The McFlurry has been a worldwide sensation for its unique flavors since its 1990s debut in Canada. The cold, creamy texture of blended ice cream and crunchy chocolate candy is a true delight. American diners can choose between Oreo or M&M Flavors for the vanilla soft serve, with new limited-time flavors occasionally added — all under the assumption that the McDonald’s ice cream machine is working, of course. The Oreo and M&M flavors are iconic, but when looking at some items on the international McDonald’s menus, we might be behind in the McFlurry game.
McDonald’s in Venezuela has a Tres Leches McFlurry inspired by the three-milk Latin American dessert. Tres Leches is known for its blend of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and either whole milk or heavy cream. The sponge cake base of the McFlurry soaks up the milk, creating a soft and moist texture that pairs perfectly with a whipped cream topping. Altogether, it’s a very sweet chilled dessert that’s rich in taste yet airy in consistency. The Venezuelan McFlurry comes with chunks of this cake combined with vanilla ice cream, caramel, and cinnamon.
Sadly, this flavor hasn’t hit U.S. franchises, but that doesn’t mean you have to book a flight to South America to get a taste. You can recreate the Tres Leches McFlurry by combining soft serve ice cream and tres leches cake with caramel. Use homemade or store-bought elements to unleash the flurry at home.
Blend a copycat Tres Leches McFlurry at home
Soft serve ice cream is a simple blend of milk, sugar, cream, and a bit of vanilla extract. The McDonald’s McFlurry recipe uses a bit of corn syrup in addition to these ingredients because it works as a textural support and sweetener. To make the homemade soft serve McFlurry base, heat the dairy and sugar together on low heat, chill for a couple of hours, and then whisk. Whipping air into the mixture is how soft serve gets its delicate mouthfeel, it’s why McFlurries are spun with a special machine, and it’s also why they used to come with a special spoon that would attach to the mixer.
To make a tres leches cake, you can follow a boxed sponge cake recipe and soak it in the three-milk tres leches blend. If making it from scratch is too much effort, most grocery stores with a bakery on site will have slices of tres leches ready to go, complete with whipped topping. Publix and Whole Foods, in particular, are known for their cake departments, but stores like Trader Joe’s might have some available in the freezer section. Cut the cake into small cubes and toss them in the soft serve base with a drizzle of caramel and cinnamon — making your own McFlurry can be a piece of cake.
