Tres Leches Cake Donuts.
I no longer know how to survive without these.
I can’t get along with these donuts if we’re in the same room together. It’s complete and utter domination.
Let’s do a drive-by dozen! I’ll make some donuts. You make bring some coffee. Iced, vanilla-y and wonderful. We can read papers and gossip and stuff. Probably about how terrible the Grey’s Anatomy episode was last evening (ooooh yeah Patrick Dempsey you most def angered Shonda) and how I might wear a black jumpsuit this weekend because I don’t know how to dress myself.
Wait. Are you judging me for calling the donuts “donuts” instead of “doughnuts?” I’m thinking you are. I can’t help it.
I’ve been dreaming of making my own tres leches donut after having one in NYC a few years ago. It was straight up DECADENT. SO I used this cake donut recipe and poked a bunch of holes in said donuts and covered them in a fabulous, sugary glaze. Just like tres leches cake, you can add rum or bourbon to this glaze.
You probably should.
Ugh. These donuts. I’m freaking. And I’m soooo not a cake donut person. Are you a cake donut person? I’m not. I prefer my donuts to be light and fluffy and yeasty as opposed to dense and cakey. It’s why I’m not nutty over baked donuts. But you NEED a cake donut here so the glaze can sink in. I’m not hating it. These are perfect cake donuts with that classic hint of nutmeg. And that downpour of glaze. Drenched in three milks! Just like cake. Hence… tres leches CAKE donuts.
Have you made tres leches cake before? Huge fan. I haven’t made a traditional version in years but I think I should for Mother’s Day. Yes! That’s the plan. I also made a banana version once. It’s dreamtastic.
Also, I totally subbed one of the milks in my tres leches glaze for coconut milk – full fat straight from the can coconut milk. It’s one of my favorite things on earth and after using it in these tres leches cupcakes a few years ago, I haven’t made anything tres leches without it. It may not be authentic, but it’s my secret ingredient. Ooomph.
Severely hooked would be an understatement.
Are you doing any early celebrating of Cinco de Mayo this weekend since it falls during the workweek? What are you making! What are you doing? Please make some margaritas after a mint julep. These strawberry ones are my favorite but so are these ginger beer ones. And tacos. Tacos tacos tacos. I could put a shoe in a tortilla and call it a taco.
If you make one taco, let it be a short rib one. With lime salted cabbage.
And then donuts for dessert!
See. That’s how we do things.
Tres Leches Cake Donuts
Ingredients
cake donuts
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- canola oil for frying
tres leches glaze
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup half and half
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
cake donuts
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center.
- In a large measuring glass, whisk together milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract. Pour into the center of the dry ingredients then mix with a large spoon. Stir until dough is combined but do not overmix. The dough will be sticky! Cover with plastic wrap and set the bowl in the fridge for 1 hour.
- After and hour, remove dough and place on a well floured surface. Roll dough out to be about 1/2to 1 inch thick. Using a doughnut cutter, biscuit cutter or… something round, cut circles into the dough. To cut out the center, I used the bottom of an apple corer, but you can also use a bottle cap or something of the sort.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat so it’s about 2-3 inches deep. Once the oil hits 360-365 degrees, fry the doughnuts 2-3 at a time, for about 2 minutes per side, or until puffed and golden brown. Make sure you use a candy thermometer as this is the only way to determine the temperature! I have burned many doughnuts in my life. It is not pretty. Remove doughnuts with a slotted spoon and let cool on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining dough. Let the doughnuts cool slightly, then poke holes in the top of them, not going the whole way through, with a fork or something of similar size. Pour the tres leches glaze over top – I like to do this a few times. I go over the donuts ones, then let them sit for 5 minutes. Then go over them again and maybe once more. Serve immediately.
tres leches glaze
- Whisk together ingredients in a bowl. Make sure the milks are combined since the condensed milk is thicker. Pour over donuts!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
that bite.
55 Comments on “Tres Leches Cake Donuts.”
Good gravy, those look good. Are they appropriate for breakfast because I want one right NOW?!? :)
Hahaha! I was gonna say the same thing! :)
I want to curl up on a couch and read a book while drinking tea and eating an entire pan of these donuts. These are insane looking. I haven’t had a donut in years. Let’s change that.
These look ridiculously puffy and so amazing! I DO like cake donuts. Also, I have never made real fried donuts and now can’t wait to do it. I just love how tall they got!
I did not have the foresight to plan to celebrate Cinco this weekend, but I’ve been craving short ribs and I think I see some tacos in my near future.
These look so puffy and amazing!! What a perfect weekend treat, delicious!!
These are so beautiful ,it make me want to make them, instead of gardening today.
The leaves can wait ,let make donuts! Or as we say in my family “do-not-eats”.
Congratulations, this is your 1st Mothers day!
Dear Lord, have mercy on my love handles because I cannot and will not be able to control myself around these donuts!! They look phenomenal! And coconut milk for the secret ingredient?! I just have to try it. I’m so hungry, I could eat 235239 of these donuts right now. Great recipe!
Those donuts look wonderful.
http://askmelissaanything.blogspot.com/
uhhhh. YESSSSSS.
I can eat a cake donut if I don’t call it a donut. It’s a brain thing. If I call it a donut my brain is expecting a light pillowy yeasty confection that has been deep fried and gloriously smeared in a thick frosting (maple bacon or chocolate, preferably) or dunked in a rich heavenly glaze. If that’s what my brain is expecting and I bite into what is essentially a very dense CAKE…I get all hulk smashy and pout for WEEKS. haha
EXCEPT for powdered donuts that are essentially little cake donuts covered in powdered sugar…I can eat those for DAYS because putting the word “powdered” in front of “donut” changes the meaning of “donut” entirely for my brain.
