Rich Tres Leches Cake with Creamy Frosting

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This tres leches cake recipe is the perfect dessert for any occasion! The cake is moist and fluffy, and the flavor is out of this world. The best part about this recipe is that it is so easy to make! Make this for a typical weeknight with your family or to share at the next potluck you attend. It will disappear in seconds!

slice of cake topped with berries on white and blue plate

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Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
Handy Kitchen Tools
How to Make a Tres Leches Cake
How to Make Tres Leches Syrup
How to Make Whipped Cream Frosting
Frequently Asked Questions
More Cake Recipes
📖 Recipe

Tres Leches Cake

There's something about a tres leches cake that just makes you feel happy. It might be the creamy, milky flavor, or the delicate sponginess of the cake itself. Whatever it is, this Latin-American dessert is a must-try for any sweet tooth out there. Plus, it's surprisingly easy to make at home! So gather your ingredients and get ready to bake up a storm. You won't regret it.

And if you like this flavor, you will love our homemade tres leches waffles with homemade syrup. They are another great way to add this delicious creamy flavor to your menu.

strawberries sliced on top of whipped cream on cake in blue pan

Ingredients

For the cake

1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (6g)
⅓ cup whole milk (80ml)
¼ teaspoon salt (1.5g)
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar, divided (200g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5ml)

For the tres leches syrup

12 ounces of evaporated milk (344g)
9 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (240g)
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream (80ml)

For the frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream (480ml)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25g)
1 cup berries (150g)

three slices tres leches cake on black plate with orange slices

Handy Kitchen Tools

blueberries and strawberry on top of tres leches cake sitting on top of blue and white plate

How to Make a Tres Leches Cake

Video Recipe:

You will start by preparing the cake. Allow yourself at least 1 ½ hours for this to prepare, cool, and be iced. Preheat the oven to 340°F/170°C and then grease the baking dish with non-stick spray or butter. You can also line it with parchment paper if you prefer to remove it from the pan for serving.

Now, start by sifting the dry ingredients together in a bowl - flour, baking soda, and salt. Sifting makes sure you have minimal lumps and really helps the texture of the cake.

Then, you will separate the eggs. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and the egg whites into a large bowl or in your stand mixer bowl.

To the egg yolks, add ¾ cup of sugar and beat it into the eggs with the electric mixer on high speed. Once it begins to be frothy, stir in the milk and vanilla extract and set it aside.

hand mixer in white bowl beating eggs and milk

Next, you will beat the egg whites on high speed until they are light, airy, and have doubled in volume. Then, add in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar and continue beating until the eggs are just forming soft peaks.

Now, you will combine to create the cake batter. Pour the egg yolks and milk into the dry mixture and stir together until just combined.

wet ingredients in bowl above bowl of flour

Then, fold the egg whites into the batter until combined, being careful to not overmix as this can deflate the egg whites and create a denser cake.

egg whites being poured into cake batter

Now, pour the batter into the already prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let the cake cool for 30 minutes.

How to Make Tres Leches Syrup

Whisk together the three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and heavy whipping cream.

Once the cake has cooled, you will pierce the top with a fork or skewer.

Once you have holes all over the top of the cake, drizzle it with the milk mixture making sure the entire top has been coated.

Then, let it sit for 10 minutes before you add the whipped cream frosting.

How to Make Whipped Cream Frosting

In a large bowl, add the heavy cream and sugar and beat on high speed until it has thickened and doubled in size.

Spread over the top of the cake.

blue spatula spreading whipped cream over cake

Then add fresh berries, shaved dark chocolate, or a drizzle of caramel if desired.

hand holding a fork of cake above a plate of three pieces of tres leches cake

Frequently Asked Questions

What Does Tres Leches Mean?

Tres leches means “three milks” in Spanish, and as you might have guessed, this cake is soaked in a milk mixture. This helps to keep the cake moist and fluffy, and also gives it a unique flavor that you won't find in any other cake recipe.

The milk mixture is usually made with evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk. Sometimes heavy cream is also used. This combination might seem strange, but trust us, it works!

Is Tres Leches Puerto Rican or Mexican?

This is a common question, as tres leches cake is popular in both Puerto Rico and Mexico. The answer is that the cake actually originated in Central America, but it has become a staple in both Mexican and Puerto Rican cuisine.

Should Tres Leches Cake Be Wet?

Yes! Tres leches cake should be wet. The milk mixture causes the cake to seem wet. However, the cake should not be soggy. Because of the type of cake it is, the cake should be able to absorb the milk mixture without falling apart.

What Type of Cake Is Tres Leche?

There are some recipes that use a store-bought cake when making tres leches cake. That is great when you don't have time to make the cake from scratch. When you follow this recipe, you are going to make a type of sponge cake. Sponge cakes are light and airy, and they have a lot of surface area for the milk mixture to soak into.

This recipe has a vanilla flavor base that pairs well with the milk as well as the frosting.

Do I Refrigerate Tres Leches Cake?

Yes, you should refrigerate tres leches cake. While cake is not always supposed to be stored in the refrigerator, you want to make sure Tres Leches is not left at room temperature for long. The milk mixture can make the cake spoil quickly if it is left at room temperature.

How Long Does Tres Leches Cake Last?

When the tres leches cake is stored in the refrigerator and covered well, the cake will last for 3 to 5 days. Much more time after that and the cake will become soggy.

single slice of tres leches cake topped by strawberry and blueberries

More Cake Recipes

Cake is the ultimate in desserts. You will love this cake, but if you want more variety than a tres leches cake, check out some of the best recipes we have below. Take a moment to check these out, bookmark them, print out the recipes, or pin them to Pinterest to make soon.

📖 Recipe

Yield: 12

Tres Leches Cake

Indulge in the rich and creamy flavors of this homemade tres leches cake. Made with a simple vanilla cake, soaked in a delicious tres leches syrup, and topped with homemade whipped frosting, it's a sweet and satisfying dessert option.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes