Gluten Free Matcha Tres Leches Cake

My first big-city job in San Francisco, right out of my masters program, was the perfect chance for me to indulge in all of the cliche offerings of city life. After an 80 minute commute – an hour on the CalTrain (aka “nap time”) and a 20 minute walk up 8 long city blocks, I started frequenting the corner Starbucks to pick up what quickly became my absolute favorite drink: a grande matcha latte with coconut milk, lightly sweetened. I know, I know, complicated Starbucks order (another cliche I got to add to my list!), but it certainly made those sunrise wake ups and long commutes a bit sunnier as I sipped my creamy green cup of joy on the elevator ride up to the 32nd floor (the view upon stepping out of the elevator also helped – looking at you, Bay Area). These morning stop overs were so routine that one of the always-cheerful-before-8-am baristas became my partner in crime, knowing, immediately when I walked in, what to start whipping up. Here’s to big cities and those delightfully-small relationships you build with complete strangers because of those money-draining morning routines. After a year of this, I gave up the matcha addiction, though it remained one of my all-time favorite drink flavors, and led to the inevitable: baking with matcha!

It’s now been over five years since that fateful first stop over at the corner Starbucks, but those matcha lattes left a mark. This, my friends, is the recipe for ALL of you fellow latte lovers: a cake that is, quite plainly, a GIANT matcha latte in cake form. You heard that right. Need a matcha pick me up on a weekend but you’ve already been to your local coffee shop more than is humanly appropriate? Make this instead and sink into a heavenly gluten free matcha tres leches coma while streaming your favorite new show from the comfort of your own, judgement-less home. The idea for this came to me while simultaneously reminiscing about the jaw-droppingly-amazing tres leches cake that we crafted back in 2019 and wondering what I should come up with for St Patrick’s day next week. A green tres leches cake – the ultimate perfect combo – packed with earthy matcha and softened with loads of heavy cream, condensed milk, and spongy matcha cake. Needless to say, I was practically drooling while jotting down the potential recipe.

This was also one of those recipes that came together perfectly on the first try. Matcha + milk, a match made in heaven. It’s actually quite easy to make – the cake it simple and only needs 20 minutes to bake, and the sauce is a simple pour-over-and-wait. The one BIG downside is just that: waiting. Tres leches does need quite a bit of time in the fridge to soak up the shocking volume of cream+condensed milk+evaporated milk that makes it so incredible. It’s worth the wait, though, and just think! You could whip this up at night and it’ll be ready for breakfast! (not the healthiest start to the day but it’s green!). If you’re looking for other matcha treats, try out our matcha swirl pound cake, or if you need another green St Paddy’s day something, try our pistachio snow cookies! But honestly, this is the perfect St. Patrick’s day treat – nothing says “celebrate the luck of the Irish” with an originally-Mexican cream cake!

Print Recipe

5 from 4 votes

Gluten Free Matcha Tres Leches Cake

A dreamy spin on the classic tres leches cake – with matcha!

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Chilling time12 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: cake, cream, gluten free, matcha, matcha latte, tres leches

Servings: 20 people

Calories: 300kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 9×13 inch pan

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 5 large eggs whites and yolks separated into two large bowls
• 1 Cup white sugar
• 1/2 Cup salted butter softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp matcha powder + extra for dusting
• 1 Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum
• 1/2 Cup arrowroot starch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the sauce:

• 1 14oz can condensed milk
• 1 12oz can evaporated milk
• 2 Cups heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp matcha powder

For the topping:

• 2 Cups heavy cream
• 2-4 Tbsp powdered sugar
• extra matcha powder for dusting

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13inch pan with butter or cooking spray. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two clean, dry, large bowls. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add in 1/2 cup of the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, then set aside. In the egg yolk bowl, add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the softened butter and beat until lighter and fluffy. Add in the vanilla, matcha powder, flour, starch, baking powder, and salt and stir together with a spatula until fully combined and smooth.
• Using the spatula, add 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk bowl and fold in until combined. Continue folding in 1/3 of the egg whites until entire mixture is combined. Carefully pour batter into prepared pan and smooth to the edges.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until springy to the touch and knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Once baked, remove and let cool completely.
• While the cake is cooling, make the sauce! Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir until combined. The matcha will not dissolve completely but that's okay! Once the cake is cool, poke holes every inch or so in the cake with a skewer or toothpick, then pour entire sauce mixture over the cake (it will be submerged but once it chills overnight it will have soaked it up entirely!).
• Cover the cake and chill it in the fridge for at least 10-12 hours/overnight. The cake will absorb all of the sauce.
• Once the cake is chilled, remove from fridge. Make the topping. In a large bowl, using the electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form, then add the powdered sugar to taste and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream evenly over the top of the chilled cake and then finish off with the extra matcha powder for dusting (optional but makes a great presentation). Then serve! Always good with a big of extra sauce which you can spoon out of the bottom of the pan once you serve the first piece.

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cake!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber