Experience the tastes of Latin America simply by making this cake at home! A sponge cake is soaked in a combination of milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk for a treat your taste buds are going to LOVE.
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Recipe Origins
This Easy Tres Leches Cake is a sponge cake that is soaked in a combination of 3 different milks: heavy cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. It’s then topped with whipped cream and sometimes served with fruit on top!
And while its name is well known, Matt has affectionately taken to calling this cake our “Milkshake Cake” because the milk mixture makes it taste like a “milkshake on a plate.”
This recipe is famous amongst many countries in Latin America, including Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and even Mexico!
As is tough with many recipes that are loved around the world (especially this Homemade Pistachio Baklava Recipe), it’s hard to know exactly where Tres Leches Cake came from and how it evolved to where it is today.
Most think that the concept for a soaked cake originated in England during the middle ages as a way to enjoy cake that had gone stale. Examples of this are Portuguese Rum-Soaked Cakes and this Easy Tiramisu Recipe.
While an actual recipe for Tres Leches cake didn’t show up in cookbooks until the 1970s, a lot of people speculate that the recipe was created by Nestle as a way to sell more of their canned milk products. Most agree that Tres Leches originated and gained popularity in Nicaragua but has spread across Central America, South America, and the Caribbean since.
Why Make this Recipe
- 3 Milk Mixture: There is nothing quite so wonderful and eating your cake soaked in a sweet, delightful milk mixture. It really levels up this dessert!
- “Visit” Central America: If you want to experience the beauty of other cultures but can’t get all the way to Central America, we can bring Central America to you! Bring the tastes of the region to your kitchen by making this recipe at home.
- Repurpose Another Cake: If you recently had a birthday celebration but didn’t finish all of the cake, use this method to give your cake a second life! Add the 3 milk mixture to the cake and you can enjoy it for another 5-7 days.
What Do I Need to Make this Recipe?
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Milk: I recommend whole milk, but 2% will work as well. I would stay away from skim or 1% milk as the fat content isn’t as high, which will lead to a less-rich cake.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This can be found near the whipped creams in the grocery store.
- Evaporated Milk: This can normally be found in the baking aisle near the canned milks.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This can normally be found in the baking aisle near the canned milks.
How to Make this Recipe
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Step 1: Make the Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a whisk to combine. Set aside.
In two separate bowls, separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Set the whites aside.
Egg Yolks
Add ¾ cup granulated sugar into the egg yolk and use an electric hand mixer to beat until pale and smooth. Add the milk and mix to combine.
Add the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold the mixtures together. Do this gently and don’t overmix. Set aside.
Egg Whites
Use a stand mixer to electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites. When soft peaks form, add the remaining granulated sugar, a little bit at a time. Continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form.
Make the Batter
Add the whipped egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold them together. Do this gently so as not to deflate the egg whites.
Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Then pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cake to cool completely.
Step 2: Make the Whipped Cream
In a large bowl, combine the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until a stiff whipped cream is formed (about 5-6 minutes). Set aside.
Step 3: Assemble
In a bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy whipping cream. Whisk until fully combined.
When the cake is cooled, use a fork to poke holes all around the cake. Then, pour the 3 milk mixture over the entire cake.
Allow the cake to sit for 3-4 minutes until the milk mixture is fully absorbed into the cake (or at least until the top has soaked in). Then spread the whipped cream on top of the cake.
Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- It is most common to use whole milk in place of the heavy whipping cream in the milk mixture. I used heavy cream because I like how it made the milk mixture thicker, but you can use either.
- Some people prefer to make their Easy Tres Leches cake with white cake or pound cake instead of sponge cake. If this is what you prefer, you can use your favorite recipe and then just follow the instructions for the whipped cream and the milk mixture.
- If you don’t want to make homemade whipped cream, you can also buy cool whip, though it will change the flavor slightly.
- Many people like to top this Easy Tres Leches Cake with Maraschino cherries
Recipe FAQs
Yes! The milk doesn’t need to fully soak into the cake. In fact, it shouldn’t. The best part about Tres Leches Cake is when the milk pools around it on the plate and there’s even more milk to dip it in.
“Tres Leches” directly translates to “3 Milks”. This recipe is named after the 3 milks that it is soaked in.
Yes! Because the cake is soaked in dairy and has whipped cream on top, you should keep it refrigerated.
I like to simply keep my cake in the 9×13 dish I baked it in, because that is the cleanest and easiest way to store it.
I cover the entire pan in aluminum foil and keep it in the fridge.
Your cake should last about 5 days in the fridge. But that’s only if you don’t eat it first 😉
Did you like this Easy Tres Leches Cake Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Brazo de Reina (Dulce de Leche Cake)
- Canadian Christmas Fruit Cake
- German Black Forest Cake
- Swiss Roll Recipe with Raspberry Cream Filling
Easy Tres Leches Cake
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Electric Hand Mixer/Stand Mixer
- 9×13 Glass Pan
- Fork
Ingredients
Tres Leches Cake
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Milk combo:
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 12 oz can can evaporated milk
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cake Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Use a whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In two separate bowls, separate the 5 eggs into egg whites and egg yolks. Set the whites aside.
- Add ¾ cup granulated sugar into the egg yolk and use an electric hand mixer to beat until pale and smooth. Add ⅓ cup milk and mix to combine.
- Add the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold the mixtures together. Do this gently and don’t overmix. Set aside.
- Use a stand mixer to electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites. When soft peaks form, add the remaining granulated sugar, a little bit at a time. Continue to beat on high until stiff peaks form.
- Add the whipped egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold them together. Do this gently so as not to deflate the egg whites.
- Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray. Then pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Once baked, allow the cake to cool completely.
Whipped Cream Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup heavy whipping cream, 3 tbsp powdered sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat with an electric hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer until a stiff whipped cream is formed (about 5-6 minutes). Set aside.
Assembly Instructions
- In a bowl, combine 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk, and ¼ cup heavy whipping cream. Whisk until fully combined.
- When the cake is cooled, use a fork to poke holes all around the cake. Then, pour the milk mixture over the entire cake.
- Allow the cake to sit for 3-4 minutes until the milk mixture is fully absorbed into the cake (or at least until the top has soaked in). Then spread the whipped cream on top of the cake.
- Keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Milk: I recommend whole milk, but 2% will work as well. I would stay away from skim or 1% milk as the fat content isn’t as high, which will lead to a less-rich cake.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This can be found near the whipped creams in the grocery store.
- Evaporated Milk: This can normally be found in the baking aisle near the canned milks.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: This can normally be found in the baking aisle near the canned milks.
- It is most common to use whole milk in place of the heavy whipping cream in the milk mixture. I used heavy cream because I like how it made the milk mixture thicker, but you can use either.
- Some people prefer to make their Easy Tres Leches cake with white cake or pound cake instead of sponge cake. If this is what you prefer, you can use your favorite recipe and then just follow the instructions for the whipped cream and the milk mixture.
- If you don’t want to make homemade whipped cream, you can also buy cool whip, though it will change the flavor slightly.
- Many people like to top this Easy Tres Leches Cake with Maraschino cherries
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