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This authentic Tres Leches Cake recipe is simple to recreate. This light and airy vanilla cake is drizzled with a decadent three milk mixture creating an incredibly moist and tender cake! A tasty, sweet ending to any Mexican or Tex Mex meal.
Looking for dessert recipes? Don’t miss out on these Churros, Mexican Fried Ice Cream, and our Chocolate Tres Leches cake recipe.
Why I Love this Recipe
- Sponge Cake: separating the eggs and beating the egg whites allows us to create a light and airy cake perfect for soaking up the three kinds of milk.
- Perfect Texture: using the ideal amount of milks to pour over the top gives a moist, tender cake without being overly soggy.
- Toppings: switch up the toppings on this cake to include fresh fruit or cinnamon. This makes it the perfect dessert for all your Mexican or Tex-Mex meals.
What is Tres Leches?
Tres leches translates to “three milks.” Tres Leches Cake is an airy sponge cake soaked in a sweetened milk mixture. It’s popular in Mexico, Latin America, and the United States.
The cake is light and airy, similar to angel food cake. Whipped egg whites are used in the batter to make it spongy. After baking the cake, poke holes with a fork and drench it in the decadent milks.
Ingredients Needed:
How to Make Tres Leches cake
- Prepare the dry ingredients by combining the all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Separate the eggs and mix the egg yolks with sugar to create a thick, creamy mix
- Add the vanilla to the egg yolk mixture.
- Stir together the wet and dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
- Whisk the egg whites with a stand or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the egg white mixture with the cake batter, mixing until the batter is smooth.
- After baking the cake, use a fork to poke holes into the cake; this helps the milk soak into the cake.
- Combine the three types of milk, then evenly pour the milk over the top of the cake.
- Top with whipped cream, cover the cake, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Expert Tips:
- Eggs: separating the eggs and beating the whites to stiff peaks is what helps this cake get a sponge like texture perfect for soaking up the milk mixture.
- Soak Time: after the cake bakes it will seem slightly flat, pouring the milks over the top and allowing at least 4 hours of chill time in the refrigerator will allow the cake to soak in all of the milk, expanding the size of the cake and giving a tender, moist bite.
- Spread Batter Evenly: once you pour the batter into the cake pan, spread the batter into a nice even layer to create a even cake top. This will help the milk pour evenly over the top which helps it to soak evenly into the cake.
Storage Information
- Storage: Due to the milk, store this cake in the refrigerator. Cover the cake to help keep in the moisture, and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the cake before soaking it with the milk mixture. After baking the cake, you can wrap it and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use it, bring the cake to room temperature, drench it with the milk, let it soak overnight, then top with whipped cream.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Tres leches cake recipe uses sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and regular milk (can be whole milk or 2%). Some recipes will 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.
You can make this tres leches cake recipe in two 8 inch round pans.
More Tex Mex Dessert Recipes To Try:
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Batter
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs divided
- 1 cup white sugar divided
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk
Milk Mixture
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
Whipped Topping
- 1 pint heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together with a fork.
- In a large bowl combine the egg yolks(separates the egg whites into another medium size bowl), with 3/4 cup of white sugar. Stir together until fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir to combine.
- Add in the milk. Stir to mix.
- Whisk the egg whites with a hand or stand mixer, once the egg whites start getting foamy and white in color add in the last 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue whisking or mixing on high speed until smooth, white, and stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
- Grease a 9×13 cake pan. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- In a large measuring cup combine the milks needed for the milk mixture. Whisk together.
- When the cake is cooled to room temperature. Poke all over the top with a fork. Then pour the milk mixture over the entire cake.
- Cover the cake and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight.
- After the cake has chilled and soaked in the milks, prepare the whipped cream.Add the heavy cream to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until cream starts to thicken, then add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Continue mixing on medium to high speed until soft peaks form.
- Spoon the whipped cream onto the cake, spread with a spatula or butter knife.
- Serve the cake with a sprinkle of cinnamon or fresh fruit if desired.
Video
Equipment
Notes
- Serving: Cake is best served within 48 hours of soaking.
- Storage: Due to the milk, store this cake in the refrigerator. Cover the cake to help keep in the moisture, and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe first published February 5, 2019. Updated April 15, 2022, and October 16, 2023.
Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
This cake is delicious, moist, and was a huge hit at my sister’s 87th birthday party! Everyone asked for the recipe. Believe it or not it traveled well. I had to put it in a travel bag with ice packs but it held up well while I was on the road. I made the cake the night before and let it set overnight and added the topping in the morning.
I never write reviews but felt compelled to write one for this because it was SUCH a hit. As a non-baker I was nervous to try this and not only was it easy, the entire family could not stop raving about it. My partner continues to say it is the best cake he has ever had and is already hinting about the many other events he hopes I make it for. So good!
I’ve made this cake three times. The first time it was great. Second and third the cake center fell as soon as I removed it from the oven. What went wrong?
My husband is Mexican and Honduran and always asks for me to make this cake! He loves it with a layer of jelly (I usually use strawberry) under the whip cream it’s delicious!! Love the recipe because it’s not overly wet it’s the perfect amount!
Hi, I want to cut the recipe in half how many eggs do you think I should use?
Thank you!
My grandchildren always ask me to make this cake for them when I visit. They are now old enough where they want to learn how to make it themselves and we have had such fun doing that. It will be a memory they will always have long after I’m gone. Thank you for such a great recipe.
Doubled it and made it for a crowd and everyone was raving about it! Definitely saving this one. Thank you!
If I could give this 10 stars I would. This is my first time leaving a review on Pinterest. I made scrumptious cake for my brother, who is very picky about his tres leches cake. We are Mexican so we know authentic when we taste it. He raved about it and said it was his favorite & not just because I’m his sister. My 15 yr old daughter LOVED it too. My husband said “Oh mAn!” & said it was his new favorite cake & wants it for his birthday instead of his mom’s chocolate marble cake. I’m definitely keeping this as my go to tres leches cake recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Serene! This is a delicious cake and it has become my family’s favorite tres leches cake. I’ve made it several times now and it’s sooo goood. I was wondering, to make a chocolate cake, would it be okay to omit 1/4 cup of the flour and add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder instead? What do you think would be best?
I love these kinds of recipes–not fussy, simple, whole ingredients and phenomenal flavor! I love that this recipe does not have half a stick of butter, yet it tastes amazing. The density of this cake once it is soaked with the 3 milks is absolutely perfect. Everyone love this when I served it, and I know because they all stopped talking to eat it, so that about sums it up! This tres leches recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Sonia! I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe 🙂