This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.
Coffee and Walnut Tres Leches Cake is a spin on the Tres Leches Cake from Central America/Mexico which soaks a delicate sponge in condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream. My version is gluten-free made with buckwheat flour and tastes just like a walnut latte in cake-form.
Jump to:
This Coffee Tres Leches cake is a very simple coffee and walnut sponge which is made ultra special by soaking it in 3 different kinds of milk. The sponge is left to cool slightly after being removed from the oven and then soaked with a mixture of condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream which have been infused with cinnamon and cardamom. The cake is left overnight to really absorb all the flavour, take on a delightfully moist texture, and is then covered in a whipped coffee cream and sprinkled with caramelised walnuts.
Why you'll love this cake
- Traditional flavour pairing of coffee and walnuts go so well.
- This cake is delicious as a dessert or a teatime treat.
- Gorgeous texture of the soaked sponge.
- Gluten-free flour pairing of buckwheat flour and rice flour make a lovely flavour and texture combination.
- Caramelised walnuts on top are a lovely flavour contrast.
- Easy to make ahead.
- No xanthan gum. READ MORE >>> Why I don't bake with xanthan gum.
If you like this recipe then you will love this traditional Gluten-Free Coffee and Walnut Cake
Gluten-free flours needed
Here we use buckwheat flour due to its delicious wholegrain nutty flavour which pairs amazingly well with the earthy coffee and walnut notes. Buckwheat flour has a very assertive flavour but it stands up well to this intensely flavoured cake so absolutely shines here.
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Buckwheat Flour
Too much buckwheat flour as too much can be overwhelming so it is blended with white rice flour which doesn’t fight with the buckwheat and instead sits back happily whilst its friend reaps all the glory.
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Rice Flour
Full list of ingredients needed
- Buckwheat flour.
- Rice flour.
- Walnuts. Open a fresh bag walnuts. They tend to not last very well and stale walnuts are not good.
- Espresso powder. Brings out the chocolate flavour rather than giving a coffee flavour.
- Baking powder. For rise and a tender crumb.
- Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here.
- Caster sugar. It’s a fine white baking sugar. If you can only get hold of granulated sugar you can grind more finely in the food processor before you use it in the recipe.
- Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
- Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nilsen Massey.
- Evaporated milk.
- Condensed milk. Choose the sweetened consensed milk.
- Single cream. You can substitute for heavy cream
- Ground cinnamon.
- Cardamom.
- Whipping cream.
- Icing sugar. (powdered sugar)
- Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
How to make Coffee Tres Leches Cake
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.Â
The sponge
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, then the vanilla.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition then add the vanilla.
- Whisk the flours, ground walnuts, coffee powder, baking powder and salt and add to the other ingredients.
- Pour into a lined and greased 8 inch tin then place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, turn out of the tin and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
Soaking the cake
- Whisk the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium heat until it is just warm. Remove from the heat.
- Place the cake in a dish with high sides, poke several holes into the cake with a cocktail stick then spoon the cream mixture over.
- Cover the dish with cling film then refrigerate overnight.
Caramelised walnuts
- Toast the walnuts in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Heat caster sugar in a small pan until it has turned into a melted golden caramel. Do not stir. Add the salt. Turn off the heat.
- Pour in the walnuts stir to coat.
- Spread the walnuts out onto baking parchment and allow to cool.
Tips. Make sure the sugar is an even layer in the saucepan. Watch over it melting carefully as it can quickly burn. Do not stir but you can shake the pan slightly if the sugar is melting unevenly. As soon as it has melted then work quickly with the walnuts, coating and getting them out of the pan and onto the baking parchment swiftly.
Cream topping
Whip the cream for a few minutes with the coffee powder and icing sugar until thick and cloud like.
Assembly
Remove the cake from its dish, spread the whipped cream over, cut into 16 squares then sprinkle over the caramelised walnuts.
Two ways to soak the cake
There are two ways to soak the cake, so which direction you take depends on how much you like the moistness of the cake.
In the recipe card the cake is soaked with the milks before cutting into squares. This means that although the cake takes on all the flavour of the milks, it isn’t as sodden in the middle. So if someone (I’m looking at my husband) isn’t a fan of damp cake then he can have a piece taken from the middle of the cake.
