I made my first Tres Leches Cake in 2013. I wasn't sure about it at first but I fell in love, because when you love sweet milky desserts as much as I do, it's impossible to not love a cake called a "Three Milk Cake."
Technically, this one's made with 4 milks, but that's really just semantics.
My Tres Leches Cake is a butter-less sponge cake that's drenched with a mixture of evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half-and-half. It's then topped with a simple, not-too-sweet whipped cream.
This recipe begs to be made a day in advance, so that the cake can soak up nearly 4 cups of milk overnight. Just whip the cream and top it on the day you serve it.
It's moist but not mushy, and milky and sweet without being toothachingly so. If you love sweetened condensed milk, this is definitely a dessert for you!
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What is Tres Leches Cake?
Tres Leches is Spanish for "three milks." As I said, Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake soaked with a mixture of 3 milks, usually including canned evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. Some recipes use milk as the third milk; others use cream. I've included half-and-half instead of cream to cut some slim number of calories. The cake is fluffy and dry on its own so that it can soak up the liquid without becoming mushy, much like how a sponge holds water but only releases it when squished.
Many Latin American countries claim to have originated the cake. The Daily Meal says that it originated in Nicaragua, although Mexico also lays claim to the dessert. Tasting Table says that the tradition of soaking cakes came Nicaragua through colonizers England and Spain. Perhaps that's true, although Greece has a tradition of soaking cakes (and not just baklava) in syrup.
Tres Leches Cake, as it's currently made, wouldn't be possible without canned condensed milk, invented in the 19th century. This allowed milk to be processed, packaged in cans, and shipped around the world since it was shelf-stable.
Cake ingredients
Some recipes, like Alton Brown's recipe I tried in 2013, include butter in the cake, but you don't need it to keep the cake soft or moist; there's enough fat in the milk and cream to do that. Instead, I've adapted Smitten Kitchen's Tres Leches Cake recipe, which uses a butter-less, egg-leavened sponge as its base.
Let's start with the sponge cake:
- Eggs
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Sugar
- Baking powder and salt
- Milk
- Vanilla
You use all-purpose flour and cornstarch together to create cake flour, which makes for a more tender cake. If you don't have cornstarch, substitute an equivalent amount of flour; try to measure lightly. I expect that mild tasting, gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blends would work.
Sugar and vanilla provide sweetness and flavor.
Milk provides a little tenderness and moisture; I use 1% or 2% milk. I think you could use half-and-half instead, or a mixture that's half cream and half water.
Baking powder helps some with leavening, but eggs do the heavy lifting.
Beaten egg whites give the cake the bulk of its structure and prevent it from becoming a mushy mess when soaked. Egg yolks are mixed in to provide flavor, tenderness, and additional structure. There's no substitute for eggs in this recipe.
Dairy ingredients
After your cake is made, you'll want to assemble your leches.
- Evaporated milk
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Half-and-half (or heavy cream)
- Heavy cream for whipping (not pictured)
Evaporated milk is also sometimes called unsweetened condensed milk or PET milk (after the old name brand). It has no sugar added and is much thinner than sweetened condensed milk. You need both, and they're not interchangeable.
Half-and-half will be the third milk in your milk soak. You can use light or heavy cream instead; you'll have heavy cream anyway to whip to top the cake. I wouldn't use regular milk; I don't think it would be rich enough.
You'll need whipping or heavy cream to top the cake. Any other form of dairy will not whip properly.
Sponge cake instructions
Start by whisking together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. This will help you sift it into the batter later, making mixing easier.
Next, pull the eggs from the refrigerator. Eggs separate best when they're cold.
- Use a 3-bowl set-up to separate the eggs, with one bowl for whites, one for yolks, and one to separate into. That way if your egg breaks and doesn't separate easily, you don't contaminate the whole batch. I will skip things like whisking together dry ingredients, but I always use the 3-bowl set-up to separate eggs.
- With a stand or electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. This may take a few minutes. You can see here that the whites are pretty foamy, but hold together. These peaks will droop and move easily.
- While mixing, gradually add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time; this allows the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites. Beat until stiff peaks form. They won't flop around.
- The mixture will be very satiny/shiny at that point, and the egg whites won't flop over anymore. It will take a few minutes to get to this point, but slow down the mixer speed when you get close, as egg whites can overmix quickly at the end.
- Add the vanilla and egg yolks, one by one. The batter will still have some structure, as you can see here.
- Add the milk and mix on low just to combine. This loosens out the batter a little so that you can fold in the flour.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, ⅓ at a time. The goal is to mix in dry ingredients without deflating the batter.
To fold, you want to cut down the middle of the batter toward the bottom, then sweep the spatula up along the side of the bowl. You then "fold" that batter over the top.
- Scrape the batter into a greased 9x13 inch pan, and smooth it out. Egg white batter holds its shape and won't spread out much. Bake for around 25-35 minutes.
Check early if your oven runs hot, as the recipe originally said 18 minutes minimum, but my cake in this pan consistently takes 28-30 minutes, in 2 different ovens.
- The cake will have inflated significantly and become a golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the middle will come out clean, and the cake will spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.
Cool the cake completely before soaking it, or it may become mushy.
Hint: If your cake jiggles at all when you touch the pan, it is not done. Don't bother toothpicking it; just bake it longer before you test it.
Soaking
Once your cake is cooled, it's time to drench it!
- In a 4-cup measuring cup or large bowl, mix together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and half-and-half. Set aside about ½ cup in a small jar or container for serving.
