Memorial Day weekend is upon us… The unofficial start of the summer. The season to spend less time indoors and enjoy the great (hopefully) weather outdoors! It’s also a time where we are all looking for quick and easy recipes that don’t require us being in a hot kitchen for hours on end. That applies to desserts too. And today I have a great recipe that will require you to turn on your stove but not your oven. It’s a No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches Cake. Ladyfingers take the place of the traditional cake part and are then topped with a layer of passion fruit curd followed by layer of homemade whipped cream. YUM!
And while this recipe doesn’t require any baking, it does require some time to prep and assemble. Mostly inactive time though. I started by making the passion fruit curd since it needed to chill and set in the refrigerator. While I am sure you could use 100% pure passion fruit from a bottle, or even extract the juice from fresh passion fruits I opted to use frozen passion fruit pulp that I defrosted in the refrigerator overnight. It takes the work out of using fresh passion fruits and I know for certain it’s only passion fruit pulp with nothing added in. I followed the same curd recipe I used to make a Passion Fruit & Coconut Cake a few years back and it was just as easy and delish!
While the curd cooled and set in the refrigerator, I prepped the tres leches cake. In a medium bowl I whisked together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until it was well combined. I then transferred the mixture to a large measuring cup (at least 4 cups) to make it easier to pour over the ladyfingers. I reserved 3/4 cup of the mixture in a small food storage container and refrigerated it. In an 8×8-inch baking dish I arranged ladyfingers in an even layer and then poured about 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over them. After letting it soak in for 15 minutes, I poured another 3/4 cup of the mixture over the ladyfingers again.
I then arranged a second layer of ladyfingers over the first. For the second layer I placed the ladyfingers in the opposite direction as the first layer to ensure that the cake would hold together when sliced.
As with the first layer, I poured 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the ladyfingers and let it rest for 15 minutes before pouring another 3/4 cup over them. I then covered the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerated it for 3 hours so the ladyfingers could fully soak in the milk mixture and become soft.
After 3 hours, I poured the reserved milk mixture over the ladyfingers, re-covered the dish and refrigerated for an additional hour.
After an hour it was time to finish assembling the cake. I spread the passion fruit curd on top of the ladyfingers and then spread homemade whipped cream over the curd.
I thought about decorating the top with fresh strawberries strictly for picture purposes, but the week I made this the strawberries didn’t look that great at the supermarket. Instead, here is a side picture of the different layers.
While I was concerned that this No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches would be overly sweet as some Tres Leches cakes can be I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. While the curd and whipped cream were sweetened and the sweetened condensed milk is of course sweet, using the ladyfingers, which aren’t that sweet, really helped to keep the sugary taste down.
If you love passion fruit, check out these desserts as well…
No Churn Passion Fruit Ice Cream
No Bake Passion Fruit Tres Leches
Ingredients:
For the Passion Fruit Curd:
1/2 cup passion fruit juice*
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons
Pinch of salt
For the Tres Leches Cake:
22-25 Ladyfingers
12.5 oz can of evaporated milk
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
For the Whipped Cream Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*I used defrosted frozen passion fruit pulp
Directions:
For the Passion Fruit Curd: In a medium saucepan combine the passion fruit juice, egg yolks and sugar, stir to combine. Heat over medium heat and continue stirring until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture thickens, enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt. Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, stirring between each addition to ensure the butter has melted. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve two times. The first time into a bowl and the second time into the container you plan to use to store the curd. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd, cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until cool and thickened.
For the Tres Leches: In a medium bowl whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream until well blended. Transfer to a large measuring cup to make it easier to pour. You should have about 3.5 cups. Reserve 3/4 cups in a separate bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Arrange half of the ladyfingers in the bottom of an 8×8-square baking dish. Pour a quarter of the remaining milk mixture over the ladyfingers, about 3/4 cup. Let rest for 15 minutes and then pour another 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the ladyfingers.
Arrange the remaining ladyfingers over the soaked ladyfingers. Pour another 3/4 cup of the milk mixture over the second layer of ladyfingers. Let rest for 15 minutes and then pour the remaining mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for 3 hours.
After 3 hours pour the reserved milk mixture over the ladyfingers. Cover and refrigerate again for about an hour.
For the Whipped Cream Topping: In medium bowl beat together the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract with a hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
Finishing the Tres Leches: Spread the passion fruit curd in an even layer over the soaked ladyfingers. Then spread the whipped cream topping over the curd. You can now serve the Tres Leches or cover with wax paper and aluminum foil and refrigerated until ready to serve.
Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula
Bead Yarn & Spatula 