What does "Tres Leches" mean?

Tres Leches is a Spanish term that translates to "three milks". This dessert originates in Mexico, and gets its name because three types of milks are used to make the soak for the cake.

How can I substitute ladyfingers in this cake?

If you don't have ladyfingers, you will need to just make the original Tres Leches cake. Google will give you many recipes!

Can I use teabags instead of loose tea?

Yes, you can use teabags. Dip them into the milk in the saucepan as you simmer the milk, and then press on them to drain them thoroughly as you remove them.

Is Tres Leches supposed to be soggy?

Yes! This cake, by design, is supposed to be well soaked, almost soggy. That's the beauty of it. It is more like dessert than cake.

How to store Chai Tres Leches cake?

You definitely want to keep this Chai Tres Leches cake in the fridge! Cover your dish with cling wrap. It should keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, although it may start to feel a bit more soggy with time.

No Bake Chai Tres Leches Cake

by Zoha Malik

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 stars from 4 reviews

This delightfully soft and moist No Bake Chai Tres Leches Cake with a delicate chai flavor takes only 7 ingredients and 15 minutes of work

Yield:8-10 servings

Prep Time:: 15 mins
Chilling Time:: 2 hrs
Total Time:: 2hours, 15 mins

Ingredients

240g milk (1 cup)
2-4 tbsp chai (loose tea) depending on how strong you want the chai flavor to be; I used 2 tbsp*
1/4 tsp cardamom powder*
300g sweetened condensed milk (roughly 3/4th of a 14 oz can)*
400g evaporated milk (1 14 oz can)
35-40 ladyfingers (about 1.5 packs with 24 ladyfingers each)*
360g (1 1/2 cup) heavy cream for decoration
Optional: freeze dried strawberries and pistachios for decoration

Instructions

Add the milk, chai and cardamom to a saucepan and simmer on medium low heat for 3-5 minutes to make the chai
Prepare three milk mixture by whisking together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and strained chai (make sure to squeeze out all the milk) in a bowl. Taste and adjust the flavor per your liking
In a clean dish (I used a 7×11″ dish), stack ladyfingers tightly to create one layer. Fill any gaps by trimming ladyfingers.
Using a 1/4 cup measure, start drenching the ladyfingers. Make sure you get every one of them. You will use half of the chai mixture here. Don’t worry if it looks like a lot, the ladyfingers will soak up the mixture
Wait 10-20 minutes for the ladyfingers to soak up most of the chai mixture
Repeat with the second layer of ladyfingers
Place the dish in the fridge for ~2 hours
In the meanwhile, whip up heavy cream to stiff peaks
Spread half of the heavy cream on top of the ladyfingers, using an offset spatula to even it out
Pipe the other half in dollops using a French star tip
Decorate with crushed freeze dried strawberries and chopped pistachios
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

If you add more chai, you may also need to add more milk as chai soaks up a lot of milk
You can skip the cardamom, or add it along with any other spices you like to make this a masala chai Tres Leches (e.g., cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove)
You can add anywhere from 1/2 can to 1 can of sweetened condensed milk depending on how sweet you want this cake to be, and how much chai you have added
The exact number of ladyfingers you end up using will depend on the size of your pan – just make sure you use between 35-40, otherwise the ratio will be off from the milk mix!