Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Tres Leches Cake recipe comprises of a soft and moist vanilla sponge cake soaked in a rich milk mixture and topped with silky whipped cream topping. It is hands down one of my most favorite Mexican Desserts!

This milk mixture is made of three kind of milks. Evaporated milk, Full Fat milk and Condensed milk. Hence it is called tres leches AKA three milks.

Try my Angel Food Cupcakes next! You will also love these Fruity and mini Fruit Pizza Sugar Cookies. Make sure to check out other Summer Desserts on the blog as well.

What is Tres Leches?

It is an ultra soft sponge cake soaked in vanilla flavored sweet milk mixture. Then you top if off with a silky smooth whipped cream topping and fresh berries/fruits of choice.

The cake gets uber moist and flavor packed when you soak it in these milks. It literally melts in your mouth.

This recipe has made sure that the cake doesn't taste overly sweet.

So mix that entire can of sweetened condensed milk in the milk mixture. Do not skimp on the amount of sugar added in batter either.

Wait for a few hours till the cake absorbs all the milky goodness before digging in. And worry! Your cake won't turn soggy from all that soaking. It will only develop a better texture and taste!

Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions:

There are three parts to this recipe and you will need different ingredients for all of those. But fret not! The list isn't lengthy and so many ingredients are repetitive too.

Let us quickly dive in and find what you will need to make this cake.

For the Sponge Cake:

Simple kitchen staples are needed to bake this sponge. Lets check them out!

Eggs: You will need 4 large room temperature eggs to give structure to this sponge. Room temperature is the keyword here! 😉 Room temperature eggs whisk well and mix even better in the cake batter. Wow I am feeling poetic today! whisk-mix, better-batter. Get it! Get it?? Also we do not need to separate yolks and egg whites here to create this sponge. How convenient!!

Sugar: Sugar not only provides sweetness to the cake but it also helps stabilizing the egg whites when you whip them.

Flour: We are using all purpose flour as the base of this recipe.

Milk: You will only need a small amount to thin out the batter. I like to use full fat milk for best texture and flavor. But you can replace it with low fat milk as well.

Leavener: To give a nice lift to this cake you will require two teaspoons of baking powder. Make sure your baking powder is fresh before you add it to the batter.

For the Milk Mixture:

We will mix three kinds of milks together and create a very rich milk concoction to soak our sponge into. To make this soaking concoction you will require:

Milk: Use whole milk here for best flavor.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is reduced milk and adds a rich flavor to this concoction. We will use one whole can of it.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: Adds a lot of flavor to the milk mixture and also sweetens it. You will need a can of this too. You can also make your own using this Condensed Milk recipe made with 3 simple ingredients. 

Overview: To make this Three Milk Cake

So first we will begin by making the sponge. You can also prepare the sponge ahead and keep it covered tightly for a day or overnight. Then when you are ready to soak it in the milk, make the milk mixture then.

Similarly whipped cream topping can be prepared a day ahead and can be stored in the refrigerator for a day.

Make the Sponge: Whisk room temperature eggs, vanilla and sugar till they get very light and creamy. Now slowly add half of the sifted dry ingredients, fold gently then add and mix in milk. 
Next add in the remaining dry ingredients and fold them in the batter again. 

Bake the sponge: Pour batter in a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 deg F till done.

Making the Sweet Milk Mixture: Mix a can of evaporated milk, a can of condensed milk, some full fat cream and vanilla in a large liquid measuring cup or in any pourable container.

Poke holes in the sponge: Once your cake has cooled down, using a skewer/a fork make holes all over the cake.

Soak the Sponge: Use up all that milk mixture to soak your cake. Don't save any. It might look too much liquid, but it isn't really! The sponge will absorb it all and get beautifully moist.

Top with whipped cream topping: Once all the milk is soaked into the sponge, top it with homemade whipped cream topping. Spread this topping all over the cake evenly.

Refrigerate: After coating the sponge in topping, cover it and refrigerate for good 4-6 hours. This soaking help the sponge get perfectly moist and become all flavor rich!

This is a cake without oil/ butter?

Yes the cake is basically free from any fat like oil or butter. Which is also why your cake will shrink slightly after it's baked, during the process of cooling. This is okay!

All the richness in the cake comes from milk and milk variants. Worry not! You will not miss oil/butter here at all.

