Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (2024)

The BEST authentic homemade Tres Leches Cake. An ultra light cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon. This simple Mexican dessert is one of our favorites!

Want more dessert recipes? Try my Sticky Toffee Pudding, Chocolate Mug Cake, Key Lime Pie, or Apple Crisp!

Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (1)

Every person in my family would rank Tres Leches Cake in our top favorites of all time! I love that it’s not overly sweet, it’s super easy to make, I can make it in advance, and its absolutely delicious! We make it really often, especially when we’re having a bunch of other Mexican food favorites to serve with it.

What is Tres Leches?

Tres leches literally means, “three milks” and Tres Leches Cake is an ultra light sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture. It’s popular in Mexico and Latin America and throughout the United States as it’s often available at Mexican restaurants.

The cake is similar to an angel food cake. Thewhipped egg whites in the battermake it extra light and spongy. After baking the cakeyou poke holes in it with a fork and pour three types of milk over the top–evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk–hence the name “tres leches”.

How to Make Tres Leches Cake:

  • In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls.
Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (2)
  • Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine.Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don’t over-mix).
  • Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined.
Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (3)
  • Pour batter into pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely.
Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (4)
  • Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
  • Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.
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  • In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake.
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  • Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, and fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days.
Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (7)

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture.

No oil or butter in the cake?

That’s right, this Tres Leches Cake is NOT made with butter or oil. The egg whites are the main leavening agent that give it a sponge cake texture, and the three milks poured on top get absorbed by the cake, making it moist without the need of oil or butter.

Serve Tres Leches with:

  • Cheese Enchiladas
  • Elote
  • Authentic Mexican Rice
  • Refried Beans
  • Horchata
  • or any of my other popular Mexican Recipes!

FOLLOW MEonFACEBOOK,TWITTER,INSTAGRAMandPINTERESTfor more great recipes!

Recipe

Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (8)

4.97 from 3820 votes

Tres Leches Cake

The BEST authentic Tres Leches Cake. An ultra light cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with fresh whipped cream and cinnamon. This simple Mexican dessert is one of our favorites!

Print Pin Review

Prep 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook 40 minutes mins

Total 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Cake:

Milk Mixture:

  • 12 ounce can evaporated milk
  • 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 cup whole milk

Whipped Topping:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  • In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two other mixing bowls.

  • Add ¾ cup sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and mix on high speed until yolks are pale yellow. Add ⅓ cup milk and vanilla and stir to combine.Pour the egg yolk mixture over the flour mixture and stir gently just until combined (don't over-mix).

  • Use electric beaters to beat the egg whites on high speed. As the begin to whip into stiff peaks, gradually mix in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the batter gently, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl, until combined.

  • Pour batter into un-greased pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow cake to cool completely.

  • Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whole milk in a small bowl. Once the cake has cooled use a fork to poke holes all over the top of the cake.

  • Slowly pour the milk mixture over the the top of the cake, making sure to pour near the edges and all around. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or overnight, to allow it to soak up the milk.

  • In the meantime, whip the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks. Smooth over the top of the cake. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Store Tres Leches Cake in the refrigerator, covered, for 3-5 days.

Make Ahead Instructions: You can make Tres leches cake 1-2 days in advance. In fact, I love to make this cake the night before so that the cake has a lot of time to soak up the milk mixture.

Freezing Instructions: The baked and cooled cake can be frozen for up to 3 months, covered well. Thaw overnight in the fridge before pouring the three milks on top.

Smaller servings? Try my Tres Leches Cupcakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 433kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 9gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 171mgPotassium: 344mgSugar: 41gVitamin A: 865IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 242mgIron: 1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tag @TastesBetterFromScratch on Instagram with #TastesBetterFromScratch!

Have you tried this recipe?!

RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

I originally shared this recipe May 2015. Updated April 2017 and May 2021.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.

Process photos by Nikole ofThe Travel Palate

This post contains affiliate links.

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Published

Categories

  • Cakes/Cupcakes
  • Dessert
  • Mexican

About The Author

Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (13)

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Tres Leches Cake Recipe - Tastes Better From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

Why is my Tres Leches not absorbing? ›

Why is my tres leches cake not absorbing milk? If the milk isn't absorbed after a few hours, then it's likely that your cake is too dense. It needs an airy, spongey texture to absorb the milk. Avoid over-mixing the batter in order to keep it light and fluffy.

