This pistachio tres leches is absolutely delectable and so festive! Soaked in a pistachio flavoured milk and topped off with a luscious whipped cream, it's amazing.
Tres leches cakes are one of the best desserts to ever exist. So moist, juicy (sorry), it's soaked just the right amount and it's absolutely phenomenal.
This pistachio version is just as good as the original and super popular online. I've gotten so many messages and reviews of remakes and I LOVE to see it! It's the perfect thing to make for Eid or anytime you want to really impress your guests!
If you like this recipe, check out some more here! This Strawberry Tres Leches is so fruity and refrigerate, this Rasmalai Tres Leches is inspired by the popular Indian dessert and tastes just like it. Or this Mango coconut tres leches!
Tips to Make the Best Pistachio Tres Leches Cake
- Sugar and orange zest – Make sure to massage the sugar and orange zest together to get the most flavour out of the zest as possible. Doing this releases the oils in the peel, into the sugar and amplifies the orange flavour—way more than if you only used the zest itself. You can use a food processor to do this OR a silicon spatula to rub the sugar into the zest.
- Beating the egg whites - Make sure the bowl and whisk you use to whip up the egg whites is completely CLEAN. It shouldn't have any grease, especially. This will prevent the egg whites from whipping up properly. When you separate the whites from the yolks, make sure not to get any of the yolk in the whites.
- Mixing the batter - Once you add the whipped egg whites to the yolk/flour mixture, make sure to gently combine it together. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl inwards and cut through the middle. You want to make sure to not deflate the egg whites because that is what will make the chiffon cake rise.
- Prevent cake from deflating - Only line the bottom of the pan and do NOT line or grease the sides of the pan. As the cake bakes, it needs to cling onto the pan to be able to stay up and remain that way as it cools. If you line/grease the sides, the cake will collapse and sink when it cools down. Place the cake pan upside down on a cooling rack as it cools down so it doesn't deflate.
- Gradually add in the sweetened condensed milk and pistachio cream - It can get too sweet for some so add in less than the stated amount and taste as you go
Pistachio Tres Leches Cake
This pistachio tres leches is absolutely delectable and so festive! Soaked in a pistachio flavoured milk and topped off with a luscious whipped cream, it's amazing.
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Servings: 9 slices
Ingredients
Chiffon Cake
- 3 - large eggs room temp
- ⅔ cup - 133g sugar
- - zest of half an orange
- 51 ml - 3.5 tablespoon milk
- ¼ cup - roasted, unsalted, shelled pistachio - ground & sifted 25g
- 1 teaspoon - baking powder
- 82 g - all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon - salt
3 Milk Mixture
- ½ cup - evaporated milk (125ml)
- ½ cup - sweetened condensed milk (120ml) (start with less than ½ cup)
- ¾ cup - whole milk (177ml)
- ¼ cup - pistachio cream (start with 3 tbsp)
- few drops - green food colouring optional
Whipped Cream & Top
- 1 cup - whipping cream (236ml)
- 2-3 tablespoon - icing sugar, to taste
- - chopped pistachio, for garnish
- - dried roses, for garnish
Instructions
Make the Chiffon Cake
- Separate the egg whites and egg yolks in clean separate bowls. To prevent a yolk from accidentally breaking into the whites, separate the whites into a separate small bowl each time and then transfer it to the one you will beat them in. Make sure the bowl you add the egg whites in is very clean and has no grease marks.
- Add 7 tablespoon of the sugar into a bowl and the zest and rub it together for a few minutes. Add into the yolks and whisk well until pale and light. Whisk in the milk. Then add in the flour, ground pistachios, salt and baking powder. Fold that gently until all mixed together
- Now beat the egg whites in the separate bowl, until soft peaks form. Gradually add in 3.5 tablespoon sugar while beating and continue until you get stiff peaks
- Add that into the flour mixture and fold gently with a spatula by scraping from the sides of the bowl, inwards. Don’t mix too much so you don’t deflate them.
- In a 8x8 pan, with ONLY the bottom lined with parchment paper, pour the batter and bake at 350F for about 40-45 minutes. Don’t open the oven door until the last 10 minutes. Gently poke the cake with your finger and if it springs back, it’s done. If it leaves an indent, then bake for another 5 ish minutes.
