s that everything tastes better with eggnog—and that definitely includes cake! My Eggnog Tres Leches Cake is a wintery twist on the traditional tres leches cake, this version incorporates the richness of eggnog to create a perfect holiday dessert.

But no cake can rely on flavors alone: this cake itself is light and airy, thanks to whipped egg whites folded into the batter, guaranteeing that the end result is soft and scrumptious.

Once soaked in a delicious blend of three milks—sweetened condensed milk, eggnog, and whole milk—the Eggnog Tres Leches Cake becomes a moist, flavorful treat that melts in your mouth. Topped with a generous layer of cinnamon-spiced whipped cream, this cake could not get better.

One of the best parts of this cake is that you can make it ahead of time by several days. It helps so much with party prep to have a dessert that can be made ahead and set aside until you need it. Simply whip up the whipped cream and spread it on before serving.

Tres Leches Cake is a family favorite in our family. For this reason I have quite a variety of them. You should definitely give some other flavors a shot too- Cereal Milk Tres Leches, Chocolate Tres Leches Cake, Coconut Tres Leches Cake.

Eggnog Tres Leches Cake

Print Recipe

This Eggnog Tres Leches Cake is the perfect dessert to impress guests at your next holiday party or to enjoy with family over the holidays. With its creamy texture, warm spices, and festive eggnog flavor, it’s sure to become a new tradition in your holiday baking lineup.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 22 minutes
Total Time: 37 minutes plus cooling and refrigeration time
Yield: 1 9x13 cake, about 12 slices 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Cake-

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

5 large egg yolks

¾ cup sugar

1/3 cup whole milk

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

5 large egg whites

¼ cup sugar

3 Milks-

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

1 ½ cups eggnog

¼ cup whole milk

Whipped Cream-

1 ½ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Cake-

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Separate the eggs into separate bowls- egg whites in a stand mixer bowl (or large mixing bowl), and egg yolks in a small mixing bowl. (You can’t have any yolk at all in the egg whites or they won’t make stiff peaks!)

Add ¾ cup sugar to the egg yolks and whisk by hand, pretty fast, until the yolks are a pale yellow. Add 1/3 cup whole milk and vanilla and mix. Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour and mix till almost combined.

Attach a whisk attachment to the stand mixer or use an electric hand mixer and mix on high speed. Gradually add the ¼ cup of sugar and beat till you have stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter, trying not to deflate the air in the egg whites.

Pour the batter into a 9×13 cake pan and spread evenly.

Cook the cake till it’s golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean, about 22-30 minutes. *see note

Remove from oven and let cool completely.

3 Milks-

In a medium mixing bowl combine the eggnog, sweetened condensed milk, and the whole milk.

Poke holes with a chop stick or a fork all over the cake, as many as you can do without the cake starting to fall apart.

Pour the milks over the cake, as evenly as possible. Refrigerate the cakes for at least 2 hours, or as much as 2 days before serving. *see note

Whipped Cream-

Add all the ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip until stiff peaks and spread evenly over the cake before serving.

Notes

Step-by-step pictures and Frequently Asked Questions below recipe card.

This is the only cake I can think of that I’m okay to bake until toothpick comes out clean. Usually if you bake a cake till a toothpick comes out clean it means you’ve over cooked it and it will be dry. But, because you’re going to be pouring milk over this, it’s better to have it be a bit dry so it can soak up even more milk.

I recommend making and adding the whipped cream over the cake just before serving instead of right after pouring the milk over the cake.

If you can find rum extract easily, I definitely suggest using this (about half the amount of how much vanilla is listed above in the cake and/or whipped cream)

Keywords: Eggnog Tres Leches, Christmas desserts, Tres Leches, Christmas cake

Frequently Asked Questions – Eggnog Tres Leches Cake

What happens if I accidentally spray my 9x13 pan?

I'd suggest washing your pan before adding the batter, if you sprayed it. This cake needs the unsprayed edges to cling to as it bakes, otherwise the cake will totally shrink from the edges making a way flatter cake that sinks.

How long can an eggnog tres leches cake be made in advance?

You can make this at least 3-4 days before serving. As long as the milk you use does not expire before then. Wait to spread the whipped cream on top until right before serving.

Can I freeze Eggnog Tres Leches Cake?

I do not recommend freezing this. The milk will separate and the cake becomes watery. Though I haven't tried it, you could probably freeze just the cake before poking holes or pouring the milk soak in.

Do I need to wait until the cake is cooled to poke holes?

If you poke holes while the cake is warm your cake will fall apart. And if you pour the milk mixture on the cake while it is still warm your cake will likely fall apart when you cut it.