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If you’ve never heard of a tres leches cake, you are missing out!!
This is a popular Mexican dessert and one of our favorite summer cakes (because it’s a chilled cake). This new and improved tres leches cake recipe, or “3 milk” cake, is one our family has made and loved for years.
After making the cake base, you poke holes and fill it with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream (the three milks). The result is an extra moist and flavorful cake. We LOVE to top ours with whipped cream and some fresh strawberries!
We also have an Easy Tres Leches Cake recipe and a Chocolate version you are sure to love.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Cool and creamy. This dessert is served cold and is especially great during warm months.
- Perfect for parties. With 18 servings, this cake is a great addition to any Mexican dinner or Cinco de Mayo party.
- The flavor cannot be beat! Similar to a Poke Cake, it is filled with a milk mixture, making it moist and flavorful.
Tres Leches Cake Ingredients and Substitutions
Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour – see How to measure Flour. Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend; the texture might be slightly different, but it should still absorb the milk well.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional – or try a pinch of nutmeg or allspice
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 5 large eggs, separated, divided – see How to Separate Egg Whites
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – or ½ teaspoon almond extract
Filling and Topping
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream – or use whole milk or even coconut milk
Topping
- 2 cups whipping cream – Store-bought Cool Whip or Homemade Whipped Cream
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- optional fruit topping – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches
How to Make Tres Leches Cake
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- BATTER. In a medium bowl, add flour and baking powder. Mix and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat ¾ cup sugar and egg yolks until pale yellow and doubled in size (about 3 minutes).
- Stir in dry ingredients, milk, and vanilla. Mix just until combined.
- In a glass bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes). Gradually, add ¼ cup remaining sugar, continuing to beat on high speed until medium peaks form (about 3 minutes).
- Slowly, add the whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture, carefully stirring with a spatula until the batter is just combined and there are no more yellow or white streaks.
- BAKE. Bake batter in prepared pan for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
- FILLING. One cake is cooled, make your milk mixture: Mix the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a medium bowl.
- Poke cake all over with a fork and slowly pour the 3 types of milk over the entire cake, making sure to get inside the fork holes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- TOPPING. Once ready to serve, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form in a cold, large metal bowl. Spread over the cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Fresh sliced strawberries are a classic, or try other berries, sliced kiwi, peaches, a sprinkle of cinnamon, or grate dark chocolate on top.
- When whipping the egg whites, the bowl must be free of any oils. Even a tiny bit of yolk or grease can prevent them from whipping properly. Use a glass or metal bowl, not plastic.
- Beat until medium peaks form, where the tip of the peak still curls over slightly but maintains its shape.
- The cake needs at least 3 hours to absorb the milk, but we often make the cake and add the 3 milks the day before. Our secret for preparing ahead of time!
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
This tres leches cake recipe is a cool treat made from a tasty sponge cake, a creamy 3 milk mixture, and a homemade whipped topping.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 5 large eggs, separated, divided
- ½ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling and Topping
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Topping
- 2 cups whipping cream
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add flour and baking powder (and cinnamon, if desired) and mix to combine.
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat ¾ cup sugar and egg yolks until light in color and doubled in size (about 3 minutes).
- Stir in dry ingredients, milk. and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
- In a glass bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes). Gradually, add ¼ cup remaining sugar, continuing to beat on high speed until medium peaks form (about 3 minutes).
- Slowly, add the egg whites into the yolk mixture, carefully stirring with a spatula until the batter is just combined and there are no more yellow or white streaks.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely (it will deflate a bit).
- One cake is cooled, make your milk mixture by mixing together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and heavy cream in a medium bowl.
- Poke cake all over with a fork and slowly pour the milk mixture over the entire cake, making sure to get inside the fork holes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Once ready to serve, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until stiff peaks form in a cold, large metal bowl (we like to use our Kitchen-Aid). Spread over the cake. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.
Video
Notes
Recipe tips.
- Fresh sliced strawberries are a classic, or try other berries, sliced kiwi, peaches, a sprinkle of cinnamon, or grate dark chocolate on top.
- When whipping the egg whites, the bowl must be free of any oils. Even a tiny bit of yolk or grease can prevent them from whipping properly. Use a glass or metal bowl, not plastic.
- Beat until medium peaks form, where the tip of the peak still curls over slightly but maintains its shape.
- The cake needs at least 3 hours to absorb the milk, but I often make the cake and add the 3 milks the day before.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 223kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.004g, Cholesterol: 80mg, Sodium: 29mg, Potassium: 135mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 515IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
How to store?
Cover this tres leches cake recipe with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. The fruit topping may not last quite as long—simply scoop the fruit off the top and replace it with fresh fruit when you’re ready to eat another slice.
How to freeze?
Freeze with or without the whipped cream topping, but do not freeze with any fruit. Cover tightly and place in the freezer for 2-3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
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This recipe was retested and updated 4/2024.
For more great recipes by Melanie, head on over to Garnish and Glaze! ENJOY!
How much Butter do you use in Tres Leche Cake?
It isn’t listed in the Ingredients.
The newer version does not use butter to make the cake batter. Hopefully, you still made it according to the written recipe, and that you loved the result!
Did you change the recipe? I wrote it down probably 4 or 5 years ago but I made it today following the website and it seemed different so I compared my notes and ya it’s quite different. I don’t see anything in your article about a recipe change. Anyways, it cooked beautifully, hopefully it tastes the same. It’s my husbands yearly requested bday cake! I will report back on the “new” recipe tonight after we try it 🙂
In the video you use butter beaten with sugar but recipe diesnt show butter as an ingredient for cake…how much butter do you need?
can i use coolwhip instead of heavy cream for the topping?
Yes, you could use cool whip instead of that homemade whipped cream topping!
Question!! What size can of evaporated milk? 12 oz. Or the little can. Thanks.
So after I make the milk glaze I don’t use a 1/2 cup of it?
Correct. When all combined, there is about a 1/2 cup more liquid than the cake needs. So you’ll take that out so the cake isn’t too soggy.
I have a request to bake this for a friend and they were wanting an 8” 2-layer cake. Should I adjust the baking time? If so, what would you recommend?
hello if I would want to make 1 6×3 round pan and cut into layers should i half the recipe? the pan holds about 3 cups of batter but i am unsure of the bake time and if it would bake all the way through or come out over cooked.
You could certainly half the recipe (even that may be too much batter for a 6 inch cake pan). But that would be a good start. Just make sure to only fill the cake pan about 2/3 full so there is room to rise. As far as baking times go, I imagine the full time will be too long. I’d say to keep an eye on it and just check using a toothpick. Start checking around 10 minutes, maybe? And then when the toothpick comes out clean/with just a few crumbs, it will be done. I haven’t tried this recipe in a 6 inch pan so I don’t have exact measurements/times, but those would be my best guesses. Good luck! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing tres leches cakerecipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Going to attempt to make this tonight and was wondering if I should leave the cake covered or uncovered in the refrigerator overnight? I Plan on applying the icing tomorrow. I’m guessing covered so it does not lose moisture?
Hi Jason! I imagine you have already done this now, but I would have recommended to cover it in the refrigerator. I hope the cake turned out well!