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Home > Recipes > Cakes

Published: Sep 25, 2022 ยท Last Updated On: Nov 14, 2022 by Natasha Minocha

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

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This easy Tres Leches Cake recipe makes a saffron milk cake that will forever be immortalized in your memory. The eggless Tres Leches Cake infused with floral saffron is rather, rather indulgent and quite simply stunning.

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

I thought a Tres Leches Cake would be complicated, but it couldnโ€™t be simpler. The saffron milk cake is rich, luscious, tastes like a celebration, and evokes a delightful feeling of happiness.

Jump to:

What is Tres Leches Cake

How to make Saffron Tres Leches Cake

Serving ideas

Baking tips

Variations

More recipes

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

WHY TRY THIS SAFFRON TRES LECHES CAKE?

Make-ahead cake recipe

Easily accessible ingredients

Heady, earthy flavor of saffron

Spongy, moist, and showstopper of a cake

WHAT IS TRES LECHES CAKE?

A Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake drenched in three types of milkโ€”whole, condensed, and cream. Thatโ€™s what tres leches means โ€“ three milks. It is a popular milk cake recipe across Latin America that originates from Nicaragua (or at least that's what most people agree on).

I added a special ingredient to my version of this eggless tres leches cake: saffron, my nod to Diwali. To me, this sweet, comforting cake tastes of festivities itself. Itโ€™s gorgeously moist, absolutely delicious, and has a wonderful melt-in-the-mouth consistency.

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

HOW TO MAKE SAFFRON MILK CAKE?

Step 1: Sift the usual suspects - all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Step 2: Whisk in caster sugar and set aside.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk oil and yogurt with a few strands of saffron.

Step 4: Combine the dry ingredients into the wet to form a thick batter.

Step 5: Pour the cake batter into a well-greased parchment paper-lined baking pan.

Step 6: Bake for 30โ€“35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Ingredients for making the cake
Baking the saffron cake
Baked saffron cake

HOW TO MAKE SAFFRON MILK?

Step 7: While the sponge cake bakes, make the saffron milk by adding saffron threads to warm milk. Let it sit and infuse.

Step 8: Stir in the condensed milk and cream.

Step 9: By now, the cake should be ready. Take it out of the oven and poke it with your skewer, so itโ€™s literally riddled with holes.

Step 10: Pour the saffron milk concoction over the cake, completely bathing it in the three-milk mixture.

Step 11: Set it aside to absorb the milk while it cools on the counter.

Step 12: The saffron milk cake tastes best when cool, so cover it with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Final step: Serve chilled, topped with whipped cream.

Saffron milk
Pour the saffron milk over the saffron cake

SERVING IDEAS

  • You can serve the saffron milk cake in the tin or on a platter.
  • Top with a generous cloud of homemade whipped cream, you can add some saffron to the cream as well.
  • Pair each slice with the leftover saffron milk (poured around the slice).
  • A sprinkling of nuts will add texture to the milk cake.
 Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

TIPS ON SAFFRON CAKE 

  • Typically, a Tres Leches Cake recipe is baked in a square tin and served out of it. I opted for an 8-inch round tin. I really, really recommend lining the bottom of the pan with paper, no matter what shape it is, if youโ€™re serving the milk cake on a platter and not the tin itself.
  • Make sure you pour the three-milk and saffron mixture evenly and all across the cake. You donโ€™t want parts of it to be as dry as the Sahara and parts of it to be extra moist.
  • Do not worry about making the cake soggy. Since itโ€™s a sponge cake, the light and airy crumbs drink up the milky trifecta, making it even more luxurious.
  • Use only 3/4th of your saffron milk to soak the cake. Set aside the rest for serving. Want extra for serving? Simply whisk the ingredients for the sauce/milk together...Itโ€™s ready in a jiffy and wonโ€™t take time.
  • Given that the saffron milk cake recipe uses sugar, cream, and condensed milk, youโ€™d think it'd be overly sweet. Itโ€™s not. Itโ€™s well-balanced, and the trick is to follow the measurements.
Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

VARIATIONS

Ras Malai Tres Leches: One of the very popular variations of saffron cakes is the rasmalai cake recipe, and you can easily convert this eggless tres leches cake into one.

Simply add cardamom powder to the cake batter and the saffron milk. It truly levels up the cake. I had full plans to do so, but at the last moment, it completely slipped from my mind.

Vegan Saffron Milk Cake: If plant-based milk, cream, and condensed milk are easily available, you can very conveniently make this tres leches cake recipe vegan.