However, if you are like me and want the cake as moist as possible (since that’s the idea behind the cake anyway) then I suggest cutting the cake into squares before soaking and then slather on the whipped cream the next day onto the individual squares. Both ways are delicious but you have a choice should you require it.
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → Make ahead
The beauty of this cake is that it can easily be made ahead of time. You can bake the sponge on one day, soak it in the cream mixture on the next day and then keep in the fridge soaked for up to 2 days before you top it with the cream and serve it.
Storing
The cake can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
More gluten-free cakes you'll love
- Traditional Coffee and Walnut Cake
- Golden Beetroot and Carrot Cake
- Courgette (Zucchini) Traybake Cake
- Caramel Cake
- Apple Cheddar Thyme Crumble Cake
I urge you to give this Coffee and Walnut Tres Leches Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Coffee and Walnut Tres Leches Cake {gluten-free}
Ingredients
- 100 g buckwheat flour
- 100 g white rice flour
- 75 g walnuts - toasted then ground
- 2 tablespoons coffee powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 115 g unsalted butter - at room temperature
- 225 g caster sugar
- 5 eggs - medium
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Tres Leches Soak
- 200 g evaporated milk
- 200 g condensed milk
- 150 ml single cream
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cardamom pod - seeds removed and crushed
- pinch of salt
Whipped Latte Cream:
- ½ teaspoon coffee powder
- 300 ml whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
Caramelised Walnuts:
- 50 g caster sugar
- 30 g chopped walnuts
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4 then grease and line an 8 inch square baking tin.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flours, ground walnuts, coffee powder, baking powder and salt and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition then add the vanilla.
- Fold in the flour mixture and mix in until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the tin then place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until an inserted cocktail stick comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the oven, turn out of the tin and allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the soak by whisking the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream, cinnamon and cardamom seeds in a saucepan over medium heat until it is just warm. Remove from the heat.
- Place the cake in a dish with high sides, poke several holes into the cake with a cocktail stick then spoon the glaze over.
- Cover the dish with cling film then refrigerate overnight.
- Remove the cake from the fridge to take the chill off whilst you prepare the toppings.
- Begin with the caramelised walnuts by the placing the walnuts on a baking tray in an oven pre-heated to 180°C / 160°C / gas mark 4 for 5 minutes until toasted. Remove and set aside.
- In a smallish saucepan pour the caster sugar evenly into one layer and heat over a medium heat. The sugar will slowly melt, beginning at the sides. Carefully shake the saucepan every so often so the sugar melts evenly, do not stir. As soon as all the sugar has melted drop in a pinch of salt.
- Prepare a baking sheet with baking parchment before pouring the walnuts into the molten sugar and stir in with a silicone spatula. Working quickly make sure all the walnuts are coated in sugar then tip onto the baking parchment, spreading out into an even layer. Leave to cool then chop finely.
- To make the whipped latte cream, whip the cream for a few minutes with the coffee powder and icing sugar until thick and cloudlike.
- Finally, carefully remove the cake from its dish, spread the whipped cream over, cut into 16 squares then sprinkle over the caramelised walnuts.
Notes
Flour substitution
- I don't recommend swapping the buckwheat flour as it changes the flavour of the cake.
- You can swap the rice flour for your favourite brand of all-purpose gluten-free flour.
Joanna says
hi! Just a friendly note that step 2) is missing a mention of adding the coffee powder in with the flours etc. I made this last night and can’t wait to try it!
Georgina Hartley says
Thank you for letting me know! I'd love to know what you think of the cake.
Catrinka says
Thanks, Georgina!
Catrinka says
Hi Georgina,
Aloha from Hawaii. I enjoy your blog, thank you.
I'm not familiar with coffee powder. I do have coffee flour, and both fresh and freeze dried coffee granules. Do you have a suggestion for which of these might work better for the Coffee & Walnut Tres Leches Cake?
Mahalo for the fun reading and good recipes.
Catrinka
Georgina says
Hi Catrinka, thank you so much for your comment! Don't worry if you can't get hold of coffee powder in Hawaii as a great substitute is freeze dried coffee granules. To substitute it in the sponge cake use 1 heaped tablespoon instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tablespoons boiling water, then cool before adding in. To substitute in the whipped cream use 1 heaped teaspoon instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 teaspoons boiling water, then cool before adding in. I hope this helps!