Mexican Tres Leches Cake | “Three Milks” Cake
Tres leches cake, or “three milks” cake in Spanish, is a classic dessert served throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries. Soaked in three types of milk and topped with fluffy whipped cream, this light, spongy cake is perfect for birthdays, weddings, Cinco de Mayo, or any celebration that calls for a sweet treat.
What to Expect from This Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Authentic Tres leches cake is a sponge cake made with flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla. It’s soaked in a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream, and frosted with whipped topping.
The taste is decadent and sweet, yet light and airy because it uses no butter or oil. That means you get spectacular flavor without added cholesterol. And a calcium boost from the milk!
The Cake That’s Worth the Wait
The secret to a fabulous traditional tres leches cake is the time you let the cake soak up the syrupy milk mixture. Soak for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight. That way when you serve, it will be perfectly moist—but not soggy. Mmmm!
Where’s the Baking Powder?
While many tres leches cake recipes call for baking powder, ours gets its lift from the 6 beaten egg whites, making it much lighter than other cakes.
Pastry Chef Eli Pérez Shows You How to Make Tres Leches Cake
Our authentic tres leches cake recipe comes from Pastry Chef Eli Pérez, owner of Casa Marietta Repostería in Moroleón, Guanajuato.
Ingredients:
For the Sponge Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or cake flour, sifted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
For the Milk Mixture
- 7 ozs. sweetened condensed milk
- 7 ozs. light cream or table cream
- 2 ½ cups evaporated milk
For the Whipped Cream
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- ½ oz. vanilla pudding mix
For the Garnish
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
Best Tres Leches Cake Step-by-Step
Make the Sponge Cake
Preheat your oven to 356 degrees F and bring eggs to room temperature for easier beating. Then, separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two small bowls.
Fit a fine mesh strainer over another bowl and pour in the flour. You can also pour into a flour sifter if you have one.
Sift the flour into the bowl by gently hitting your hand against the strainer.
Pour the egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
Add vanilla.
Add a half cup of sugar.
Set your electric mixer to high speed.
Beat egg yolks on high speed. You’ll see the yolks start to lighten in color.
Continue blending until uniform, pale yellow and doubled in volume.
The yolk mixture should be smooth, but not runny.
Pour the yolk mixture into a separate bowl.
Wash and dry the stand mixing bowl and whisk attachment, add the egg whites to the bowl and beat on high speed. Whipped egg whites are the key ingredient that make your cake light and spongy.
Slowly add half of the remaining sugar as you beat the egg whites.
Continue beating until soft peaks form.
Pour in the remaining sugar.
Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
Your egg white mixture should be light and fluffy and stick to the whisk attachment or beaters when you scoop it from the bowl.
Now you’re ready to finish the cake batter. You should have three bowls: one with the flour, one with the egg white mixture, and the other with the egg yolk mixture.
Using the egg yolk mixture as your main mixing bowl, you’ll add flour and then egg white mixture little by little, alternating as you fold into the batter. First, add two tablespoons of flour to the egg yolk mixture.
Fold flour into the yolk mixture.
Add a scoop of the egg white mixture to your main mixing bowl.
Gently fold into the flour mixture.
Add more flour.
Fold into the cake batter.
Add more egg white mixture.
Gently fold in the egg white.
Continue adding flour and egg white—alternating and folding in after each—until you’ve added everything to the main bowl. The mixture will become lighter in color as you add the ingredients.
The final cake batter should be smooth, thick and fluffy.
Grease and flour an 8 ½ or 9 inch pan. We use a 2.5″-high pan in this recipe. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter in the round cake pan.
Place a cookie sheet under your cake pan. Then, pour the tres leches cake mix into the prepared pan.
Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to get every last bit of that sweet goodness into your baking pan.
Smooth the top of your cake evenly with the spatula.
Your tres leches cake batter is now ready for the oven!
Place your cake on the center rack of the oven and bake at 356 degrees F for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let sit five minutes, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
Line the cooled cake pan with plastic wrap. You’re going to place the cake back in the pan and then cover, so be sure you leave enough wrap on the sides to do so.
Carefully place your cake bottom up into the lined baking pan.
