Banana Chai Tres Leches
okay but desserts that are infused with teas are kinda my new favorite
traditionally Tres leches is made with heavy cream, condensed milk and evaporated milk which is why it's called Tres leches . what really makes it unique is the milk syrup that the cake is soaked in overnight. this one is made up of oat milk, evaporated coconut milk and condensed coconut milk. now of course along with caramel and milk syrup we have the base of the dessert - a very spongy banana chai spice cake, and don't worry with lots of recipe testing and taste testing, this recipe is such perfection that you will not even notice that it’s plant based.
another factor that makes Tres leches so distinct is that this is a wet cake that is soaked overnight. another fun element you can add if you're feeling frisky is adding some rum into the milk syrup to really elevate and spice things up.
What is Piloncillo ?
Piloncillo is a raw form of sugar cane and makes the best base for caramel sauces that are nice and thick like this one. If you can’t find piloncillo near you, you can use brown sugar.
Banana Chai Tres Leches
yields 9 servings / bake and prep time 2 hours / soak time overnight
Ingredients - Chai Caramel Sauce
yields 2 cups
1/2 - piloncillo ( pound brown cane sugar )
1 tbsp - chai tea
1/4 cup - vegan butter
1 tsp - cinnamon
1 tsp - vanilla extract
¼ cup - pumpkin puree
¼ cup - chai tea steeped in oat milk
11.06 oz - 1 can condensed coconut milk
Ingredients - Banana Chai Sponge Cake
2 cups - all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup - white sugar
3/4 tsp - baking soda
1/4 tsp - salt
1 3/4 cup - chai tea steeped in oat milk
2 tsp - apple cider vinegar
2 cups - mashed bananas
3/4 cups - melted vegan butter
1 tsp - pure vanilla extract
Ingredients - Milk Syrup
1 1/2 cup - oat milk
1 1/2 cup - condensed coconut milk
1 1/2 cup - evaporated coconut milk
1/4 cup - chai caramel
Ingredients - Vegan Whip
3/4 cup - melted room temp coconut oil
1 cup - full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup - powdered sugar
1 tsp - vanilla extract
1 tsp - cream of tartar
Tools you will need:
Sauté Pan
Large Mixing Bowl
Whisk
7 1/2 x 10 Baking Dish
Large Measuring Pitcher
ISI Whip Cream Canister + 2 gas cartridges
Instructions
Step 1 - Make the Caramel Sauce
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! Gather all the essential mise en place and start melting the vegan butter in a medium sized sauce pan. Add in the spices into the melted butter and give it a good stir and follow this by adding in the piloncillo, or brown sugar. Stir this brown sugar in on low heat until it has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour in the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, oat milk and condensed coconut milk. Turn off the heat and allow it to carry over cook and cool down. Once cooled, pour the caramel into a food safe container. I used a glass mason jar that worked perfectly and in total this recipe should yield about 2 cups of caramel sauce.
Step 2 - Bake the cake
Grease a baking dish and line it with parchment paper, I used a 8 x 13 and set that to the side. This is also a good moment to pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, measure out the all purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, baking powder and spices. In the measuring glass, measure out the chai stepped in oat milk, apple cider vinegar, butter, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and gently whisk to combine everything well adding in the mashed bananas. Once thoroughly combined, pour the batter into the greased and lined baking dish. Bake for approximately 30 - 40 minutes or until done and then let it cool down on the counter or on top of the oven.
Step 3 - Make the Milk Syrup
In a large measuring cup or in a bowl, what ever works for you. Measure out the oat milk, condensed coconut milk, and evaporated coconut milk. Mix well and set to the side. When the cake has fully cooled, cut off the top layer or the “crust” and with a fork, poke the cake to create little holes or wells for the milk to go into.
The cake is going to need to soak for 8 hours or over night so cover the dish with some cling wrap or plastic wrap and put in the fridge to get nice and spongy.
Step 4 - Making the whip
I know not everyone has an ISI whip cream canister lying around, before I perfected this whip recipe I would use Truwhip which is a plant-based coconut whip product that can be found at most shops. Feel free to make your own or store bought.
To go ahead and make the whip in an ISI, you are going to want coconut oil that is liquid but not necessarily hot, just room temp is perfect. In a blender, blend and emulsify the oil with full fat coconut milk, the powdered sugar, vanilla and cream of tarter.
Let that blend for a minute or two and then pour it into the canister and then pop it in the fridge to chill. Once the canister and liquid are cold, grab the top of the ISI and close it up. Fill up the canister with 2 cartridges of gas and give it a good shake and then set it in the fridge to stay cold until its ready to be used at serving time !
Step 5 - Serving & Plating
To plate I used these “plate bowls” that are perfect for serving something like this as it holds everything together really nicely. To plate the way I did in the photo, place a square of the soaked cake in the middle of the plate and spoon over the milk syrup over and around the cake. Grab your ISI and give it a few puffs to top the cake with the coconut whipped cream.
I recommend not covering the entire cake in whip unless its all going to be eaten right away, otherwise I recommend topping each serving with whip as its plated.
Finally a generous drizzle over everything with the chai caramel along with a bit of ground cinnamon on top. I had some streusel on hand and decided to use it as garnish, if you like to make it check out the recipe for it here as I made it recently with my sweet potato creme Brule. This isn’t a tradition thing for Tres leches however I added it for photo aesthetics along to contribute to the overall mouth feel.
Enjoy right away or save the cake for later in the fridge in a food safe container, covered with an air tight lid.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3