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This classic Tres Leches Cake is everything you want it to be: moist, milky, and absolutely delicious. The fluffy sponge soaks up the three-milk mixture, and it’s all topped with billowy whipped cream and cinnamon. I love this recipe because it’s simple and foolproof, with room to get creative. If you love this version, try my strawberry, pumpkin, or horchata tres leches.
This tres leches cake is perfect for celebrations or whenever you need a crowd-pleasing dessert! Serve it with Queso Fundido, Birria Tacos or Carne Asada Tacos and Strawberry Margaritas for the most delicious dinner.
Reviews from ACK Readers!
“This is my go to recipe for Tres Leches! I make it at least 2 times a year and my family and friends all love it!” – Tia Castillo
“This is the best tres leches cake I have ever had! Hands down one of the best recipes. Easy to follow! Everyone loved this cake!” – Jacinda
Ingredients for Tres Leches Cake
- Eggs – We’ll be using the egg whites and egg yolks. Both will serve different purposes; both important.
- Sweetened condensed milk – One of the three milks is an important one.
- Evaporated milk – I love evaporated milk. It has a very concentrated milk flavor.
- Whole milk – This fresh milk is one of the three milks.
- Vanilla – This cake is simple so I like to use good quality vanilla extract. If you’re feeling fancy, scrape a vanilla bean and put in the cake batter.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe card below!
How to Make Tres Leches Cake
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. All-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
- Beat the egg yolks with the sugar. You really want to emulsify the egg yolks with the sugar until ribbons form and the color of the egg yolks turns to pale yellow.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and milk. You then want to add the milk and vanilla extract to the egg yolks and whisk until they’re smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You want to use a bit of a folding technique to combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients,
- Beat the egg whites. You want to clean your mixing bowl thoroughly. And dry it. If there’s any water, it may not beat until light and fluffy.
- Fold the egg whites in until you no longer see any egg white bits. You really want to be gentle with this step as to not deflate the egg whites.
- Bake. Pour the batter into a 9×13-inch cake pan.
- Cool the cake. The cake will shrink as it cools. That’s a-ok!
How to Decorate Tres Leches Cake
- Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Be sure not to over whip it!
- Add it to the cake and smother it on top. Dust with cinnamon.
Tips and Tricks
- Freeze Tres Leches – I would suggest baking the cake, allowing it to cool completely and then wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, transfer to the fridge to thaw. Pour the milks on top, let it soak in and then serve.
- Shrinkage is normal! After you bake the cake, it will be a bit shriveled up; don’t worry. After you pour the milks on top of the cake, they will be absorbed by the cake and it will plump up a bit.
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Tres Leches Cake
Equipment
- 1 (9×13-inch) cake pan
- Stand-up electric mixer or electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Tres Leches:
- 1 (14-ounce) can can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12-ounce) can of evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup whole milk
Topping:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
To Make the Tres Leches Sponge Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand-up mixer with paddle attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow and double in volume. Mix in the vanilla and the milk on low speed just until combined, then fold the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture.
- Clean and dry the egg yolk bowl. We’re doing this because the egg whites won’t have height if the bowl has any remnants of egg yolk and/or water. Add the egg whites and beat with the whisk attachment on high until stiff peaks about 3 to 4 minutes.
- In two batches, fold the egg white mixture into egg yolk and flour mixture until you no longer see any bits of egg white.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for about 30 minutes.
To Assemble + Topping:
- In a large serving bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk.
- When the cake is cool, using a fork, poke holes in the top of the cake. I did it about 20 times, you really want to give a way for the milks to be absorbed by the cake. Pour the milk mixture over the cake (it may seem like a lot but it will absorb!). Transfer to the fridge to 2 to 3 hours, ideally overnight.
- Just before serving, make the whipped cream! To a bowl, using an electric mixer, mix the heavy cream, sifted powdered sugar and salt until soft peaks form. Top the cake with the fluffy whipped cream. Garnish with a bit of ground cinnamon, if you like.
- This cake stays good for about 3 days when stored in the fridge.
Notes
- Freeze Tres Leches – I would suggest baking the cake, allowing it to cool completely and then wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve, transfer to the fridge to thaw. Pour the milks on top, let it soak in and then serve.
- Shrinkage is normal! After you bake the cake, it will be a bit shriveled up; don’t worry. After you pour the milks on top of the cake, they will be absorbed by the cake and it will plump up a bit.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I make this without an electric mixer?
it’s tough because you need to whip the egg whites. i would recommend getting a hand mixer to help with the workload and ensure stiff peaks.
If I wanted to add rum to the cake, would it be best added to the milk mixture? How much would you suggest? Thanks in advance!
i’ve never tried it. i would do it to taste. how did it work out?
Very easy and delicious. Basic ingredients and super nostalgic flavor
glad you enjoyed it 🙂
We make this for any gathering. It is so good and always gets rave reviews. It’s not dense and not overly sweet. So tasty.
I used cinnamon toast crunch Cinna dust on top of mine and it gave it the “cherry on top”! Wonderful recipe, I will be making it alot in the future. Thanks so much!
Mine didn’t raise very high. I followed the directions exactly
It shouldn’t rise very much. It doesn’t have any leavening in it besides the egg whites. So it should be fine. How did it end up tasting.
Hi Marsha,
There are a number of reasons a cake may not rise properly. Here are some suggestions if you want to give it another try.
1. Check your baking powder date. Is it old?
2. Is your oven temperature accurate? Invest in an oven thermometer. An oven too cool will cause the cake not to rise. If it’s too hot, it will rise too rapidly, then sink when it cools.
3. If the cake is underbaked, it will collapse. If you want to be certain, a thermometer should read 200-205 deg F when the cake is done.
4. Sift your flour. Fold in ingredients gently to not lose volume.
I hope these suggestions help. Happy Baking!
I made my cake last night does it matter when you pit the frosting on top as long as you leave in the refrigerator. I made this cake as my daughter in law had asked someone else and that person couldn’t make it. I love to bake and she didn’t ask me so I decided to try my hand in it.never had made this before hopefully it’s as good as it looks. Will post results.
How long does it take for the milk to soak in
Probably a good four hours.
Can you double the soak for a moister cake ?
I don’t know if I would recommend that. You can definitely add more milk if you want. But I would add 1/4 cup more max 🙂
Very good, I doubled the whipped cream. Thanks!
Love to hear it!
I’ve made many tres leches cake recipes and this one has been my favorite. It’s easy and the cake has a wonderful spongy texture which soaks up the liquid perfectly. I’ve made it 3 times in the past 2 months and it’s been a hit. I especially love the cinnamon on top. It reminds me of horchata. It’s definitely better on day 2 after it’s had ample time to soak up the liquid.
Wow! I love hearing this feedback. So glad you love it, Deanna. Thanks so much for letting me know.