Make the Milk Mixture
Gather your condensed milk, evaporated milk and light cream (or table cream) in separate bowls, as well as a large bowl, measuring cup and wire whisk.
Pour the cream into the measuring cup.
Add the sweetened condensed milk.
Pour in the evaporated milk.
Empty the measuring cup contents into a large bowl.
Whisk the three milks until combined, and then pour back into the measuring cup.
Soak the Cake
Using a fork, poke holes into the cooled tres leches cake.
Pour the milk mixture into the holes and all over the surface of the cake. Don’t forget the edges.
Lift and fold over the flaps of the plastic wrap to cover the soaked cake.
Once your cake is completely covered, place in the refrigerator and let rest for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best.
Make the Whipped Cream
Once the cake has rested, make the whipped topping. Start by gathering your ingredients: heavy whipping cream made from whole milk, clear vanilla extract, sugar and vanilla pudding mix.
Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Then add the whipping cream to the mixing bowl.
Pour in the sugar.
Add the vanilla extract. The frosting uses a clear vanilla extract to keep it from changing color.
Finally, pour in the vanilla pudding mix. Unlike meringue which holds its shape, whipped cream can quickly deflate. The pudding creates a stabilized whipped cream so you won’t have to worry about it melting all over your cake in the refrigerator.
Turn your electric mixer to medium speed.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Take care not to over beat. If you do so, the cream could separate.
The cream should be light and fluffy.
Decorating Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries
Remove your tres leches cake from the refrigerator and prepare a serving dish or cake pedestal.
Turn out your cake into the center of the dish.
Carefully separate the pan from the cake.
Slowly unwrap the plastic wrap by folding the wrap over itself.
Remove the plastic wrap completely from the cake.
Begin frosting the cake with the whipped topping using a frosting spatula. Start with the sides of the cake.
Continue frosting around the cake.
Carefully frost the top of the cake, being careful not to let the spatula touch the cake directly. You don’t want the cake crumbs to show up on your beautifully frosted cake.
Be sure to cover every last bit of your cake with the whipped cream.
Now the fun part. Decorating! Gather your garnishes. You can use berries, maraschino cherries or any kind of fruit.
If you’re using strawberries, slice them in half and make a ring around the center of the cake, pressing the tops of the berries gently into the cake, cut side up. Fill in the ring with more strawberries, then sprinkle with raspberries and blueberries.
Behold. Have you ever seen a more beautiful cake? It definitely tastes as good as it looks.
Best Tres Leches Cake
This gorgeous tres leches cake is one of our favorites. So sweet. So creamy. So airy. And so yummy! Go ahead, try a slice!
Mexican Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Mesh Strainer or Flour Sifter
- Prep Bowls
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Measuring Cup
- Wire whisk
- Silicone Spatulas
- Round cake pan - 8 ½ or 9 inch
- Pastry Brush
- fork
- Wire Rack
- Plastic Wrap
- Frosting Spatula
- Serving Dish or Cake Pedestal
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or cake flour sifted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs room temperature
Milk Mixture
- 7 ozs. sweetened condensed milk
- 7 ozs. light cream or table cream 18-30% milk fat
- 2 ½ cups evaporated milk
Whipped Cream
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- ½ oz. vanilla pudding mix for a stable whipped cream
Garnish
- Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or other fruit
Instructions
Make the Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 356 degrees F and bring eggs to room temperature for easier beating. Separate egg whites and egg yolks into two small bowls.
- Sift flour using a fine mesh strainer or flour sifter.
- Pour egg yolks, vanilla and ½ cup sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer.
- Beat egg yolks until uniform, smooth, pale yellow and doubled in volume. Pour mixture into a separate bowl.
- Wash and dry the stand mixing bowl and whisk, add egg whites to the bowl and beat on high speed. This is the secret to a light and spongy cake.
- Slowly add half of the remaining sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
- Add remaining sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Mixture should be light and fluffy and stick to the whisk attachment or beaters when scooped from the bowl.
- Gather your three bowls: one with flour, one with egg white mixture, and the other with the egg yolk mixture. Using the egg yolk mixture as your main mixing bowl, you’ll add flour and then egg white mixture little by little, alternating as you fold into the batter.
