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Chocolate tres leches cake is a chocolate twist on a classic Mexican dessert. This chilled treat is rich and decadent!
If you love Mexican desserts, you’ll also love Fried Ice Cream, Churros, and Flan.
We Love Chocolate!
We love a flavorful cake for celebrations and just because. This chocolate version of classic Tres Leches Cake is a tasty twist on a favorite Mexican dessert!
Tres leches is Spanish for “three milks” which are soaked into the cake sponge. Chocolate tres leches cake provides a decadent addition!
Why we love it:
- Cake mix recipe. This easy cake is made even easier with the use of a cake mix!
- Texture. There’s no risk of a dry cake here. The 3 milks create a deliciously moist cake.
- Not your typical sheet cake. This cake can feed a crowd and is a fun twist on classic sheet cakes. It’s especially perfect for fiestas!
Try our Easy Tres Leches Cake (with cake mix) for another quick dessert.
Ingredients
- package chocolate cake mix – Follow the directions on the recipe and not the directions on the box. Use a box cake mix between 15-18 oz. Or you can make your own Chocolate Sponge Cake, including gluten-free cake, and then soak it with the tres leches milk mixture
- chocolate milk
- canola oil- or vegetable oil
- eggs
- sweetened condensed milk
- half-and-half
- evaporated milk
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- confectioners’ sugar
- heavy whipping cream
- chocolate curls – Choose a high-quality chocolate bar. Use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate.
How to Make CHocolate Tres Leches
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- CAKE. In a large bowl, beat the cake ingredients. Pour into a greased pan.
- Bake for 34-36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork.
- MILK MIXTURE. In a medium bowl, whisk sweetened condensed milk, half and half, evaporated milk, and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder until cocoa powder is fully mixed into the milk. Pour this evenly over the cake.
- CHILL. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- TOPPING. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl. Make whipped cream. Add half the sugar/cocoa mix and beat until incorporated. Add the rest of the sugar/cocoa mix and beat on medium-high heat until soft peaks form.
- SERVE. Spread chocolate whipped cream over the cake right before serving as well as chocolate curls.
How to make chocolate curls
All you need is a vegetable peeler and a chocolate bar.
- The chocolate bar needs to be at room temperature otherwise it will be too hard to create curls.
- Peel the short side for short curls or the long side for larger curls.
Recipe Tips
- Texture. If the sponge cake doesn’t absorb the milk mixture after being refrigerated for several hours, it may have been overmixed, or you didn’t poke enough holes with a fork.
- The sponge cake should be light and airy so that the milk has ample places to settle.
- Easy cleanup. Grease and flour a cake pan, or line the bottom with parchment paper. This will allow the cake pieces to be more easily removed from the pan.
- Poking holes. Once the cake has been baked and cooled for a bit, poke holes all over the cake using a fork or a wooden skewer.
- Variations. Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a tasty flavor variation. Top with fresh strawberries or your favorite berry.
Make Chocolate Tres Leches Cupcakes
This recipe for chocolate tres leches cake can easily be turned into amazing cupcakes.
- Make the cake batter as directed, but bake it using aluminum or silicone cupcake liners. (The paper liners won’t hold the milk mixture).
- Bake the cupcakes for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes before poking holes in them.
- Drizzle the 3 milk mixture evenly over the cupcakes.
- Top with whipped cream frosting and chocolate shavings.
Storing Info
- Make ahead of time. If you are purposefully making the cake ahead of time, I recommend storing the cake and the whipped cream topping separately. Frost the cake before serving.
- STORE covered in the fridge for 4-5 days. If the fridge is too cold, the milk mixture may partially freeze and produce a hard cake. Simply let the cake sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften.
- FREEZE for up to 3 months. Freeze it with or without the whipped cream topping. Wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and again with foil. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
For More Sweets:
Chocolate Tres Leches Cake
Chocolate tres leches cake is a chocolate twist on a classic Mexican dessert. This chilled treat is rich and decadent!
Ingredients
- 1 (18.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix
- 1¼ cups chocolate milk
- ½ cup canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ¾ cup half-and-half
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Topping
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder divided
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- chocolate curls
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
- In a large bowl, beat cake mix, chocolate milk, canola oil, and eggs until well combined (about 2 minutes). Pour into greased pan.
- Bake for 34-36 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Poke holes all over the top of the cake with a fork.
- In a medium bowl, whisk sweetened condensed milk, half and half, evaporated milk, and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder until cocoa powder is fully mixed into the milks. Pour this evenly over the cake. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Topping
- Make the topping by first sifting the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium bowl.
- Make whipped cream by beating heavy cream in a stand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add half the sugar/cocoa mix and beat until incorporated. Add the rest of the sugar/cocoa mix and beat on medium-high heat until soft peaks form.
- Spread chocolate whipped cream over the cake right before serving as well as chocolate curls.
Notes
Make ahead of time. If you are purposefully making the cake ahead of time, I recommend storing the cake and the whipped cream topping separately. Frost the cake before serving.
STORE covered in the fridge for 4-5 days. If the fridge is too cold, the milk mixture may partially freeze and produce a hard cake. Simply let the cake sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften.
FREEZE for up to 3 months. Freeze it with or without the whipped cream topping. Wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap and again with foil. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 299kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.03g, Cholesterol: 96mg, Sodium: 61mg, Potassium: 207mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 868IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 111mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love both versions of your tres leches cake, but since I consider myself a chocoholic then this is my preferred one. Not overly sweet but still delicious!!
So happy to hear that!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Every Chocoholics “wet” dream. The cake is moist! 🙂
I love tres leche
Chocolate or vanilla or butter tres leche.
Probably the most delicious cake ever. Tres leches is already a winner, but then adding chocolate, yum yum extra yum 😋
You can never go wrong with adding chocolate, right? 😉
This looks amazing and so delicious.
Oh my! The description has my mouth watering. I will be trying this ASAP!
My daughter loves Tres Leche. Wanted to try this to give another variation. She loved it.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Since I tend to press “skip to recipe” I love the common questions right above the recipe.
A chocolate version of the Tres Leches cake. If you like chocolate like we do you will love this version!
My 16 year old daughter made this over the weekend and everyone loved it. It was delicious.
I love to hear that your teen is baking! And so happy the recipe was a hit!