- Take the cake out of oven and let it cool. Take the cake out of the pan and take off the parchment paper. Line the pan with new parchment and put the cake back in the pan.
Make the Milk Mixture
- To make the milk mixture, add the condensed milk, whole milk, evaporated milk and pistachio cream and whisk until combined. Make sure to start with less pistachio cream and sweetened condensed milk than stated because it may be too sweet for some. Taste as you go. Add a few drops of green food colouring. Poke holes all over the cake with a fork or a knife. Pour all of the milk mixture over the cake and cover it and let it soak for a couple hours or overnight in the refrigerator (better overnight)
Make the Whipped Cream & Frost
- In a chilled bowl, pour in your whipping cream and beat it until you get soft peaks. Now add in the powdered sugar and beat until you get stiff peaks.
- You can choose to leave the cake in the pan or take it out and remove the paper. Top with the cream and smooth out the top and sides.
- Sprinkle on the chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. Cut and serve. Enjoy!
- If you enjoyed the recipe, please leave a review below!!
Melanie says
What is a Pistachio cream? Do I make it myself or can I get it from the grocery?
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Nabeah Wahab says
Hi Melanie,
I got mine from Costco! I'm sure you would be able to find it at most grocery stores or Italian stores. If you can't find it, I recommend making or buying pistachio butter (like almond/peanut butter) and add more of the condensed milk to sweeten it!
Firdaws says
Hi, what size pan do you use?
Nabeah Wahab says
8x8 inch pan!
Bunni says
One of the best recipes I have ever tried. I am just a beginner so followed the recipe step-by-step and it came out really so well and delicious. I baked it for my daughter's 10th birthday and all the guests appreciated it. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe.
Naureen says
Do you buy or make pistachio cream for the milk mixture? Recipe?
Nabeah Wahab says
Hi Naureen,
I bought mine from costco! It's the Pisti brand
Tessa says
I made it for Mothers day, my mom loved it. It was superb and delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Nisreen Takulla-Khalil says
Hi, love the recipe!
Can this be made as a layered cake? If I divide the batter in two pans and then bake?
Thank you
Nabeah Wahab says
I wouldn’t recommend it as the cakes are meant to be wet and probably won't be able to hold up without collapsing. Maybe if have a ring mold and place the cake inside it and soak the cake with the milk a little while before decorating. And then a layer of the cream and the second cake layer and soak it again. Then quickly cover with the whipped cream after taking off the mold. I've never done this so I can't say for sure if it'll work!
And I would suggest baking it in one pan and cutting it into two layers after it's cooled down.
Huzaifah Sheikh says
I tried this and it was incredibly delicious, the combination of orange and pistachio was simply divine, all loved it and tbh we couldn't have a better dessert than your tres leches pistachio recipe. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Afrah Khan says
I'm so in love with this one! Loved the way how effortlessly it balanced out the flavour and gave a delicate mouthfeel. Really good efforts and keep up the good work.
Rana says
It doesn’t contain oil or butter?
I’m just afraid that I’m missing something .
Rosario Brondolo says
no, don’t worry. It is as a chiffon cake and it does not take any type of fat. It turns out delicious, I’ve made this recipe three times already.
Mana says
Looks great! How much is 82g of flour in cups??
A.R. says
This was wonderful!! I made this for my dad's birthday (he loves pistachio) and it was sooo good. Some notes for anyone who might find this helpful:
- I used 2/3 cup flour (which is around 82 g)
- Instead of pistachio cream (I couldn't find it anywhere), I blended 1/4 cup pistachios with milk before mixing in the condensed and evaporated milk
Overall a 10/10! Fantastic recipe, thank you for sharing!
Semira says
I made this tres leche cake for my brother's birthday and it turned out so well!! Everyone loved it and it tasted divine!
Nabeah Wahab says
Hi Semira,
I love that it was a hit with everyone! Thank you for making it for such a special occasion and leaving a kind review
Sifat says
Asalaam walaikum.
