Easy Gingerbread Tres Leches Cake (With Cake Mix)

A festive cake, combining the aroma & warmth of gingerbread spices with luxurious creaminess of a classic tres leches cake. This easy gingerbread tres leches cake recipe is low effort, can be made ahead and perfect for the holiday season!

I am in love with tres leches cakes infused with warmth of spices. While my masala chai tres leches cake uses chai spices, this gingerbread version is redolent of homemade gingerbread spice blend. It is intensely sweet smelling and a treat for spice lovers!

I first made this cake last year as part of a social media collaboration, and it was an instant hit with my family-they absolutely loved it! It also received great engagement on social media, which inspired me to document the recipe on my website.

Gingerbread Tres Leches Cake

Our cake base in this recipe is deeply flavorful - imagine a moist, spongy gingerbread cake infused with aromatic spices like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves.

After baking, we puncture the cake all over to welcome a sweet tres (3 milk) mixture which is a heavenly combination of evaporated milk, sweet condensed milk and heavy cream, again spiced generously with gingerbread spices.

As the cake rests, the milky goodness seeps into every nook and cranny and transforms the sponge into a melt-in-your mouth dessert which is a divine blend of sweetness and spice.

Right before serving, we are going to cover the cake in spiced whipped cream. Together with all the elements, it's creamy, spicy, and utterly irresistible-perfect for gatherings or as a show-stopping end to a cozy winter meal.

Why I love this recipe

1. Can be baked and assembled 1-2 days ahead. It only gets better as it rests in the fridge.
2. It's a perfect crowd-pleaser, with warm spices that make it absolutely irresistible-a hit with both kids and adults alike!
3. The aroma while baking fills your home with a cozy, inviting warmth that's hard to resist.
4. Even with store-bought conveniences, it remains decadently moist yet surprisingly light, making it absolutely irresistible to stop at just one slice!

About My Recipe

• I keep it easy and convenient and instead of making the sponge from scratch, I use a boxed cake mix. The flavor of gingerbread cake mixes is often too strong for us, so I prefer to use a yellow cake mix and spice it up according to our taste. However, you can absolutely use boxed gingerbread cake mix.
• To do so, I mix together my own gingerbread spice blend(recipe included) however you can use your favorite blend from the store.
• Since I use boxed mix, in order to improve the texture and taste, I replace the water with whole milk. Replacing water with whole milk adds richness and a creamier flavor, moist and tender crumb, and I feel it makes the dessert taste more homemade.

How To Make Gingerbread Tres Leches Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
2. Mix the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the cake mix and ginger bread spice blend. Beat together until smooth.

1. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish.
2. Place in the pre heated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

1. While the cake is baking, prepare the ginger bread spiced 3 milk mixture by mixing together evaporated milk, heavy cream, sweet condensed milk and spices.

1. Using a fork, poke holes all over the surface of warm gingerbread cake.Some people use back of a spatula to make larger holes, you can do so too it you prefer. I feel fork works just about fine.
2. Pour over the milk mixture and set to soak and chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours. Save about 1 cup milk to pour while serving.

1. Cover with whipped cream before serving. Optionally, dust the cake with ginger bread spice powder.

1. Cut the cake into square pieces using a sharp knife. Serve with additional milk mixture.