MORE RECIPES FOR INDIAN CAKES

Pistachio Cake Recipe

Mawa Cake

Honey Almond Cake

Saffron Cardamom Cheesecake

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

๐Ÿ“– Recipe

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

Saffron Tres Leches Cake | Saffron Milk Cake

Natasha Minocha
This easy Tres Leches Cake recipe makes a saffron milk cake that will forever be immortalized in your memory. The eggless Tres Leches Cake infused with floral saffron is rather, rather indulgent and quite simply stunning.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Chilling time 8 hours hrs
Course Dessert
Cuisine Indian, Mexican
Servings 8 servings
Calories 462 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Saffron Cake

  • 1.5 cup All-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp Baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Caster sugar
  • 3/4 cup Yogurt
  • 1/2 cup Coconut oil You can use any vegetable oil you prefer
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp Saffron strands

Saffron Milk

  • 1 cup Warm milk
  • 1/2 tsp Saffron strands
  • 1/2 cup Sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup Cream I used Amul cream

Topping

  • 1/2 cup Whipping cream, chilled
  • 1/4 cup Icing sugar

Instructions
 

Saffron Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease an 8" pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Whisk in the caster sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the saffron.
  • Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones and mix well.
  • Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Saffron Milk

  • While the cake is baking, make the saffron milk.
  • Mix the saffron in the warm milk. Let the mixture stand for 2-3 minutes.
  • Whisk in the condensed milk and cream. Set Aside.
  • When the cake is baked, poke holes all over the cake's surface with a wooden skewer and pour over 3/4 of the saffron milk.
  • Let the cake soak in the milk. Once it's cooled at room temperature, transfer the cake to the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
  • Before serving, carefully turn the cake onto your serving platter. You can also serve the cake in the pan.
  • Spread the whipped cream liberally on top of the cake and sprinkle some chopped pistachios and dried rose petals for decoration.
  • Slice and serve each slice with the remaining saffron milk. Enjoy!

Whipped cream

  • Beat together the cream and icing sugar until soft peaks form.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 ServingCalories: 462kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 8gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 20gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 259mgPotassium: 201mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 547IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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1207 shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. NATAMBA JONANS BRAVE says

    November 28, 2024 at 12:10 pm

    I haven't tried it though,, can this recipe give me a huge texture saffron cake

    Reply
    • Natasha Minocha says

      November 30, 2024 at 8:12 pm

      Hello, yes this cake gives a very nice saffron flavor!:)

      Reply
  2. Puja says

    November 27, 2023 at 5:55 am

    5 stars
    I loved making and relishing every bite of this rich saffron dessert - roasted pistachios added the perfect touch to this decadent cake! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Natasha Minocha says

      November 29, 2023 at 4:12 pm

      So thrilled to hear this, Puja! Thank you so much for your kind words and for following along. xoxo

      Reply
  3. Ishi says

    November 26, 2023 at 12:32 pm

    Can I swap oil with melted butter with same quantity ?

    Reply
    • Natasha Minocha says

      November 29, 2023 at 4:12 pm

      Hi Ishi, yes, I think that will work. Happy baking ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  4. Puja Mathur says

    July 31, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    I tried this recipe and it was perfectly delicious - I used 1 cup of cream since I didnโ€™t have condensed milk. I added dry roasted pistachios to the cream and sprinkled generously as a topping too- loved the result! Will definitely be making these again!

    Reply
    • Natasha Minocha says

      August 01, 2023 at 12:46 pm

      I'm so glad this cake turned out well for you. Its always good to know when substitutions work out nicely. Thank you for sharing and supporting. xx

      Reply
  5. Jalpa says

    February 14, 2023 at 9:47 pm

    Hi Tasha, i made it, truly tried making first time & turned out awesome and not a crumb was left. It's very precise & easy to follow recipe. Thanks for this wonderful recipe. O would like to share photos too but don't know how to.

    Reply
    • Natasha Minocha says

      February 16, 2023 at 11:30 am

      Thank you so so much for your amazing comment, Jalpa! So grateful you tried this recipe and enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day! xx

      Reply
  6. Basira says

    September 30, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    5 stars
    Saffron cake is looking super delicious ๐Ÿ˜‹ ๐Ÿ˜ ๐Ÿ‘Œ

    Reply
    • Natasha Minocha says

      October 01, 2022 at 10:25 am

      Thank you very much, Basira! So lovely to hear from you.xoxo

      Reply
5 from 2 votes

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Iโ€™m Natasha! Iโ€™m a self-taught baker and cook, sharing easy, fuss-free recipes that anyone can make with confidence. From breads and cookies to decadent desserts to simple meals, I hope youโ€™ll find your next favorite recipe here.

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