This moist Chocolate Tres Leches Cake is a delicious twist on the classic Mexican dessert! Soaked in a signature three milk mixture and topped with homemade chocolate whipped cream, it’s great for any celebration, including Cinco de Mayo, Christmas, and New Years!
This post is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. All opinions expressed here are my own.
If you love the classic Mexican tres leches cake (or “three milks cake” in English), then you’re going to love this chocolate version! (I also have a pumpkin tres leches cake, too!)
This popular Mexican dessert consists of a delicious chocolate cake soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with chocolate whipped cream. It’s creamy yet light and airy, chocolaty without being overly rich, and extremely easy to make!
It’s my go-to cake to make for any celebration, including the holidays when everyone is wanting a little bite of something special.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make the moist chocolate cake, you’ll need all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, milk, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and (my personal favorite!) Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs.
I’m a huge fan of Pete and Gerry’s and have been eating their eggs for a few years now because they’re so high quality. Not only are they USDA Certified Organic and Certified Humane Free Range, but the flavor is so much better than any other store-bought eggs I’ve ever had, and the color of their yolks is always so vibrant! I can’t recommend them enough.
To make the signature three milks mixture, you’ll need:
- milk (either 2% or whole)
- sweetened condensed milk
- evaporated milk
Some recipes call for heavy cream instead of regular milk, but I prefer using regular milk since I’m already using heavy cream in the whipped topping.
How to Make Chocolate Tres LEches Cake
Make the cake batter by first combining all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda) and then whisking in the wet (milk, oil, and vanilla extract).
Pour the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Then using a wooden skewer or the tines of a large fork, poke holes all over the cake. This will give the three milks mixture plenty of places to go and soak in.
Next, make the three milks mixture by combining milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.
Pour it over the entire cake as evenly as possible so that every part of the cake gets some of the liquid. Cover and refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours so that it can cool completely.
Next, make the chocolate whipped cream by beating together heavy cream, sugar, vanilla extract, and cocoa powder until fluffy. Then cover and refrigerate until the cake is ready.
I used a handheld electric mixer to make the whipped cream, but you could also use a stand mixer if you prefer.
Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the whipped cream all over the top of the cake, garnish with chocolate shavings, and serve!
make ahead and Storage
This cake can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. However, I recommend leaving the whipped topping off until right before serving.
Cover and refrigerate any leftover cake for up to 4 days.
More Mexican Desserts
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 3 cup milk, divided (2% or whole)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 8 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 6 ounces evaporated milk
For the whipped topping
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- chocolate shavings, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray, olive oil, or butter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add 2 cups of milk, the vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until well combined and smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes while you make the three milk mixture.
- In a medium bowl, add the remaining 1 cup of milk, the sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Whisk together to combine.
- Using a knife or a spatula, gently unstick the sides of the cake from the pan. Then, poke holes all over the cake using a skewer or a large fork.
- Gradually pour the three milk mixture over the cake. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours to let the cake fully cool and absorb the liquid.
- While the cake cools, make the whipped topping. In a large bowl, add the heavy cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract.
- Beat on high speed using a handheld or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- When the cake has cooled completely, top with the whipped topping and garnish with chocolate shavings, if desired.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- Make ahead: This cake can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to serve. However, I recommend leaving the whipped topping off until right before serving.
- Storage: Cover and refrigerate any leftover cake for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
I made this and followed the recipe exactly. The cake is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever had and the icing tastes like a Wendy’s chocolate frosty . The cake as I thought when I first read the recipe definitely needs a lot more of the 3 milks to really be a tres leches cake but is still yummy anyway.
How do you measure the sweetened condensed milk? The only size I can find in my store is 14 oz. and from what I’m reading online, since it’s 14 oz by weight, you don’t measure it like you would a liquid. Thanks!
Hi Kym! We used half of a 16 oz can, which is where we got 8 oz. If you eyeball about half of your 14oz can it should be okay!
Hello, can I make this in a circular pan. If so, how long is the bake?
Hi Claudia! If you’re using round pans, this should make 2 of them using 8-inch pan. I would suggest starting at about 25 minutes and then checking it from there.
Hello so I was asked to make a chocolate Tres leches cake for a friends birthday. There’s going to be at least 20 people at the party and she wants a chocolate Tres leches cake with cherry filling, whipped cream frosting and chocolate candies on top but I have never made one. Could I double this recipe and layer the cakes?
Hi Mandi! Yes I recommend doubling the recipe and then layer the cakes once they have cooled. After laying them then you can proceed to poking holes and pouring the three milk mixture.
My goodness was this delicious!
Thank you for this amazing recipe that not only saved my husbands birthday but my reputation. This was my first Tres Leche cake and I knocked it out of the park because of you. I will be making this again along with other recipes of yours. God bless!
Hi Nee! Thank you so much! We’re so glad this turned out well for you and your family enjoyed it 🙂
Another suggestion is to use cream cheese frosting instead of whipped cream which also would extend the shelf life of the cake.
I would like to suggest stabilizing the whipped cream with unflavored gelatin. If refrigerated it should remain stable for several days. Does not affect flavor. Let me know what you think . Denny
Hi Denny! Thanks for the tip! We’ll definitely try it out.
Yummy 😋
What would you do if you accidently overworked the whipped topping and you didn’t have any more heavy cream? Would you just add a little bit of milk?
Hi Lilian! Yes if you ran out of heavy cream, whole milk would be the next best thing. Add small amounts of milk gradually while mixing on low speed until the whipped topping becomes the right texture. Let us know how it turns out!
This cake is delicious! The cinnamon really comes through and makes it deeper and richer. 10/10 will make again.
Thank you, Amy!
How do we feel about substituting 1:1 gluten free flour? I would not plan on making it more than 24 hours before serving because I would imagine the moisture factor would increase much more quickly. What do you think? Thank you!
Hi Allie! We haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour so I’m not sure, but I don’t see why not! Let us know how it goes!
Wow this cake looks great – genius idea! I can’t wait to make it! Quick question: should I use natural or Dutch processed cocoa? Thanks.
Hi Jen! We haven’t tried this recipe with Dutch processed cocoa, but that might add an interesting flavor. You can try it and let us know how it goes!