Tres Leches Cake is a traditional Mexican sponge cake soaked in heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. This easy Tres Leches dessert is airy and moist with a hint of spice. A creamy topping and strawberry garnish add the finishing touch.
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send it straight to you + be signed up for all new recipes!
Reasons to Make Tres Leches Cake
Whether you grew up eating Tres Leches or are trying it for this first time, this cake is sure to win you over.
- Rich vanilla flavor is always a crowd please.
- Cream filling and topping make this a dreamy dessert.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg provide the perfect amount of spice.
- Easy to follow directions ensure that this cake will be a success.
- It makes an ideal dessert for Mexican dinners or Cinco De Mayo.
- Even with with the milk and cream, it holds up to soaking with no soggy texture.
What is Tres Leches Cake
Tres Leches Cake (or Pan Tres Leches) is a popular dessert with Mexican origins. The literal translation from Spanish means “three milks.” That’s because this light-as-air sponge cake is soaked in three different kinds of milks to get its iconic flavor.
How Do You Make Tres Leches Cake?
This easy recipe consists of 3 simple components.
- Start with a sponge cake. Mix up a simple vanilla cake batter and bake.
- Add the filling. A mixture of condensed and evaporated milks gets poured on top of the baked cake.
- Finish with topping. Heavy cream and sugar are beaten together to create the final layer for the cake.
We garnished our homemade Tres Leches with sliced strawberries. A dusting of ground cinnamon is perfect on top too.
Tips and Tricks
- Poke holes before filling. After the cake is cooled, use a fork to pierce the whole top of the cake with holes. This gives the filling a chance to fully soak into the cake.
- Chill. Tres Leches needs to be chilled for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Be sure to use real heavy cream. For a thickened topping, real cream is necessary. Lower fat versions like milk or half and half won’t work here.
Recipe FAQs
Is Tres Leches Cake supposed to be soggy?
Tres Leches translates to milk cake. The base cake is a sponge cake that readily absorbs the milk filling. The cake will be very moist and may have a bit of a “pool” of milk in the bottom of the pan. A little bit of the filling pooling at the bottom of the cake is totally normal. That said, it shouldn’t be a soggy mess.
How should you store a Tres Leches cake?
This cake is best when stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it?
You can freeze Tres Leches cake before adding the filling and topping. Cover the completely cooled cake tightly with plastic wrap in a freezer-safe container and freeze up to 2 months. Add the filling and frosting to the thawed cake before serving.
Can this cake be made dairy-free?
Milk is a big part of this recipe and “tres leches” translates to “ three milks cake.” Unfortunately, this recipe has not been tested with dairy-free milks and likely would not work considering the amount and variety of milks used.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Cake Recipes
- Gooey Butter Cake
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
- Chantilly Cake
- Kentucky Butter Cake
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Dulce De Leche Tres Leches Cake
- Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Kentucky Butter Cake
Mexican Food Menu Recipes
- Mexican Spanish Rice
- Cheese Enchiladas
- Margarita Cookies
- Tostadas
- Nachos
- Southwestern Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Margarita Cupcakes
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Taco Casserole
- Margarita Cheesecake Pie
- Frozen Margaritas
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole milk
For the Filling
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
For the Topping
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp clear vanilla extract
- Optional garnishes: sliced berries or ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9x13 inch cake pan and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add in the vanilla and mix just until combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat just until combined. Mix in the whole milk until combined and then mix in the rest of the flour mixture until just combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool for 45 minutes.
For the Filling
- While the cake is cooling prepare the filling. Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy cream, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg to a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well-combined.
- When the cake has cooled use a fork to pierce the entire surface of the cake. Gently pour the filling over the cake.
For the Topping
- Add the heavy cream and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed for 7-10 minutes, or until fluffy and somewhat stiff. Add in the clear vanilla extract and gently combine with a rubber spatula. Spread the topping over the cake.
- Cover and chill the cake in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight before slicing and serving. Top with fresh berries and/or a sprinkle of ground cinnamon right before serving.
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send it straight to you + be signed up for all new recipes!
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
Made this for cinco de mayo, tried a bite early, it’s so good