- First, add two tablespoons of flour to the egg yolk mixture.
- Fold flour into the yolk mixture.
- Add a scoop of the egg white mixture to your main mixing bowl.
- Gently fold into the flour mixture.
- Add more flour.
- Fold into the cake batter.
- Add more egg white mixture.
- Gently fold in the egg white.
- Continue alternating and folding in flour and egg white until you’ve added everything to the main bowl. Mixture will become lighter in color as you add ingredients and the final cake batter should be smooth, thick and fluffy.
- Grease and flour an 8 ½ or 9 inch pan. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter in the round cake pan.
- Place a cookie sheet under your cake pan. Then, pour the tres leches cake mix into the prepared pan.
- Use the spatula to scrape the batter from sides of the bowl into the pan.
- Smooth the top of your cake evenly with the spatula.
- Place your cake on the center rack of the oven and bake at 356 degrees F for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, let sit five minutes, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
- Line the cooled cake pan with plastic wrap. You’re going to place the cake back in the pan and then cover, so be sure you leave enough wrap on the sides to do so.
- Carefully place your cake bottom up into the lined baking pan.
Make the Milk Mixture
- Gather your condensed milk, evaporated milk and light cream (or table cream) in separate bowls, as well as a large bowl, measuring cup and wire whisk.
- Pour the cream into the measuring cup.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk.
- Pour in the evaporated milk.
- Empty the measuring cup contents into a large bowl.
- Whisk the three milks until combined, and then pour back into the measuring cup.
Soak the Cake
- Using a fork, poke holes into the cooled tres leches cake.
- Pour the milk mixture into the holes and all over the surface of the cake. Don’t forget the edges.
- Lift and fold over the flaps of the plastic wrap to cover the soaked cake.
- Once your cake is completely covered, place in the refrigerator and let rest for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best.
Make the Whipped Cream
- Once the cake has rested, make the whipped topping. Gather your ingredients: heavy whipping cream, clear vanilla extract, sugar and vanilla pudding mix.
- Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Then add the whipping cream to the mixing bowl.
- Pour in the sugar and vanilla extract. The frosting uses a clear vanilla extract to keep it from changing color.
- Pour in the vanilla pudding mix.The pudding creates a stabilized whipped cream so you won’t have to worry about it melting all over your cake in the refrigerator.
- Whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form. Take care not to over beat. If you do so, the cream could separate. The cream should be light and fluffy.
Decorate Your Cake
- Remove your tres leches cake from the refrigerator and prepare a serving dish or cake pedestal.
- Turn out your cake into the center of the dish.
- Carefully separate the pan from the cake.
- Slowly unwrap the plastic wrap by folding the wrap over itself.
- Remove the plastic wrap completely from the cake.
- Frost the sides of the cake with the whipped topping using a frosting spatula.
- Carefully frost the top of the cake, being careful not to let the spatula touch the cake directly. You don’t want the cake crumbs to show up on your beautifully frosted cake.
- Gather your garnishes. If you’re using strawberries, slice them in half and make a ring around the center of the cake, pressing the tops of the berries gently into the cake, cut side up. Fill in the ring with more strawberries, then sprinkle with raspberries and blueberries. Serve cold.
Kevin Hart says
I live in Ireland and until this afternoon I hadn’t heard of a Tres Leches Cake until my sister asked if I would make one for her
My five stars is for the very detailed steps in making the cake. The only thing I have to do is convert cups to grams and mls
As mentioned I live in Ireland and wanted to make sure it was an authentic recipe and happily stumbled across yours. Thank you
Lori Alcalá says
Hi, Kevin. So glad you came across the recipe! Here are the conversions. Let us know how it turns out! I think you’re going to love it!
Cake Ingredients
150 G flour
150 G sugar
15 ML vanilla
Tres Leches Mixture
200 ML condensed milk
200 ML table cream
600 ML evaporated milk
Whipped Cream
300 G whipping cream
75 G sugar
5 ML vanilla
15 G vanilla pudding
Tonia says
The written recipe states oven temp of 356 F, while the video shows 365. Which is the correct temperature? Thank you.
Stephanie says
I cooked mine at 356 for 40 mins and it was perfectly baked.
