These Kulfi Tres Leches Cupcakes are a simple, yet delightful twist on two cultural favorites. Light, airy, and packed with bursts of flavor, this Indian dessert recipe is baked perfection.
If you’ve been here before, you know the Table of Spice is a big fan of a good Indian fusion recipe. (And if you’re new here, welcome!)
From Masala Cheese Fries that combine the best of American guilty pleasures and the flavorful kick of India to Parle-G Pecan Pie Brownies, which bring the classic childhood experiences of two worlds together, I’ve done lots of recipes with a twist before.
With Diwali right around the corner, and many of us failing at the whole “work-life balance” thing, you may need a quick and simple little sweet to whip up for the holidays. So, I present Kulfi Tres Leches Cupcakes. Whether you have guests over or just need a pick-me-up, you are going to thank me for this treat that is delicious – without the mess.
In fact, this is the top viewed dessert recipe on my blog. And for good reason; it has stood the test of time. For three years straight, I have made these cupcakes for nearly every holiday, birthday, or family gathering you can think of.
Fusion recipes are so fun because you get to bridge two cuisines in an exciting way.
Tres Leches is a traditional Mexican dessert that is soaked in three milks (hence the name) and typically topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar. Kulfi is an Indian dessert made of frozen dairy and topped with ingredients like cardamoms or saffron.
Each on their own can be a hard day’s work to make, but I wanted to give you an easy recipe to combine the two and make the perfect addition to your Diwali celebrations (or when those midnight cravings hit).
If you’re celebrating or hosting Diwali, I’ve rounded a Simple Diwali Food Ideas for you to consider adding to the menu.
And if you’re in the mood for something sweet, here are X Fusion Desserts You Need to Try.
The life-saving tip on this one is using box cake mix to create the cupcake base of the kulfi tres leches cupcakes. I used my go-to from Foodstirs, which is made with the highest quality, non-GMO, organic ingredients. You can find them at Whole Foods and Amazon. I used the Simply Sweet Vanilla Cake Baking Mix for this recipe.
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Kulfi Tres Leches Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 box Food Stirs – sweet vanilla cake mix or any vanilla box cake mix
Milk mixture
- 1 12oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ tsp saffron threads
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
Whipped cream frosting
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powder sugar confectioners sugar
Garnishing
- chopped pistachios
- rose petals
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees, line muffin tin with liners and set aside.
- Mix cake mix according to package instructions, in a medium size bowl, mix all the ingredients until you have smooth lump free batter. Next fill each liner about 3/4 with the batter and place in the oven for 8-12 mins or until center is fully baked.
Kulfi tres leches mixture
- In a microwave safe bowl, mix the whole milk and saffron strands, place in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir everything together. Next add the evaporated and sweetened condensed milk together, along with the ground cardamom. Mix everything until it’s well combined. Set aside
Whipped frosting
- In your stand mixture or hand held blender, combine heavy whipping cream and confectioners sugar on high speed for 5-7 mins until stiff peaks are formed. Place in the fridge until ready to use!
Assembly
- Once the cupcakes are done baking and slightly cooled, using a toothpick, poke about 10-15 holes in each cupcake and spoon 2- 3 tbsp of the milk mixture slowly on each cupcake evenly. Let cupcakes sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before placing in the refrigerator for at an hour.
- Place your whipped cream frosting in a pipping back or simply just use a butter knife and spread evenly on the cupcakes. Garnish with chopped pistachios and rose petals. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have a Blend Tec blender, you can use the whipping setting for the whipped cream frosting. It saves time and gives you the best whipped cream!
- I did use wax paper cup cake liners because it held the milk mixture very well and did not leak. You can also use the foil liner or even better the silicone!
- When placing the cupcakes in the fridge please place them on a baking tray or plate in case the mix leaks!
- You will have extra milk mixture left over, save this to drizzle on the cupcakes right before serving. The cupcakes absorb the milk very quickly so its always nice to drizzle some on top before serving to ensure a moist texture.
- For eggless option, replace the eggs for this recipe with 1/4 cup yogurt, you can use full fat or greek yogurt for this recipe.
- To bake the cake version of this, bake at 350F for 25-30 min or until the center is fully baked. Insert a toothpick or sharp knife and make sure it comes out clean. Also if you see your cake getting brown on top but the center is not cooked, cover the pan with foil and place it back in the oven to bake, this will allow the cake to bake without burning or getting golden brown.
