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HomeRecipesDesserts

Tres Leches Cake

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By: IsabelPosted: 1/21/20

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Tres Leches Cake is a classic Mexican dessert soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Moist, creamy and delicious, tres leches is perfect for any celebration!

Tres leches cake with three milk mixture on a plate

I feel like I should be throwing a party because I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe for tres leches cake!

Growing up in a Mexican household, tres leches has always been the ultimate celebration cake. Do you have a quinceñera coming up? Wedding? Birthday party? Baptism? Graduation? Guess it’s time to make a tres leches cake!

It’s the go-to cake for anything and everything, including a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

What is tres leches cake?

Tres leches cake is a popular Mexican dessert made from a light sponge cake that is soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with whipped cream. Tres leches literally means “three milks” in Spanish, hence the name of the cake.

Tres leches is decadent and creamy thanks to the three milk mixture, yet still very light and airy due to the texture of the sponge cake that’s almost like an angel food cake.

It’s typically topped with fresh strawberries and a pinch of cinnamon, but is also sometimes garnished with chopped nuts or just left plain with whipped cream.

What are the three milks in tres leches?

  1. whole milk
  2. evaporated milk
  3. sweetened condensed milk

I’ve seen some recipes use heavy cream instead of whole milk, but I don’t really find that necessary, especially since heavy cream is used to make the whipped cream topping.

A slice of tres leches cake topped with whipped cream and fresh cut strawberries on a white plate.

How to make tres leches cake

To make the cake, start by combining all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon and a touch of salt in one bowl. In a different bowl, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Then beat together the egg yolk with sugar, vanilla extract and milk and combine it with the dry ingredients.

To make the sponge cake light and airy, the one important step is beating the egg whites in a separate bowl until shiny peaks form, then gently fold them into the cake batter. The air bubbles and volume of the meringue help keep the sponge fluffy and not dense, even after soaking in the three milk mixture.

Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, and then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Poking tres leches cake with a fork.

Once the cake has cooled, poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork. This will help give more areas for the three milk mixture to soak into the cake.

Pouring three milk mixture over tres leches cake.

Next, pour the three types of milk all over the top of the cake. I like to mix together the milks first to ensure that they get soaked in evenly.

Let the cake rest. Cover and refrigerate it for a minimum for 2 hours, up to overnight. This helps the cake completely cool and gives it enough time to absorb as much of the milk mixture as possible.

Whipped cream topping spread over a tres leches cake in a pan.

Once the cake has soaked in the milks, prepare the topping. To make the whipped cream, all you need is a pint of heavy cream, a few tablespoons of sugar and some vanilla extract.

Love tres leches? Try these!

  • Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
  • Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake
A slice of tres leches cake topped with fresh strawberries

Store and Make Ahead

Tres leches cake can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

If you want to make it ahead of time for a party or celebration, I recommend leaving the whipped topping off until right before serving so it’s as light and fluffy as possible.

More recipes you’ll love

  • Fresas con Crema (Strawberries and Cream)
  • Mexican Fruit Cups
  • Arroz con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)

Recipe

4.45 from 47 votes

Tres Leches Cake

Serves: 12 slices
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A slice of tres leches cake topped with fresh strawberries
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total : 1 hour 5 minutes
A classic Mexican dessert, this Tres Leches Cake is soaked in a mixture of three milks and topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • cooking spray, olive oil or butter, for greasing
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 5 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup whole milk, divided
  • 1 16-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

For the topping

  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cake

  • 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, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.
  • In another bowl, add the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar. Beat together on high speed using a handheld or stand mixer for about 3 minutes, until the yolks are pale yellow in color.
  • Add the vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of milk. Beat together on low until just combined and pour it into the large bowl of flour. Mix together with a fork until combined.
  • In another large bowl, add the egg whites and beat on high speed using a handheld or stand mixer until soft peaks form. With the mixer on, gradually add in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until egg whites are shiny and stiff.
  • Add the egg white mixture to the cake batter and fold them together very gently using a silicone spatula until just combined. You want to try to keep as much of the light airy texture and volume of the egg whites as possible, while making sure that the egg whites are completely combined with the batter. 
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 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 1/4 cup of milk, 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 toothpick, a skewer or a 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.

For the topping

  • In a large bowl, add the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed using a handheld or stand mixer until soft peaks form. 
  • Top the cake with whipped cream and freshly sliced strawberries, if desired.

Video

Isabel’s Tips:

To make the sponge cake light and airy, the one important step is beating the egg whites until shiny peaks form, and then gently folding them into the cake batter. The air bubbles and volume of the meringue help keep the sponge fluffy and not dense, even after soaking in the three milk mixture.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1slice Calories: 487kcal (24%) Carbohydrates: 61g (20%) Protein: 10g (20%) Fat: 21g (32%) Saturated Fat: 12g (60%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 6g Cholesterol: 140mg (47%) Sodium: 174mg (7%) Potassium: 291mg (8%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 50g (56%) Vitamin A: 300IU (6%) Vitamin C: 5mg (6%) Calcium: 230mg (23%) Iron: 0.5mg (3%)
Author: Isabel Eats
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:Mexican
A slice of tres leches cake topped with fresh strawberries
Did you Make my Tres Leches Cake?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!
@isabeleats

You may also like…

  • Soaked in three different kinds of milk and topped with chopped walnuts, banana slices and cinnamon, these 5-minute Mexican Tres Leches Overnight Oats are guaranteed to sweeten your mornings.
    Tres Leches Overnight Oats
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    Mexican Tres Leches Coffee
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    35 Cinco de Mayo Recipes to Make at Home
  • A slice of chocolate tres leches cake.
    Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
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Recipe Rating:




  1. Cari says

    Posted on 3/14 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    Any suggestions to make this as a 6inch cake?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 3/16 at 10:15 am

      Hi Cari! This recipe can fill 4 six-inch cake pans. I hope this answers your question!

      Reply
  2. Melissa says

    Posted on 11/8 at 4:12 pm

    How far in advance is it okay to soak the cake before having it? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 11/9 at 12:20 pm

      Hi Melissa! I personally think the longer it sits the better it gets! So you can make it 1-2 days ahead of time so it really soaks up the flavor of the milk mixture.

      Reply
  3. Reena G says

    Posted on 8/5 at 5:37 pm

    Is 1 Tbsp the right amount of baking powder? It seems excessive.
    You said it’s similar to a sponge they have zero bp. I’m cooking for my new grandson by marriage and can’t blow this cake. Love your site.
    Beginning to use your recipes. Thank you for sharing your delicious family history.

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 8/8 at 12:13 pm

      Hi Renee! Yes, that’s correct. The texture of this sponge is a little different than the traditional sponge cake since it has to absorb the three milk mixture, but rest assured it will come out delicious!

      Reply
  4. Jaclyn Cuellar says

    Posted on 2/14 at 11:50 am

    5 stars
    Made this cake for super bowl Sunday and I didn’t even get to try it because it was all devoured so fast! But everyone said it was amazing! Even though it was my first time ever making a tres leches cake the recipe was so easy to follow and was very simple to make. This will definitely be my go to recipe for all the parties from now on!

    Reply
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Isabel Orozco-Moore, Founder of Isabel Eats
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A first-generation Mexican American who loves to cook! Here at Isabel Eats, you’ll find a mix of all your favorite authentic Mexican recipes with a twist!

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