Cornbread Is The Unexpected Way To Switch Up Tres Leches Cake

Tres leches cake is one of the most decadent desserts out there. Thick yellow cake covered in whipped frosting and the creamiest of tres leches sauces — there aren't many ways to improve upon the classic. But there are a few ways to dress up the cake into something a little extra special — and one of those ways is by incorporating cornbread.

Cornbread may call to mind your last cookout, but the savory bread with a heavy crumb has a lot to offer tres leches cake. Instead of the cake's traditional flavor profile, the cornbread brings a savory element to the mix. The result is a cake that's still deliciously sweet, but a bit more nuanced in flavor and texture. And it's almost as easy to make as it is to eat. If you're a fan of either cornbread or tres leches cake, this will change the way you look at both.

Usually, this cake relies on at least one layer of dense yellow cake to be drenched in tres leches sauce. Cornbread works as a creative substitute because of its thick, hearty texture. It won't fall apart when it comes into contact with the mixture of milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk that make up the sauce. It easily soaks up the sweetened mixture so that each bite is perfect — dense, cool, and rich all at the same time.

Not only does the best cornbread offer a worthy structural change, it also results in a cake that isn't cloying, which is a problem tres leches can fall victim to. Swapping cake for cornbread means the cake itself is less sweet, and the natural profile of the cornbread can shine through. The slightly nutty, toasted flavor pairs beautifully with the rest of the dessert so that the finished dish feels both upgraded and decidedly familiar.

Chef Paola Velez is a fan of cornbread tres leches, even modifying the recipe to include both labneh and lemon in the batter for extra contrast. She explains why cornbread works so well in an article for Food & Wine, saying, "It has all the deliciousness of the three milks, but the cornmeal takes it to the next level, creating what I think is the perfect balance of sweet and savory."

Usually, tres leches cake is topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon or a drizzle of rich caramel sauce over the whipped cream topping. If you're looking to work even more flavor into the mix, consider adding a thin layer of jam between the top of the cornbread and the whipped cream — it adds a surprising pop of fruity boldness to the whole cake. Simply switching out the cake for cornbread is enough to change the flavor and texture of your tres leches cake, but your creativity certainly doesn't have to stop there.