Tres Leches Cake Recipe

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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

1. PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. 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.
3. BAKE. Bake batter in prepared pan for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool completely.
4. 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.
5. 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!

5 from 37 votes

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

By: Kristyn Merkley

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.

Servings: 18

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Refrigerating Time: 4 hours hrs

Total: 5 hours hrs

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

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. 

Store. Cover 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.

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.

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

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This recipe was retested and updated 4/2024.

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