- Using a toothpick or fork, poke holes all over the cake to help the milk soak in. Pour the milk all over the cake, including along the edges. The cake in this picture has the milk soaking in it.
Cover the cake and store in the refrigerator overnight.
Topping with whipped cream
When it's time to serve the cake, make whipped cream for the topping. Cream whips best when it's cold, straight from the refrigerator.
- Combine heavy or whipping cream and a small amount of sugar in a large bowl; cream will double in size when whipped. (Be careful; cream spatters.) Whip until soft peaks form. Whipped cream in the bowl will also hold its shape at this point.
- Spread the whipped cream all over the cake.
There's 2 reasons to add whipped cream before serving, and not earlier. First, whipped cream can dissolve slightly when it hits moisture, and so I want the milk soaked into the cake first. And second, whipped cream deflates slightly over time, even in the refrigerator.
Equipment
I highly recommend you use a Kitchenaid stand mixer (affiliate link) or a electric hand mixer (affiliate link) to beat the egg whites. This process can take a long time even with an electric mixer, and attempting it by hand is for the brave. A hand whisk is fine for beating the whipped cream.
It bakes in a 9x13-inch pan (affiliate link). I prefer shiny metal that is not non-stick, and since you store it in the pan, I highly suggest one with a lid to keep out unwanted flavors. I've made it in a glass pan before, and that works as well, but the sides sloped up and the cake almost didn't fit once I topped it with whipped cream.
Serving and storage
Store the cake, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve, and top it with whipped cream right before serving. Pour a little of the reserved soaking milk on the plate for garnish (and extra yummies).
Since this is dairy, immediately refrigerate leftovers. Keep it covered and airtight, because dairy takes on flavors easily.
Cake continues to be moist and tasty even after a few days. We've enjoyed it 4 days after making it, with no changes in texture or flavor (although the whipped cream deflated somewhat).
Top Tip
Don't underbake your cake. A dry cake will soak up the milk much better than a moist cake will.
FAQ
Tres Leches is Spanish for "three milks." Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake soaked with a mixture of 3 milks, usually including canned evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk. It's of Latin American origin, likely from Nicaragua but also claimed by Mexico.
Evaporated milk is sometimes called "unsweetened condensed milk;" it is thin, pours easily, and has no sugar added to it. It's a little richer than refrigerated milk because some water was removed. My great-grandma always called it PET milk, after the name brand.
Sweetened condensed milk is thick, pours slowly, and has sugar added to it.
Evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are both cooked down so they're shelf-stable, and both are ingredients for this Tres Leches Cake. However, in many recipes, including this one, they are not interchangeable.
I have not tried to make a gluten-free Tres Leches Cake; however, I think this recipe is a good candidate for it. Unlike many cakes, the structure of this cake is largely dependent on the stability of beaten egg whites. I would attempt substituting a mild-tasting, gluten-free cup-for-cup flour blend that includes a binder, such as xanthan gum, replacing both the flour and the cornstarch. And, as always, check the rest of your ingredients to be sure they're gluten-free.
Other recipes with sweetened condensed milk
If you adore sweetened condensed milk like I do, you should try:
Other Latin American recipes
I often use Cinco de Mayo as my excuse to make Tres Leches Cake. I also make:
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Tres Leches Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups flour (230 grams)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 6 eggs (separated)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (10 grams)
- 1 ¼ cup sugar (250 grams)
- ¼ cup milk (57 grams)
Three-Milk Mixture (for soaking)
- 12 ounces evaporated milk (1 can; 354 mL)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 can; 397 grams)
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half (354 grams)
Topping
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream (354 grams)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (12 grams)
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. (Skip mixing these together if you're adventurous like I am.)
- With an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. They'll be foamy first, but will stay somewhat upright on the beater when they're soft peaks.
- Gradually add 1 ¼ cups sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, and beat on medium speed until stiff peaks form. The mixture will become shiny, and the peaks will stay upright, without bending over. Slow the mixer down if they're close to stiff peaks but not quite there, as egg whites can overwhip quickly.
- Still on medium speed, add vanilla extract and egg yolks, one at a time. Switch to low speed, and add milk just to combine.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture in one-third at a time. To fold, insert a rubber spatula down the middle to the bottom of the bowl, then scrape up along a side to "fold" the batter over.
- Scrape batter into a greased 9x13-inch pan (affiliate link), and smooth it out. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes, until top is lightly browned and until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (If the cake jiggles when you touch the pan, let it bake longer before testing it.)
- Let the cake cool completely before soaking with milk.
Soaking
- In 4-cup measuring cup or a large bowl, whisk together evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and 1 ½ cup half-and-half. Set aside ½ cup of the mixture for serving.
- Use a fork or toothpick to poke holes all over the cake. Pour all the milk mixture, except for the ½ cup you've reserved, on the cake, up to and including the edges. Cover and place in fridge overnight.
Topping and serving
- Immediately before serving, whip together 1 ½ cups heavy cream and 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on top of cake.
- Serve cake with a little of the milk mixture, if desired.
- Immediately store remaining cake in the fridge. We've enjoyed the cake up to 4 or more days after it's made. There will still be a thin layer of whipped cream on the cake, although it will have deflated some.
Notes
[This recipe was originally written up in May 2017. Post and recipe completely rewritten in April 2025. Additionally, a review of a different tres leches cake has merged into this post.]
Leona Konkel says
Of course I love it since it's my recipe. But when I make a 9x13 inch cake for 3 people, I end up eating most of it, happily. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! I'm happy to help troubleshoot or hear your experiences!