Miss Confection

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🇲🇽 Mexico Kid-friendly

Tres Leches Cake

A feather-light sponge drenched in three milks and crowned with whipped cream

Prep
30 min
Cook
28 min
Total
5 hr 28 min
Yield
One 9x13-inch cake (15 servings)
Level
Easy
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The story

Tres leches means three milks: the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream that soak into a light sponge. The cake is loved across Latin America, and several countries, including Mexico and Nicaragua, claim it as their own.

Its exact origin is unclear. Soaked cakes have a long history in European baking, from British trifles to Spanish desserts brought to the Americas centuries ago. Many food historians think the modern three-milk version spread in the mid-twentieth century, when canned evaporated and condensed milk became cheap and easy to find. Recipes printed on milk cans are often said to have helped make the cake popular, though this is hard to document.

In Mexico, tres leches is served at birthdays, weddings and family celebrations, and many pastry shops keep it in the display case all year. Make it a day ahead if you can. The cake absorbs a surprising amount of liquid but stays light, and it tastes better after a night in the fridge. It is an easy one to make with kids, who will happily do the poking and pouring.

Tips for success

  • Pour the soak slowly. It may look like too much, but the airy sponge absorbs nearly all of it.
  • Top with sliced strawberries or mango for a fresh, fruity finish.
  • Use a dish with sides at least 2 inches (5 cm) high to hold the cake and the milk.
  • Keep tres leches covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tres Leches Cake

This tres leches cake recipe soaks an airy sponge in evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream, then tops it with cinnamon whipped cream. Moist, easy and better made ahead.

Prep
30 min
Cook
28 min
Total
5 hr 28 min
Yield
One 9x13-inch cake (15 servings)
Calories
~380/serving

Ingredients

For the sponge

For the three-milk soak

For the topping

Instructions

Bake the sponge

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) baking dish.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
  3. Beat the egg yolks with 150 g (3/4 cup) of the sugar on high until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the milk and vanilla on low, then fold in the flour mixture.
  4. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar and whip to firm, glossy peaks.
  5. Fold the whites into the batter in three additions, stopping as soon as no streaks remain. Spread the batter in the dish.
  6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and springy and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes.

Soak

  1. Whisk the evaporated milk, condensed milk and 120 ml (1/2 cup) cream together in a jug.
  2. Poke holes all over the cake with a fork or skewer. Pour the milk mixture over slowly in several additions, letting it soak in each time.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until the liquid is fully absorbed.

Top and serve

  1. Whip the cold cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Spread it over the chilled cake.
  2. Dust with cinnamon, cut into squares and serve cold.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/tres-leches-cake

Questions, answered

Why is it called tres leches cake?

Tres leches means three milks in Spanish. The cake is soaked in evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and cream or whole milk.

Should tres leches cake be refrigerated?

Yes. Because it is soaked in milk and topped with cream, keep it covered in the fridge and serve it cold.

Why is my tres leches cake soggy?

A dense sponge cannot absorb the milk, so it pools at the bottom. Whip the eggs well, fold gently to keep the air in, and let the cake soak for at least 4 hours.

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