Sourdough Caramel Macchiato Tres Leches Cake Recipe

June 1, 2026

Squirrelly Girl Dessert Recipe

☕🍮 Sourdough Caramel Macchiato Tres Leches Cake

Coffeehouse indulgence meets ridiculously good sourdough cake.

Tender sourdough vanilla cake soaked with espresso-infused tres leches, finished with clouds of whipped cream and a generous caramel drizzle.

Beginner Friendly Sourdough Discard Coffee Lover Approved Make-Ahead Dessert

If a caramel macchiato and tres leches cake had a very delicious baby, this would be it. This cake starts with a tender sourdough vanilla cake, then gets slowly soaked with a rich coffee-infused three-milk mixture. After a good chill, it's covered with fluffy whipped cream and finished with caramel. The result is creamy, moist, coffee-forward, caramel-rich, and completely impossible to eat just one piece of.

☕ Why You'll Love This Cake

✔ Uses sourdough discard

✔ No complicated cake techniques

✔ Deep espresso flavor

✔ Ridiculously moist tres leches texture

✔ Caramel macchiato flavor in every bite

✔ Even better when made the day before

✔ Beginner-friendly but impressive enough for guests

🍰 The Complete Recipe

20 min Prep

28–32 min Bake

4 hrs+ Chill

9 × 13" Pan

🍰 Sourdough Cake

1 cup (240 g) sourdough discard
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
3 eggs
½ cup milk
⅓ cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

☕ Coffee Tres Leches

1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (354 ml) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp espresso powder
or ¼ cup strong brewed espresso
1 tsp vanilla extract

🤍 Whipped Topping

2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

🍮 Caramel Finish

1 cup caramel sauce
Pinch of flaky sea salt optional

🔥 Preheat the Oven

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking pan and set it aside.

Beginner Tip: A light coating of butter or nonstick spray makes removing and serving the cake much easier.

🥚 Build the Cake Batter

In a large bowl, whisk together:

Sourdough discard
Eggs
Milk
Melted butter
Vanilla
Sugar

Whisk until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.

🌾 Add the Dry Ingredients

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Gently mix until the batter is smooth and no obvious pockets of dry flour remain.

DON'T OVERMIX

Once the flour goes in, mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the finished cake less tender.

🍰 Bake the Cake

Pour the batter into your prepared 9 × 13-inch pan.

Smooth the surface with a spatula.

Bake for approximately 28–32 minutes.

The cake is ready when it's lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

❄️ Cool the Cake Completely

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan.

Why This Matters: The cake needs to be cool enough to absorb the tres leches mixture without becoming unnecessarily mushy.

☕ Make the Caramel Macchiato Tres Leches

In a large measuring cup or bowl, whisk together:

Sweetened condensed milk
Evaporated milk
Whole milk
Espresso powder
Vanilla

Whisk until everything is completely combined.

☕ Espresso Powder or Brewed Espresso?

Espresso powder gives you a concentrated coffee flavor without adding much extra liquid.

If you don't have espresso powder, you can substitute ¼ cup strong brewed espresso.

🕳️ Poke the Cake

Using a fork or the handle of a wooden spoon, poke holes throughout the entire cake.

Don't be shy.

Those holes are where all that glorious coffee-milk mixture is going.

MORE EVEN HOLES = MORE EVEN SOAKING

Spread the holes fairly evenly across the cake instead of concentrating them in one area.

🥛 Pour on the Tres Leches

Slowly pour the coffee tres leches mixture over the entire cake.

Give it time to absorb.

If you pour too quickly, the liquid can pool instead of soaking evenly into the cake.

Pro Tip: Pour slowly and pause occasionally. Let the cake absorb before adding more. This creates a beautifully saturated cake instead of a soggy surface.

❄️ Chill — Don't Rush This Part

Cover the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

For the best flavor and texture, refrigerate it overnight.

THE OVERNIGHT WAIT IS WORTH IT

As the cake rests, the tres leches mixture continues working its way through the crumb. The result becomes richer, softer, and more flavorful.

🤍 Make the Whipped Cream

Once the cake is thoroughly chilled, make the topping.

Beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and medium-stiff peaks form.

Baker's Tip: Chill your bowl and beaters beforehand if your kitchen is warm. Cold equipment helps whipped cream whip faster and hold its shape better.

☁️ Add the Whipped Cream

Spread the whipped cream evenly over the chilled cake.

You can keep the surface rustic and fluffy, or smooth it beautifully for a more polished finish.

🍮 Finish With Caramel

Drizzle caramel sauce generously over the whipped cream.

For an extra sophisticated finish, add a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt.

GO AHEAD. DRIZZLE GENEROUSLY.

This is a caramel macchiato tres leches cake. Restraint is not required.

🔪 Slice & Serve

Slice the cake into generous squares.

Add an extra drizzle of caramel if desired.

Serve chilled.

And prepare yourself for the inevitable:

"Okay... I need this recipe."

👩🍳 Pro-Level Tips for a Better Tres Leches Cake

☕ Use Strong Coffee Coffee flavor can get diluted by all the dairy, so don't be afraid of a concentrated espresso flavor.

🥛 Pour Slowly Give the cake time to absorb the soak. Slow pouring creates a more even texture.

❄️ Chill Overnight Four hours works, but overnight gives the cake significantly more time to develop its full texture and flavor.

🤍 Don't Overwhip the Cream Stop once you have fluffy, stable peaks. Going too far can turn the cream grainy.

🍮 Add Caramel Right Before Serving For the prettiest presentation, add your final caramel drizzle after the whipped cream is on.

🌟 New to Sourdough? This Is a Great Recipe to Start With

You don't need to be an experienced sourdough baker to make this dessert.

In fact, this is a great way to start working sourdough into your baking routine because there is no complicated dough fermentation schedule.

Your sourdough discard brings flavor and character to an already straightforward cake recipe.

Follow the steps, don't rush the chilling stage, and you'll have a bakery-worthy dessert.

⚠️ Baker's Warning

Someone will say:

"I'll just have a tiny piece."

Then they'll come back five minutes later for another piece.

And honestly?

We completely understand.

❄️ Storage

Because this cake contains a milk-based soak and whipped cream topping, keep it covered and refrigerated.

It's also one of those desserts that can be made ahead, making it especially convenient for dinners, parties, and holidays.

📚 Continue Your Sourdough Journey

Want to understand your starter better, get more confident with sourdough, and take your baking beyond this recipe?

Explore the Squirrelly Girl Sourdough Academy and our beginner-friendly sourdough guides.

🍞 Sourdough Academy 🥣 What Is Sourdough Starter? 🧬 How Sourdough Starter Works 🌾 How to Activate Sourdough Starter 💧 How to Feed Sourdough Starter ✅ How to Tell if Sourdough Starter Is Ready

🐿️ Ready to Bring Your Sourdough Baking to Life?

Whether you're baking your first sourdough recipe or adding another favorite to your collection, everything starts with a healthy, active starter.

Squirrelly Girl Sourdough Starter makes getting started simple, approachable, and beginner-friendly.

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Start baking something delicious.

☕ One More Bite?

We don't blame you.

Coffee. Caramel. Cream. Sourdough.

That's a pretty difficult combination to resist.

🐿️ Happy baking from Squirrelly Girl!

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