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This tender Tres Leches cake is drenched in a three-milk mixture and is topped with fluffy whipped cream, cinnamon, or fresh fruit for a truly authentic Mexican dessert.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crowd Please: This is a perfect dessert for any family gathering or potluck. Everyone will love this sweet, creamy Tres Leches cake.
- Delicious Flavor: The combination of the fluffy cake drenched in three sweet milks and topped with decadent whipped cream will truly knock your socks off!
- Cultural Cake: This cake has deep roots in Latin cultural traditions. It is often served at special occasions, family gatherings, and celebrations.
What Milks are Used in Tres Leches Cake?
Tres leches literally means ‘three milks’ in Spanish. This authentic Mexican cake recipe uses sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and regular cow’s milk (it can be whole or 2%). Some recipes substitute heavy cream or half and half in place of the milk. I don’t find it necessary in this recipe since it’s decadent enough without it.
Ingredients Used in Tres Leches Cake
This authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe is simple to recreate. Use these simple ingredients and follow my instructions and you will feel like a pro when you go to serve up a slice of this cake. For exact measurements for the ingredients, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Cake
- Large Eggs: Whipping of the egg whites ensures a light airy cake, perfect for soaking up the three milk mixture that will be poured over top.
- Granulated Sugar: The sugar, when combined with the eggs, helps create a light, fluffy texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds the perfect warm flavor to this luscious cake.
- Whole Milk: Adds moisture to the batter, which gives you a soft, tender cake.
- All Purpose Flour: Gives the cake its shape and texture.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent which creates air bubbles in the batter giving the cakes it light and airy texture.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors, giving contrast to the sweetness in the sugar and vanilla extract.
Milk Mixture
- Whole Milk: Regular milk gives the milk mixture the right consistency to soak into the cake and, additionally, adds a mild creamy sweetness.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This thick and rich milk adds a caramel-like flavor and helps create a luscious texture when combined with the cake.
- Evaporated Milk: Has a concentrated nutty sweetness that enhances the richness of the cake.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Chilled Heavy Whipping Cream: This creates a rich, creamy whipped topping that is full of flavor and decadence.
- Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness that enhances the flavor of the whipping cream.
- Vanilla Extract: Gives the topping a sweet aromatic taste and smell.
Best Tres Leches Cake Recipe
This recipe might feel overwhelming, but if you follow my step-by-step instructions, I promise you will have the most delicious cake you have ever had! Serve this at your next Cinco de Mayo party, and your guests will be begging you for the recipe!
Cake
- Prep and Beat: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit then spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with pan spray. Set aside. Add the egg yolks and sugar to a large bowl, then beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for 3-4 minutes.
- Mix: Add the vanilla and milk and mix until combined.
- Combine: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and fold gently until all the flour has been absorbed.
- Whip: Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer in a separate large bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Fold: Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the cake batter to loosen it, followed by the remaining ⅔ of the egg whites. Fold just until no white streaks of egg whites remain.
- Bake: Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 27 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake. Or the center springs back when you gently press your fingers on it. Let the tres leches cake cool completely.
Egg White Wipping 101
Egg whites are super temperamental! Any speck of fat will prevent them from whipping up. Avoid this by:
- Prep Bowl and Whisk: Make sure the bowl and whisk you use to whip the egg whites are super clean! Put a little bit of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice on a clean paper towel, then wipe the bowl and whisk down before adding the egg whites. This will eliminate any residual fat that might be left over from previous cooking.
- Egg Whites: Discard any egg whites where even a tiny bit of the yolk has gotten into the white. I like to crack each egg into a small bowl before separating and adding the clean white to the ones I’ve already separated. If you do get a speck of yolk, it won’t ruin all of the other egg whites as well.
Milk Mixture
- Combine: Add the milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk to a bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk until combined.
- Poke: Once the cake cools completely, poke holes all over it with a fork.
- Pour: Slowly pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake, letting it soak into all the holes.
Whipped Cream Topping
- Whisk: Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and whip with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until you reach medium-stiff peaks.
- Set and Serve: Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the soaking cake and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve the Tres Leches cake with fresh fruit and a dusting of ground cinnamon.
Tres Leches Tips and Substitutions
I want to make sure your Tres Leches cake turns out perfect! Follow these tips and possible substitutions to ensure your cake turns out exactly how you want it!
- Pour Milk Evenly: Make sure you pour the milk mixture evenly! Otherwise, if you miss parts of the top of the cake, only the bottom of those sections will soak up the milk as it sits.
- No Butter: Where’s the butter? Well, there’s no butter or oil in this recipe! Instead, the egg yolks act as the fat in the cake. It is best not to substitute the egg yolks for another fat in this cake.
- Whipped Topping: You can adjust the sweetness of the whipped cream by adding a tablespoon or two more or less of powdered sugar according to your tastes. You can also substitute an 8-ounce container of thawed whipped topping.
- Boxed Cake Mix: Can I substitute the cake for a box mix? You can use a box mix for the base of this recipe, but I recommend using the written recipe! Box cakes tend to be very tender and crumbly, which means your cake is going to fall apart very easily after soaking in the milk mixture. However, in the trials for this recipe, I found that a slightly sturdier and denser cake offered the most pleasant milk-soaked bite of cake.
