Get Your Tres Leches Cake Holiday-Ready By Swapping In Some Eggnog

For those hosting holiday gatherings this year, next to serving warm roasted nuts and homemade peppermint bark, ladling brandy-spiked eggnog into guests' glasses is also semi-expected. Sure enough, eggnog has been labeled a traditional American Christmas drink since the 1700s. However, nowadays, beyond downing a straight glass or two, there is more than one way to serve up this seasonally flavored eggy beverage. 

If you've been a fan of tres leches cake for quite some time, you might enjoy this ultra-moist confection for the multitude of sweetened and unsweetened dairy products that comprise this unique dessert's creamy and soft consistency. Since traditional tres leches cake is made with three different types of canned or fresh milk, substituting a portion of these full-bodied dairy substances with your favorite holiday beverage is the perfect way to transform this Latin American dessert into a full-fledged seasonal masterpiece.

Whether you enjoy storebought or easy homemade eggnog, this Christmas drink of choice is generally comprised of tempered eggs, heavy cream, milk, sugar, and rum. Since eggnog has an ultra-rich yet luscious texture, swapping in some of this seasonal drink to make a festive tres leches cake is quite simple. Yet, before preparing this festive delight, you should consider a few crucial factors.

To include eggnog in a classic tres leches cake, consider the 3-milk soaking mixture to make a workable, no-fuss swap. Traditionally, tres leches cake always includes sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. The third and final milk tends to vary based on the recipe you choose to follow. While some tres leches cakes include whole milk, others use half and half or heavy cream as the final milky component. The choice typically depends on how rich you want your resulting cake to be. 

Since the third milk seems somewhat interchangeable, this is the perfect way to sub in some festive eggnog. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of half and half, simply replace eggnog on a 1:1 ratio. Once you add this festive soaking mixture to your tres leches cake, allow your confection to rest a few hours in the refrigerator before enjoying a slice.

Since eggnog is traditionally sweet, you may want to play around with the suggested portion of sweetened condensed milk versus egg nog. There is no perfect formula for determining the milk ratios that work for your taste. Just make sure not to add too little or too much milk to offset the soaking process of this creamy treat. Beyond adding eggnog to the milk trio of your tres leches cake, you have other modes of getting this traditional dessert holiday-ready.

If you feel apprehensive about changing up the soaking mixture of your favorite dessert, there are other ways you can utilize eggnog in your traditional tres leches cake recipe. Sure enough, you can impress your holiday guests with a festive eggnog cake by simply swapping out some liquid ingredients in your batter for some seasonally spiced eggnog. Yet, to imbue your classic tres leches cake with serious eggnog flavor, you want to emphasize those traditional warming spices. Adding hints of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon to your cake batter and a small amount of eggnog can transform any standard white cake into a perfectly spiced seasonal treat.

Beyond changing the ingredients of your tres leches cake batter and soaking mixture, you can also make a delightful eggnog frosting by mixing butter, powdered sugar, and warming spices. Instead of milk, add a bit of eggnog to create a luscious holiday cake topping. If you want to add festive elements to your tres leches cake without using egg nog, you can adorn the top of this creamy cake with the usual whipped cream and several different seasonal ingredients such as chopped pistachios, sugared cranberries, and shaved chocolate. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of eggnog and want to impress your family and friends, try implementing some of this creamy holiday drink into your next tres leches cake and experience one of the flavors most associated with the festive season.