I know! It’s all so complex. lol
These tres leche “hole-y cakes” look amazing, tho! ;-)
so much YES to this. i totally get it.
Ah what a great doughnut flavor! I will totally have to try this. Loving the milky glaze :)
I get so confused with the “donut” vs “doughnut” wordage too! I usually write “donut” because it’s shorter…
These donuts look amazing! Not sure how I’ve survived without them ;)
WOW, these look absolutely incredible!
LOVE Tres Leches! My torte for next Tuesday has tres leches! Just can’t go wrong! These cake donuts look tooDIEfor!!! As always, everything is perfect!
i cannot wait to see that!
Just sent my daughter a text that said, “holy crap, Jessica, just made tres leches donuts!!! And yes, we refer to you by first name. Making tomorrow. Thank you, thank you
ahhhh i love you guys. THANK YOU!
These look sooooo delish!
I don’t have any oil for frying :/ Do you think that they will rise if baked?
i don’t think they will be the same as baked, here is a post you can read about that! http://www.cakespy.com/blog/2013/9/28/can-you-bake-doughnuts-instead-of-frying-them.html
if you don’t want to buy oil, i would find a cake donut recipe that can be baked in a donut pan! poke the holes and pour the glaze. :)
I haven’t even tried these yet and they are my favorite donut…holy smokes!
Wow, those donuts look amazing. I just found your blog and it’s wonderful. You have a new reader <3
Best wishes from Germany
minnja
http://www.minnja.de
YES PLEASE! x
http://www.wild-cherrytree.com
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERMILK, Episode 1 of Serena Wolf’s(Domesticate Me) YouTube series #JustTheTip is out! Buttermilk this opportunity while you can. #foxwolfnyc #domesticateme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcKO_IR8aU8
You always have the best recipes. I have pinned so many and have reblogged a lot with using your link back to your blog. I appreciate all of your work and the recipes. Have a great weekend :)
Not at all on the subject of donuts, I totally support the black jumpsuit! I am completely obsessed with rompers right now, and have worn two black ones out recently (BCBG’s Like Clockwork romper which was super cute, comfy, and pretty casual, and the Robert Rodriguez Caged romper which was kind of fancier and a little fussy). I live in Miami, so maybe it’s more of a thing down here? But I say go for it! I love ’em.
I am most def a yeasty/fried (not cake baked) kind of girl, but I’ll make an exception. Except you’ll totes need to make them, I’ll bring the iced lattes, because my oven is broken :( I actually stooped so low to make a microwave chocolate chip cookie last night. Which actually, better than you’d imagine. Ugh. Tacos, margs, doughnuts (I can’t help myself), and iced lattes with a side of snickering over the last 3 terrible hours of Grey’s sounds like a perfect afternoon.
Breakfast.
Tomorrow.
OH. MY. LORD.
I want a dozen of these to hoard for myself, and then another dozen to share, so I can steal some…coconut tres leches is my jam.
omg, looks scrumptious and I’m practically drooling right now . Your doughnut just make me craving for it now!! Thanks for the recipe <3
http://www.kinikunormal.blogspot.com/
OMG this looks so delicious!! I need to try them like right now. I’m definitely making them in a friends night.. I which we could both discuss about anything & everything while watching a movie or something.
Mafer, euphoricwanderlust.blogspot.com
These donuts look irresistible!
Gan. What if your husband hates all things coconut? Do I just eat them all myself? Or can I sub something for the coconut milk?
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ohmygodohmygodOHMYGOD.
These donuts, Jessica. I can’t even.
Total tres lèches perfection. <3
I love tres leches cake and almost fell off my chair swooning when you made the banana version way back when…that was genius…but donuts/noughts? Another genius move. I love cake and yeasty donuts…no issues with either here, though french crullers are my all time fave.
As far as celebrating Cinco de Mayo…we did it early, as in last week early because I’m still trying to figure out how to blog about something before a holiday and then want anything to do with the same food a week or two later when the holiday actually happens…we did slow cooked carnitas burritos with avocado pico de gallo and cilantro lime rice…then pineapple coconut tres leches cake for dessert. I am still, however, missing a mojito or margarita in my life…I need to make that happen this weekend :)
I always go for the crullers!
I so need these in my life. I haven’t had tres leches cake in forever, but I could totally down half a dozen donuts and not blink an eye. They look SO fab.
These donuts look so good and the dulce de leche glaze just kills it. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh my goodness these look incredible there goes my healthy eating plan!
Amazing
Delicious!Totally want to try your recipe.Voted for you! All the best!
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Amazing! I totally want to stuff my face with these :)
Hi! These look so good and I’ve tried to make them, but I need help! I can’t get the butter to mix in! I tired melting and cooling, as you said, but as soon as I added it to the milk it seized up. I tried mixing it freshly melted too, but again I failed. :( Any suggestions?
And happy Mother’s Day to you!
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OH MY WORD! MAKING…NOW!
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Thanks, jessica….
I just gained 15 pounds by looking at the pictures! I used to own a cupcake store in Florida prior to moving overseas, so, I know cupcakes. Donuts, on the other hand, have always been too difficult for me. However, this looks ridiculously delicious that I may jus have to try and make some. BTW, hubby is looking over my shoulder and pressing me to make them ASAP. lol
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I need such things in my life <3
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Just here to say I have been making these for years now. It’s the yummiest thing ever! I leave the doughnuts in the milk mixture though and it just soaks up all the yumness and gets nice and moist. It’s the best thing EVER! Everyone loves it and I have made it for some pretty big crowds (200 ish people)