Thank you for the recipe, it looks delicious. I'll definitely try it. But where I live I can't find any pistachio cream. So can you please tell me how to D.I.Y. it.
Jazakallah khairan
Marianne Anderson says
Thank your A.R. for the great tip about pistachio cream. I cannot find it in Brisbane.
Inaya Ali says
my my entire family loved the recipe!
Loujaine says
I tried this recipe yesterday, and it turned out so good ,my whole family loved it , there's always leftover cakes in our household but not this time, I didn't read the recipe well the first time and added all the sugar into the batter and none to the egg whites , but it still turned our perfect, thank you
Nabeah Wahab says
I'm so glad your family loved it, Loujaine! Thank you for giving it a try
Rubina Naeem says
Which Costco location please?
R says
IT'S AMAZING! Soft, moist, tastes great, and looks fancy; everyone I made this for loved it as well! Thank you for the recipe!
Huzaifah Sheikh says
I tried again and it was brilliant again. The combination of pistachio and orange is just on another level. Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Valerie Barreto says
Tried the recipe and it turned out superb. Thanks for the detailed receipe.
jacqueline says
Hello
I was wondering if there is a chance you know the measurements in cups for the flour
thank you
Sylvia Schmidt says
A wonderful cake recipe - all my family loved it. The orange zest adds a wonderful flavour and the decoration is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing this.
Sylvia
Rosario says
it was an amazing cake. Fairly simple, and delicious. It was extremely delicate, everybody loved it.
Fabz says
Hi, are your cup to ml measurements US? As in UK 1cup is 250ml
Nabeah Wahab says
I'm in Canada, but the cups I use are 236ml or close to that. I added in the ml measurements as well to clear confusion for people from different countries.
Naomi Tewelde says
Can I make it a head of time? And if how long before could I make it?
Nabeah Wahab says
I usually make it the day before. You can even make it two days in advance and leave the cake to soak up the milk mixture, and frost it the day you’re going to serve it, or even the night before!
Rosiya says
Made this for our anniversary and this cake was just perfect. Thank you for sharing this, Nabeah!
Nabeah Wahab says
Congratulations on your anniversary, and I'm honoured you chose my recipe to celebrate the occasion! Thank you so much, and for leaving the kind review!
Lia says
Hey can I use heavy cream instead of evaporated milk or is there another alternative? I know it will not be the same, but I can't get my hands on evaporated milk.
Love from Germany
Nabeah Wahab says
I think evaporated milk is sold as Kondensmilch there? Just evaporated or unsweetened condensed milk. But if you can’t find it, you can also take about 1 cup milk and cook it down while whisking constantly, until it's reduced by half, is a little thicker and has a creamy colour!
I hope that helps!
Uxm says
Such an amazing recipe. Thank you so much! It has become my signature dessert for parties and have been asked by friends to make it so many times now! Thanks a lot for this.
Hiba Naaz says
I wanted to know if I can maybe skip condensed and evaporated milk? Will if make a big difference? what can I use instead?
Nabeah Wahab says
I wouldn’t recommend doing that because the sweetened condensed milk adds to the sweetness. If you substitute it with just sugar it will reduce the milk mixture by quite a bit, resulting in cake not soaked properly. If you use just regular milk and no evaporated milk, the mixture is going to be too thin and probably not as good. You can buy both in most grocery stores!
Hiba Naaz says
Ohh alright. Thankyouu!
Houda says
Amazing !!!
Houda says
I made it without the condensed milk and replaced regular sugar with monk fruit sweetener coz I can’t take a lot of sugar and it turned so delicious!!! Thank you
Anisa says
How many servings is the cake?
Ushy says
I tried this recipe for a party and it was a big hit. Thanks for the recipe.
Sana Fatima says
Hi.
If I have to make a larger batch then do I just put twice the amount of ingredients?
Juhana says
Ate this cake at a coffee shop nearby my neighborhood and love it. Googled the recipe and found yours. Made it, came out perfectly and delicious...even better than the one that I ate at the coffee shop. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing!
Uzma says
I was really apprehensive making this cake, but I made it today and alhamdulillah everyone from my kidsto their grandad lived it, had 2 servings each. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes, all of them! May allah swt bless you