Lori Alcalá says
Thanks for your answer, Stephanie. Yes, 356 is correct!
Terri says
This cake is delicious! Enjoyed with 6 people and all impressed! I am keeping this recipe and will definitely make again. Thank You so much for sharing and raising my baking game!
Lori Alcalá says
So glad you liked it, Terri! It’s one of those cakes that seems daunting at first, but makes you feel so good after you’ve baked – and eaten — it!
Karine Cassidy-Robar says
Hi is there any way to turn this into a layered cake? Im making this cake for someone that has requested a layered version of this cake. Any help would be appreciated
Rose B. says
I used this recipe but with one cake pan and found it to be a bit too full for just one pan (I had to trim off the entire top of the cake as it would not fit back into the pan when I needed to soak it with the milk mixture). When I make it again, I will weigh the batter and split it in between two cake pans instead. I found the milk mixture would have been plenty for two cakes.
Lori Alcalá says
Hi Rose. Thanks for your comment. I think the difference may be that in the recipe, we use a 2.5″-high pan. I realize it’s not specified, so I’ll add that in! If you have a higher pan, the batter should fit perfectly.
Emily Wagner says
Have you tried it in a layered cake? I think I’m going to try if it worked for you!
Lori Alcalá says
Hi Emily. Yes, you can bake this as a layered cake. Separate the batter into two equal pans and bake. Then pour half the milk mixture onto each piece to soak the cakes. Don’t forget to refrigerate overnight at this step! The trick to a layered tres leches cake is to make sure the pieces aren’t too wet so your cake doesn’t fall apart.
Mirachelle Anselmo says
This looks so, so good! I want to make this for a birthday; can I make this cake in advance? How long can this cake stand?
Charlotte Jones says
I love your detailed instructions. I truly want an authentic tres leche cake. This is it!! One thing I am not clear on is what kind of pudding mix do you use? I would assume the instant, but then again just not sure. I don’t want to take a chance on messing this up as it is going to a Hispanic family in need. Thanks for your reply AND for your recipes.
Charlotte
Douglas Cullen says
Instant pudding works well. Glad you like the recipe. Please let us know how it turns out. It should be a hit. Cheers!
Charlotte Jones says
making it tomorrow for sunday dinner, Cross your fingers and toes!!! lol. we have nothing here labeled light cream, I finally ended up with cacique crema mexicana table cream! hope that works. Nothing here, other than that was labeled table cream, but i am so unsure because it, as well as alot of other products say the fat/milk content. so confusing. Im trusting my gut it will be ok…..to be continued sunday!!!
Amee says
Hello
Can you make the frosting in advance to be used the next day?
Eunice says
Hello,
I made this cake layered. I put cream and berries in the middle. It was delicious but the cake wasn’t wet enough. I would say it was dry but very soft. I did everything you said with the milks but I had the cake around 24 hours in the fridge soaking. When I lifted the cakes I noticed that there was a lot of milk on the pan. Would it be possible that I had it soaking to much time?
Do you have any idea of what I did wrong? I did like it but other people like it more wet.
Thank you
elizabeth peters says
Can you use a 9 by 13 pan instead of 8 inch ?
Douglas Cullen says
A 9×13 pan will make a very thin cake because the surface area is much greater than an 8 or 9 inch pan. It will change the texture of the cake when the milks are added.
Charlotte Jones says
When this cake comes out of the oven, what should the top of it look like(texture wise)? Mine was crusted and it shocked me as it was more like a crisco cake if ya’ll have ever made one of those. I am worried, but I guess it doesnt matter as the milk mixture should take care of that. I hope anyway. It just didn’t look like your picture and now I am worried I screwed up. I sure wished I could know how this turned out in the middle as I am taking it to someone for dinner who definately knows tres leches cakes and I really hope it is good as it should be. If I mess it up and it is dry, I am sure they won’t tell me!!!
Douglas Cullen says
Let us know how it turns out. Happy baking!
Pj Schwartz says
I have been tasked with making two tres leches cake. One vanilla and one chocolate. How can I substitute this recipe with chocolate?
Hopefully it will be a Christmas dessert everyone will love ❤
Stephanie says
Any adjustments for high altitude (6000 ft + ) ? Thanks!