How long should tres leches cake soak? ›

I did it about 20 times, you really want to give a way for the milks to be absorbed by the cake. Pour the milk mixture over the cake (it may seem like a lot but it will absorb!). Transfer to the fridge to 2 to 3 hours, ideally overnight. Just before serving, make the whipped cream!

Why did my tres leches cake not rise? ›

Why Did My Tres Leches Cake Collapsed? If your cake did not rise properly is most likely because the egg whites deflated when combined with the cake batter or because the batter was overmixed.

Why doesn t Tres Leches get soggy? ›

The desert avoids getting soggy thanks to the sponge's structure. Tres leches cake uses a light and airy sponge that excludes fat like butter or oil. This loose crumb structure allows the milk to permeate all the pockets without weighing it down.

How to fix too much milk in tres leches cake? ›

- Put the cake in the fridge for about 1-5 hours or overnight. - Whip the whip cream powder + cold water and decorate the cake with whatever you want to use/have. Enjoy!

What happens when you add too much milk to a cake? ›

Adding too much moisture to your cake, like milk, buttermilk, or oil, can cause it to fall apart. There won't be a proper balance between the wet and dry ingredients.

Can Tres Leches be too wet? ›

Preparing one from scratch might seem like an excessive amount of liquid to pour over a cake, but, remarkably, a perfect tres leches cake emerges — moist, but not soggy; tender, but not mushy; creamy, yet still distinctly cakey.

Why is my Tres Leches dense? ›

However, if you over mix the batter, it can cause the cake to lose its airiness and come out dense. Dense cake won't absorb the milk mixture properly. To keep this from happening, be sure to mix the batter very gently. Once the ingredients are combined, stop mixing.

Why did my tres leches cake sink in the middle? ›

The most common reasons a cake sinks in the middle include the following: The pan is too small. There's too much liquid. Opening the oven or moving pans during baking.

Is tres leches meant to be stacked? ›

If stacking tres leches cake layers, you will need to freeze the layers for at least 3 hours before assembly. This helps the cake layers from falling. Yep. Sopping wet milky layers weren't made to be stacked, so if you give them a little freeze, they behave themselves during assembling.

Why did my tres leches deflate? ›

One thing I always do when trying to achieve a super light and airy sponge, is to allow the sponge to cool upside down immediately after it's taken out of the oven. Sponge cakes tend to deflate while cooling, so allowing the cake to cool upside down will prevent this from happening due to the help of gravity!

How can I make my cake rise higher? ›

Add a leavening agent to the flour. Most cakes will call for a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. These create the bubbles you need for the cake to rise. If the flour you use is self-raising, it already has a leavening agent in it.

Can you skip evaporated milk in Tres Leches? ›

An inauthentic but perfectly acceptable substitute for the 5 ounces of evaporated milk is 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons half & half. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or 1 tablespoon brandy or light rum.

Can Tres Leches sit overnight? ›

Is Authentic Tres Leches Cake Served Cold? Yes, authentic Tres Leches Cake is traditionally served cold. It is best to make it a day ahead of time so it can sit in the refrigerator overnight and absorb all of liquid.

Why is my tres leches cake floating? ›

Soaking the Cake

Pour the milk mixture over the cooled cake. It will seem like a lot of liquid, and that is okay. Sometimes the cake will loosen from the pan and float in it. Cover the cake and refrigerate it for a minimum of three hours, but overnight is best.

Why did my tres leches cake sink? ›

The most common reasons a cake sinks in the middle include the following: The pan is too small. There's too much liquid. Opening the oven or moving pans during baking.

Why is my leche flan not firm? ›

I like to bake my flan at a lower temperature so that it has time to cook evenly. and if your oven isn't calibrated correctly. it'll end up either under baked or over baked. a perfectly cooked flan should be firm around the edge.

Should I cover tres leches in fridge? ›

How Long Does Tres Leches Cake? Cover the cake tightly with storage wrap or aluminum foil, then store it in the refrigerator for up to five days.

References

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