How Do You Store Tres Leches Cake?
By properly covering and refrigerating your tres leches cake, you can enjoy its delicious, creamy texture and flavor for several days!
- Make Ahead: the cake (not soaked) can be made up to 5 days in advance. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerator: Cover the cake with plastic wrap or in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will last 2-4 days refrigerated but will become more soggy and lose its freshness the longer it sits.
- Freezer: You can freeze Tres Leches cake, but you can only freeze the actual cake before you drench it with the milk mixture. So after the cake has been baked, you can freeze it like you would any cake. Then, when you are ready to use, bring it to room temperature, drench it with the milk, let it soak overnight, and top with the whipped cream.
More Mouthwatering Cake Recipes
I love a good homemade cake recipe. Don’t get me wrong, boxed cakes have their time and place, but if I have the time and ingredients, I will always make homemade instead! Here are a few of my favorite show-stopping cakes for you to try!
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Tres Leches Cake
This tender Tres Leches cake is drenched in a three-milk mixture and is topped with fluffy whipped cream, cinnamon, or fresh fruit.
Ingredients
Cake
- 5 large eggs separated
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Milk Mixture
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
Whipped Cream Topping
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream chilled
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- To a large bowl, add the egg yolks and sugar and beat with an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment for 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla and milk and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture and fold gently until all the flour has been absorbed.
- Whip the egg whites with a hand mixer in a separate large bowl until stiff peaks form.
- Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the cake batter to loosen it, followed by the remaining ⅔ of the egg whites. Fold just until no white streaks of egg whites remain.
- Add the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the cake or the center springs back when you gently press your fingers on it. Let the cake cool completely.
Milk mixture
- Add the milk, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk to a bowl or large measuring cup. Whisk until combined.
- Once the cake cools completely, poke holes all over it with a fork.
- Slowly pour the milk mixture evenly over the cake, letting it soak into all the holes.
Whipped cream topping
- Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and whip with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until you reach medium-stiff peaks.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the soaking cake and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve with fresh fruit and a dusting of ground cinnamon.
Video
Notes
Originally Posted February 4, 2019
Updated September 7, 2024
Nutrition
Calories: 485kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 11gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 271mgPotassium: 339mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 888IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 274mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
I wanted Tres Leches cake for my birthday and I was nervous to attempt it. My mom helped me, and we followed this recipe exactly. It turned out perfectly! The cake was moist, slightly dense but with a light airy texture that melted in your mouth. Mixed with the whipped cream topping and strawberries, it was so good!
Can you tell me how to double the tres leches cake recipie? Your prompt response is greatly appreciated
Hi Gale, you can double this recipe, I would double the ingredients and bake it in two separate pans. If you are wanting to bake one large cake in an industrial sized pan, reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. I hope this helps!
Excellent!!! My whole family LOVED IT!!! Made for special occasions. Truly, this tres leches cake is DELICIOUS!
I LOVE finding recipes that everyone in my family will eat! Thanks so much for trying it!
Came out perfect! Will be making it again.
Loved this recipe! However my cake came out of the oven beautifully, while it was cooling, it fell and also shrunk like another persons comment! I was careful to not over stir the batter and whites- my baking powder was brand new- not sure what happened. BUT, the cake was not sticky on the bottom- it was a great consistency- tasted wonderful and even my boyfriend who doesn’t try many new things loved it! Taking to work tomorrow! Hope it is a hit!
Made this during the first lockdown for a Mexican family night. Making it again tonight because the kids have been asking what special occasion they need to wait for to have it again!
Not sure why my cake shriveled up and sank while it was cooling.
Being the first time making this I followed the recipe to a T, double checking everything. The cake itself tasted very good but was tough and not fluffy. That’s usually caused by too much of a leveling agent like baking powder….I used 2 tsp exactly.
Went with another recipe from a family member and it was delicious.
Maybe I’d try this again but add less baking powder.
Cakes often don’t rise as high if they have been over-folded. The air bubbles you created in whisking the eggs get popped. Also, if you under fold the batter and whites you can get a wet sticky layer on the bottom of the pan when you bake it.
I am looking forward to making this cake! Only one restaurant in the city next to us, serves this cake so I am excited to have have found a straight forward, easy to follow recipe! Thanks so much for publishing!
A crowd-pleaser. My chief and boyfriend loved it. They ate it amongst them only.??
My family RAVED about this cake!! It was decadent, moist, and milky deliciousness! I used two pints of whipping cream and topped with strawberries. My Mother already said she wants it for her birthday instead of a bakery cake ❤️❤️❤️
What can be used instead of eggs
You can use butter or oil to help substitute for this recipe.
How can i make this recipe into cupcakes? Will the baking time be the same or less time?
The baking time will be about 15 to 18 minutes for cupcakes. Let me know how you like them in a cupcake form!
For the Topping is this (1 pint 2 cups heavy whipping cream) actually 1 pint + 2 cups, or just 1 pint?
It is 1 pint or 2 cups heavy whipping cream. Hope that helps clarify! You will love this cake! Enjoy! XOXO