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These tres leches cupcakes take the cake my family makes for every celebration and turn it into something you can hold in one hand. Tender vanilla cupcakes soak up a sweet three-milk mixture in the fridge, then get topped with fluffy whipped cream, cinnamon, and fresh strawberries right before serving.
A Note from Isabel
Tres leches cupcakes are the classic cake my family makes for every celebration, just baked in a cupcake pan. I’ve made a lot of versions of tres leches over the years, from my classic tres leches cake to chocolate tres leches and pumpkin tres leches, and I wanted a cupcake version that tastes just like the original.
The biggest change is the batter. A traditional tres leches cake starts with whipped egg whites folded into the batter, which makes sense for a big cake. For cupcakes, it felt too fiddly, so I went with a simple whisk-together batter instead. It still soaks up the milk, and it holds together better when you’re eating it out of your hand.
For the milk, you can go the classic route: poke holes all over the top and slowly spoon it over. It works great, and it’s the method you’ll see in the photos. When I want less mess, though, I grab a squeeze bottle or a clean leftover syringe from my kids’ medicine and inject it right into the cupcake.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into the cupcakes, the three-milk soak, and the whipped cream on top. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and a little ground cinnamon, which adds some warmth and mimics the cinnamon in the topping.
- Melted butter: Using melted butter means the whole batter comes together with just a whisk, so there’s no need to pull out a mixer for the cupcakes.
- Sour cream: This makes the crumb tender and moist, and its natural acidity helps the cupcakes rise and keeps them light.
- Whole milk: You’ll use whole milk twice, once in the batter and again as the third milk in the soak.
- Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk: These are the other two milks in tres leches, and you’ll need one can of each.
- Heavy whipping cream: Whipped with powdered sugar and vanilla, it makes a light topping that still holds its shape when you pipe it.
- Fresh strawberries: A slice or two on top of each cupcake adds a little color and freshness to all that cream.
How to Make Tres Leches Cupcakes
The batter only takes about 15 minutes. Most of the time after that is just waiting while the cupcakes cool and soak.
1. Make the batter. Whisk the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the melted butter, sugar, egg, milk, sour cream, and vanilla in another. Whisk them together until it looks like a thick pancake batter.
2. Fill and bake. Fill foil-lined cupcake cups about ¾ of the way full and bake at 350℉ for 14 to 16 minutes. Let them cool completely.
3. Soak with the three milks. Whisk the three milks together. Poke holes all over each cupcake and slowly spoon the milk over the top, or inject it with a squeeze bottle or syringe, then chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Top and serve. Whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form, then pipe or spread it on. Finish with a dusting of cinnamon and a strawberry slice or two.
Recipe Tips
- Poke or inject the milk. Both ways work. Poking holes and spooning the milk over is the classic method, but injecting it with a squeeze bottle or a small baking or plastic syringe is easier and a lot less messy. Spread the 2 to 3 tablespoons for each cupcake across 5 or 6 small injections so the milk soaks in evenly.
- Use foil liners. I use foil liners just to be safe, especially when I’m making these a few days ahead and the milk has time to soak through everything. Foil holds up to all that milk.
- Stick with whipped cream. Tres leches tastes best with a light, airy whipped cream instead of a heavy frosting. Whipped to stiff peaks, this one is still sturdy enough to pipe.
Tres Leches Cupcakes FAQs
They shouldn’t be. They’re supposed to be super moist, but not mushy. Sticking to 2 to 3 tablespoons of the milk mixture per cupcake keeps them soaked without turning them into a puddle.
At least 2 hours in the fridge, but overnight is even better. The extra time lets the milk soak all the way through.
Yes, but I’d use my tres leches cake recipe instead. It’s made for a 9×13 pan and uses the classic whipped egg-white sponge, which makes more sense for one big cake.
Yes, just freeze them before you add the milk. Let the baked cupcakes cool, wrap them well, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them completely, then soak and top them like usual.
Tres Leches Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, whisked
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the milk mixture
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1 cup whole milk
For the whipped cream and topping
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon, for dusting
- Fresh strawberries, sliced
Instructions
- Make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12-count cupcake or muffin pan with foil cupcake liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the egg, whole milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract.
- Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully combined. The batter will resemble a thick pancake batter.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake tins, filling each ¾ of the way full. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
- Make the milk mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk.
- Poke holes all over the tops of the cupcakes with a skewer or toothpick. Slowly spoon about 1 tablespoon of the milk mixture over each one, let it soak in, and repeat until each cupcake gets about 3 tablespoons. For less mess, you can use a squeeze bottle or small syringe to inject the milk instead, spreading it out over 5 to 6 small injections per cupcake.
- Cover the cupcakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight, so they fully soak up the milk mixture.
- Make the whipped topping. Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with a stand mixer using the whisk attachment or an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 2-4 minutes. Spread it onto the cupcakes with an angled spatula, or transfer it to a piping bag and pipe it on.
- Dust the cupcakes with ground cinnamon, top each with a slice or two of fresh strawberries, and serve.
Notes
- Storage: Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Make ahead: You can bake and soak the cupcakes up to 2 days ahead. Keep them covered in the fridge and add the whipped cream right before serving.
- Freezing: Freeze the baked cupcakes, wrapped well, before adding the milk for up to 3 months. Thaw them completely, then soak and top as usual.
- Foil liners: Foil holds up better than paper when the cupcakes sit in the milk for a few days, so I’d stick with foil if you’re making them ahead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Desserts To Try
- Apple Tres Leches Cake
- Tres Leches Cinnamon Rolls
- Cortadillo (Mexican Pink Cake)
- Fresas Con Crema (Mexican Strawberries and Cream)
- Chocoflan
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