You don't even need to separate yolks and egg whites!

Yep that's correct. You do not need to go through the hassle of separating yolks from white and then beating them separately.

We will simply beat yolks and whites together in the bowl of a stand mixture for good 8-10 minutes. This step will create a fluffy cake with lots of air pockets! Do not skimp on the beating time here. This time is crucial for a perfectly risen sponge.

Success Tips:

• Don't be alarmed if you notice shrinkage in the sponge: Some of the air that was created in the cake batter tends to escape as the cake bakes. Hence you notice the shrinkage. The cake will bounce back to normal when you soak it in milk mixture.
• Don't compromise on Soaking time: You need a minimum of 4-6 hours of time for the sponge to soak all the flavors from milks and get all moist and yummy. Let it chill overnight I suggest and you can be sure that your cake is well soaked.
• Refrigerate cake again for at least half an hour after spreading whipped cream topping. This step promises a neater cake slice as the topping gets time to set in the refrigerator.

What does this cake taste like?

Tasting this cake is like biting into a soft sponge/angel food cake soaked in a sweet milky vanilla flavored mixture topped with fluffy whipped cream topping. You can also top it with cinnamon and fresh berries.

Tres Leches Origin:

This cake has its roots in Latin America. You will find this rich and fluffy cake in almost every restaurant out there! 

More Cake Recipes you will love:

Pistachio Cake

Moist Pineapple Cake

Oreo Icebox Cake

Black Forest Cake

If you liked this Cake Recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog 

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Recipe

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Tres Leches Cake recipe comprises of a soft and moist vanilla sponge cake soaked in a rich milk mixture and topped with silky whipped cream topping.

4.77 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Slices

1x2x3x

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Neha

Equipment

• 1 Stand/handheld mixer
• 1 9 x 13 inch Baking Dish (preferably ceramic or glass)

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 and ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 4 large Eggs (at room temperature)
• ▢ 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• ▢ ½ Cup Whole Milk

Sweet Milk Mixture:

• ▢ 1 (12-ounce) can Evaporated Milk
• ▢ 1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• ▢ ¼ Cup Whole Milk

Whipped Cream Topping:

• ▢ 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• ▢ ⅓ Cup Confectioners' sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract

To Serve:

• ▢ 1 Cup Fresh Berries/Fruits of choice
• ▢ few Mint Sprigs

Instructions

• Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish, preferably a ceramic one. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Set it aside.
• Preheat your oven to 350℉. Crack 4 room temperature eggs in a clean and oil free bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar to eggs and start beating eggs (on medium to medium-high speed) till they get very light any creamy. About 8-10 minutes. Add and mix in the vanilla too.
• Now with mixer on low, add half of the sifted flour mixture into mixing bowl and allow it to combine. Next add in milk and then finally add the remaining flour mixture. Mix only till flour disappears into the batter.
• Pour cake batter in the prepared pan and bake for around 24-25 minutes. Cake will spring back when pressed in the center at this point. Or a toothpick inserted in the center must also come out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan before soaking.

Making the three milk mixture:

• In a large mixing bowl (4 cup capacity) whisk evaporated milk, whole milk and condensed milk together until combined. Poke holes in cooled cake using a fork or skewer.
• Now pour the milk mixture slowly and evenly all over the cake. Go slow, allow milk mixture to get absorbed in the cake before you continue to pour more. Cover the cake with a plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight if you aren't pressed on time.

Whipped Cream Topping:

• Add cold whipping cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla to a bowl of stand mixer. Using a whisk attachment, whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Cover and Refrigerate until ready to top on the cake.

Assembling the Cake:

• Take the cake out of refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap from the pan. Top cake with whipped cream and smooth it out using a spatula.
• Top with fresh berries and a few mint twigs if using. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the sponge, wrapped in cling wrap in an air tight container for about 2 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before soaking the cake in milk mixture.

Got no stand mixer? No Problem! You can make use of a hand mixer too. It might take a few more minutes than stand mixer to beat eggs to a creamy stage. But rest of the process remains the same. 

Checking the cake for doneness: I suggest not to poke cake again and again with a cake tester/ toothpick. Doing so can deflate your cake. If the cake springs back when gently pressed in the center, it is done.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Slice | Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 110mg | Sugar: 33g

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