Butter Pecan Tres Leches Cake (Printable Version)

Creamy milk-soaked cake topped with toasted buttered pecans and clouds of sweet whipped cream.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
02 - 1½ teaspoons baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon salt
04 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 3 large eggs
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - ½ cup whole milk

→ Tres Leches Mixture

09 - 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
10 - 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
11 - 1 cup whole milk
12 - ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (optional)

→ Butter Pecan Topping

13 - 1 cup pecans, chopped
14 - ¼ cup unsalted butter
15 - ½ cup brown sugar
16 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Whipped Topping

17 - 1 cup heavy whipping cream
18 - ¼ cup powdered sugar
19 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, cream softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3–5 minutes.
04 - Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.
05 - Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating with milk. Begin and end with flour mixture, mixing just until combined.
06 - Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
07 - While cake bakes, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and coconut milk (if using) in a bowl until smooth.
08 - Remove cake from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top. Slowly pour tres leches mixture over cake, ensuring it soaks into holes. Allow cake to absorb milk for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
09 - Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped pecans and brown sugar; cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until pecans are toasted and mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cool slightly.
10 - In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
11 - Once cake has absorbed milk mixture, spread whipped cream evenly over surface. Drizzle cooled butter pecan topping over whipped cream.
12 - Serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cake stays impossibly moist for days because it drinks up all that sweet milk and never dries out.
  • Toasted pecans add a buttery crunch that balances the soft, creamy layers perfectly.
  • It feeds a crowd without much fuss, and you can make it the night before so you actually enjoy your own party.
  • Every forkful gives you cake, cream, and caramel-like pecan bits all at once.
02 -
  • Poke enough holes in the cake or the milk will just pool on top instead of soaking through.
  • Let the butter pecan topping cool before adding it to the whipped cream, or the heat will melt the cream into a puddle.
  • If the cake seems too sweet after soaking, a pinch of salt in the whipped cream balances everything out.
  • This cake tastes better the next day because the milk has time to work its way into every crumb.
03 -
  • Toast the pecans a little darker than you think you should because they soften slightly once they sit on the whipped cream.
  • Add a tablespoon of rum or bourbon to the milk mixture for a grown-up twist that makes the flavor more complex.
  • If the whipped cream starts to look runny the next day, just whip it again for thirty seconds to bring it back to life.
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